The next mission of US astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Willmore will be re-adjusted to Earth's environment when they return Tuesday evening after being stuck on the International Space Station for nine months.
“There are many changes in their bodies. The immune system is responding to the stress of spaceflight,” Dr. Christopher Mason, professor of Weill Cornell Medicine, told Fox & Friends on Tuesday.
Dr. Mason is the lead researcher in NASA's twin research and studied how astronaut Scott Kelly's body was affected by his historic 12-month spaceflight in 2016.
“Alien” Meet: ISS Crew Members joke when SpaceX Team arrives
NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Willmore are flight crews for Boeing's Starliner capsules and are scheduled to return home on Tuesday. (NASA)
“We've seen changes in gene expression, which is how genes are regulated in the body, and we're usually expecting some of these changes, as telomeres get to space a little longer than almost every mission we've seen,” explained Dr. Mason.
Telomere, According to The National Human Genome Research Institute states that “regional[s] of repeat DNA sequences at the end of the chromosome. ”
The astronaut duo have been stuck at the International Space Station in microgravity since June. Their mission was scheduled to continue a week after Boeing's first astronaut flight launch, but after the issue forced NASA, they were stuck in space. Boeing Star Liner The sky behind.
Mason explained that spending time in space tends to remain temporarily taller and more lean.
“In at least some measures… they're all temporary. Most of them are in response to spaceflight, and usually they'll return to normal in a few weeks. The most dynamic when you're back on Earth is the first few days,” he added.
Stuck astronaut prepares for the long-awaited return to Earth
Former NASA astronaut Jose M. Hernandez, who once spent 14 days in space, said the duo needs “a lot of physical therapy” to limit bones and muscles.
“I remember that the first two words when I got off were “gravity sucking,” as your body started to adapt and you had to readjust your vestibular balance system,” he told “Fox & Friends First” Tuesday.
“It's going to take several months before I get back here on Earth and feel normal.”
Click here to get the Fox News app
Pilar Arias from Fox News contributed to this report.
