Stranded in Space

Source: AI generated image-astronauts have been completely stuck in space

Read about ambitious space journeys which got delayed because of technical or intentional issues. Understand the health implications such unpredictable events may have on the astronauts.

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A lot kids dream of becoming an astronaut and going to space when they get older. It is a fascinating career option to explore, with its fair share of difficulties. So, if you ever decide you want to become an astronaut, understand that you will have to prepare for the worst on the Earth and in Space both. This doesn’t just refer to academic issues but also technical problems that can make going to space seem impossible.

Instances where astronauts have been completely stuck in space have thankfully been avoided as of now. Scientists at space organizations all across the globe work very hard to make sure that nothing goes wrong up there. And thankfully, their hard work and calculations work out and the astronauts come back safely.

Stuck in Space

Astronaut Butch Wilmore Visits Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling Camp (201506240016HQ)

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Selected by NASA in 1998, Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams is a veteran who has already been on two space missions since then. In 2022, Williams was chosen to be part of the first crewed test Starliner fight to the International Space Station (ISS). Her mission started on June 5, 2024 and was expected to end some eight days later. Along with her was Butch Wilmore, who is also a veteran in this field, and the two have become part of an extended space flight ever since then.

Initially supposed to end in eight days, the Starliner mission first extended this mark and then, continued for two more months. A small helium leak had been noticed just at the beginning but was small enough to manage. This was the precursor to more problems though and soon, the situation worsened with more leaks and five failed thrusters. NASA has been working hard to bring both of the astronauts back but after more thorough calculation and observation, scientists are saying that this journey will get lengthened and last for eight months! That’s right, Williams and Wilmore are expected to return by February 2025 now.

Health issues

The issue with prolonged space travel is that it directly affects the mental as well as the physical health of the crew onboard.

Astronauts and Cosmonauts are trained properly for their journey in space according to the time they are going to spend there. Extended intervals of space travel are difficult because these are unprepared for and can be wearisome. As is the case of Williams and Wilmore, there are going to be severe health complications for which both of them will have to persevere through.

Radiation is the biggest health risk in space because of the lack of a protective layer like the one around Earth. The astronauts will get exposed to radiation equal to 150 to 6000 chest X-rays onboard that ship. Sounds like a lot, no?

The loss of bone density is another concern. The gravity on Earth keeps us in shape and takes care of our bones and muscles. But in space, where there is no gravity to do so, the astronauts are going to suffer from a loss of 1.5% of their bone density each month. Loss of bone density directly translates to an increased risk of bone fracture, bad overall fitness, changes in their speech, worsened motor control and loss of senses.

This is all for the impact on physical health. But mental health doesn’t get spared from this ordeal either. An unplanned, longer space mission can be mentally challenging for astronauts who are so far away from their homes and all alone in a dark, isolated space with just a few colleagues. The feeling of being all alone so far away can cause stress, depression, and anxiety.

Soyuz MS-22 Crew

A similar incident had happened once way back in 1983 when three astronauts also got stuck in space because of technical issues. Frank Rubi and two of his Russian colleagues had been sent to the ISS in September 2022 for a space mission supposed to last for just six months.

All of a sudden in December 2022, their spacecraft compromised their safety in space because of a coolant leak. And so, the spacecraft was not allowed to return back to Earth given its condition. This resulted in a prolonged mission which lasted for 371 days until September 2023 when the three finally returned safely.

Sergei Krikalev

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Known as “the Last Soviet citizen”, Sergei Krikalev was a 33-year-old flight engineer who had completed a degree in mechanical engineering and had spent a 151-day mission in space before this mission as a flight engineer in 1985. This mission had done wonders and Krikalev was immensely impressed by what he saw from space.

His second mission started in 1991 in which he was sent to space from the Mir Space station which was in Soviet Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. This mission was expected to last five months and Krikalev had gotten training which was only suitable for this amount of time. While him and his crew were in space, the tension on earth could be cut with a knife. The Soviet Union dissolved into 15 separate states in the same year and Krikalev’s hometown Leningrad became St. Petersburg. Did this affect the space industry, you ask? Of course, it did.

The country which had taken on the responsibility to bring back Krikalev didn’t exist now! Just before the Soviet Union dissolved, the President at that time, Mikhail Gorbachev, had ensured everyone that a Kazakh cosmonaut will be sent to replace Krikalev in space but there was no Kazakh cosmonaut trained for this purpose by then. Krikalev had to stay in space far longer than intended.

By October 1991, all other crew members had left and Krikalev was the only remaining one. The Union collapsed in December and no one was trained yet to replace him. This is how he came to be known as “the Last Soviet citizen”. There was one chance to go back to Earth though- there was a re-entry capsule on the spacecraft, Mir- but if Krikalev had taken this opportunity, he would have left Mir alone in space without anyone to look after it. And so, he stayed in space for the next 311 days and was finally back on earth in March 1992.

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