‘Back to Earth:’ Team at MGH monitoring Needham native Suni Williams after her return from space – Boston News, Weather, Sports

BOSTON (WHDH) – A local research team at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) is monitoring astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore upon their return from space.

While they don’t have direct communication with them, researchers say they communicate with NASA and follow their progress through social media.

MGH researchers say they can learn a lot from their experience.

“So, this is one of the major points of our work, is understanding the human adaptation to space flight conditions and also re-adaptation upon return to Earth,” said Vlad Ivkovic of MGH Center for Space Medicine Research.

Researchers say one of the biggest physical changes astronauts go through while in space is adjusting to the loss of gravity.

“What happens, almost immediately, is the redistribution of fluids throughout our body that is more, even than what we have on the ground,” said Ivkovic.

Another concern is the changes to the heart.

“The heart adjusts very quickly to the change in those conditions by pumping a bit less, so there is residual blood that stays in the heart muscle because it doesn’t have to pump as hard,” said Ivkovic.

Researchers are also highlighting the mental challenges of being secluded in space for that extended period of time.

“They’re isolated and confined, and while there’s communication with the ground and their loved ones, still there’s an element of isolation,” said Ivkovic.

Ivkovic added that that studying Suni and Butch’s situation is a great way to understand the limits of the human body.

“We’re really interested in this kind of yo-yo effect, that we see how far we can stretch our adaptation to the extremes of space flight and how much we can return to the baseline conditions upon arrival back to Earth.”

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