Heres whats next for astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore now that theyre back on Earth and rebuilding their entire bodies, minds

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore likely have weeks of grinding physical therapy and recovery ahead of them now that they’re back on Earth after more than nine months in space.Everything from walking, to wearing clothes, to smelling food and other odors terra firma will require getting used to for Williams and Wilmore, 59 and 62, experts say.But, once they’re back in shape they can expect a grand White House visit with President Trump.The astronauts will spend the next few days being assessed by doctors at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, where they were whisked by chopper after their SpaceX capsule safely splashed down off Florida’s gulf coast Tuesday evening.The astronauts have also likely been reunited with their families by now, according to NASA protocols for a returning space crew.Once they’re given a clean bill of health they’ll be allowed to return home — Wilmore to Tennessee, and Williams to Massachusetts — where they’ll begin a 45-day reconditioning program that will include two hours of physical therapy daily with specialized trainers, NASA told The Post.“Crews have previously spent longer durations in space, and Suni Williams and Butch Willmore’s performance after their return is expected to be consistent with established norms,” a NASA representative said, explaining that most astronauts’ bodies recover within the 45-day period.During that time they’ll be working to reacquaint their bodies with Earth’s gravity, and addressing other physiological deficiencies that developed during their 286 days in the ISS’ near-zero gravity — chief among them, muscle wasting from months floating with minimal strain on their bodies.The side-effects of that wasting were visible as the astronauts were extracted from their Crew Dragon capsule Tuesday.They had to be helped out of the craft by crews and carried off on wheelchairs.In the coming weeks, returning to their feet will be a process that Swinburne University astrophysicist Al...

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Publisher: New York Post

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