'Sur Surprise!': The level of isolation of people on Earth frightened astronauts returning from the ISS

On April 17, three crew members of the International Space Station returned to Earth, where in a pandemic mode, people live even more isolated than astronauts in orbit, writes with the BBC.

Landing took place in an area located southeast of the Kazakh city of Zhezkazgan of the Karaganda region of Kazakhstan.

Russian Oleg Skripochka and American Jessica Meir flew to the ISS in September 2019, when no one suspected the existence of the coronavirus. Another American astronaut, Andrew Morgan, has been on the station even longer - since July 2019.

The Russians remain on the ISS: Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Wagner, as well as American Christopher Cassidy.

The coronavirus pandemic has changed the usual scheme for the return of space crews.

«We weren’t prepared for this.«

“It’s very surreal for us to see this situation unfolding down on the planet,” Meir said, speaking to reporters via video link from space. “But I can say that the Earth still looks great from here, so it’s hard for us to believe all these changes that have happened since we arrived here.”

The 43-year-old astronaut said the crew was used to living in isolation mode on the ISS, but they did not expect to encounter isolation on Earth.

“It will be difficult not being able to hug family and friends after seven months apart. It seems to me that I will feel even more isolated on Earth than here. After all, at the station we are constantly busy, sometimes solving amazing problems, so we don’t fully feel loneliness,” Meir said.

Her colleague Morgan said that sticking to a clear schedule helped him cope with the stress of isolation. “Workouts, time for sleep and personal hygiene - our day is scheduled almost to the minute. And having that plan helps a lot,” he said.

A favorable microclimate in the team is created by caring for each other, the astronaut noted: “Each of us here is constantly assessing how his actions can affect other team members.”

Return Details

After eight in the morning on Friday, the descent module of the manned Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft, carrying Skripochka, Morgan and Meir, successfully landed in Kazakhstan.

Skripochka and Meir spent 205 days in space, Morgan - 272 days.

The descent vehicles land in the Kazakh steppe. Then the search team picks up the arrived crew and takes them by helicopter to the airport of Karaganda or Zhezkazgan, from where the astronauts fly by plane to their countries. But this time everything was organized a little differently.

There is a state of emergency in Kazakhstan, some airports are closed. The landing astronauts will be delivered to Baikonur, from where the Russian Skrypochka will fly to Moscow by plane. The Americans Meir and Morgan will have a more difficult route. From Baikonur they will be transported by land to Kyzylorda, where they will be waiting for the NASA special board. This plane will take astronauts to the United States.

All Russian rescuers who were supposed to meet the Soyuz MS-15 crew in the steppe were in strict quarantine. Before going on duty, they had to be tested for coronavirus.

Usually, after returning to Earth, the astronauts undergo a special rehabilitation program, which lasts several weeks. After a long stay in zero gravity, the body needs time to get used to life in constant gravity.

But now it’s also important for doctors to protect those who arrived from outer space from the coronavirus. Such a diagnosis has already been made to nine employees of Roscosmos. Several employees of two NASA research centers in the United States fell ill.

On the subject: Russia intercepted an American fighter: the US accused her of an 'irresponsible' maneuver

The experts decided that the contacts of all the arriving astronauts on Earth at first would be very limited. For example, for some time they will not be able to reunite with their family.

The Russian Cosmonaut Training Center reported that Skrypochka will be in a dispensary near Moscow, where only masked doctors and other personal protective equipment will interact with him.

Crew change

The new ISS crew is already settling in at the station. Christopher Cassidy, Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Wagner arrived in orbit on April 9. To prevent cosmonauts from becoming infected, they were quarantined for a month and a half before launch.

Not only journalists, but also relatives who were unable to personally conduct the astronauts on a long flight were not allowed to the spaceport.

Most of the traditional pre-flight rituals were also canceled: the astronauts did not lay flowers on the Kremlin wall and did not visit the house-museum of the Soviet rocket designer Sergei Korolev.

“Although space flights still involve significant risks, we understand that the ISS will be the safest place in the coming months,” Anatoly Ivanishin told reporters shortly before the launch.

The new crew should be in orbit for 196 days. Experts believe that the probability of bringing the coronavirus aboard the ISS is currently approaching zero.

On the subject: Trump signed a decree on the right of the United States to the resources of the moon: Russia accused him of space privatization

In the past, specialists have already had to deal with infections aboard spacecraft.

In 1968, the crew of the Apollo 7 ship suffered a cold. Most likely, astronaut Wally Sheerr boarded the plane, being infected, and then infected his colleagues. This had a significant impact on the work of astronauts at the station.

The crew quickly ran out of cold medicine, astronauts also did not know what to do with a runny nose, because the ship did not have a supply of napkins and scarves.

Because of this, astronauts even decided not to wear spacesuits when returning to Earth's atmosphere. Similar difficulties arose for the crews of Apollo 8 and Apollo 9.

This time, the doctors did not change or supplement the composition of the astronaut’s first-aid kit in connection with the coronavirus pandemic.

In Roskosmos say that the launch of aircraft will continue according to the previously approved plan. The next is due on April 25th. The Progress MS-14 cargo ship should deliver to the ISS crew fuel and gas reserves, as well as office equipment and life support equipment.

But the European Space Agency is curtailing some of its programs. Recently started tests as part of the Solar Orbiter solar mission have been suspended - specialists have turned off the instruments of four satellites in space.

Only 30 out of 900 agency employees now work from the office, the rest are at home. Most NASA employees work the same way.

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• How to physically and psychologically adapt to self-isolation: lifehacks of astronauts
• Like the USA and the world plan to return to normal after quarantine
• 'Self-isolation in Russian': an American spoke about his quarantined life in Moscow

Read also on ForumDaily:

A record-breaking ozone hole arose over the Arctic: what threatens the inhabitants of the Earth

More Effective than Greenpeace and Greta Tunberg: How the Coronavirus Pandemic Saves the Planet

Scientists have discovered a planet where it rains from iron

Scientists have discovered a mysterious signal from space that repeats every 16 days

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.