Bizarre reason ‘stranded’ astronauts will have ‘baby-like skin’ once they return to Earth after 9 months

Space is an incredibly different environment for the human body compared to Earth, and that's why two 'stranded' astronauts might find their skin to be 'baby-like' upon their return to Earth, alongside countless other changes to their health.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore initially went to the International Space Station (ISS) in June 2024 for a short eight day trip, but issues with their Boeing Starliner spacecraft and delays for their return flight have left them 'stranded' in space for over nine months now.

Typically astronauts aren't supposed to stay for longer than six months in space, but technical issues with the SpaceX Crew-10 Dragon expedition scheduled to replace them on board the ISS have left Williams and Wilmore stuck for 282 days and counting.

Williams and Wilmore have spent over 9 months on the ISS, but their return should hopefully be imminent (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

SpaceX was supposed to launch their return flight on Wednesday, but issues persisted causing this to be pushed back once again.

However, while their return back home will be a major relief for both astronauts, it won't provide the immediate return to normal daily life that you might expect.

The pair will be stretchered to a medical facility as soon as they successfully land, similar to the four Crew-8 astronauts that landed last November, where they will undergo intense physical rehabilitation over the course of around six weeks.

This is due to the countless changes to their body and overall health that come as a consequence of extended stays in space, of which include 'baby-like' skin, as reported by The Guardian.

Due to the low gravity nature of existing in space, astronauts clothes typically hover or float slightly above the skin, giving it a heightened level of sensitivity that you only really experience when you're a baby.

This, in turn, will make clothes back on Earth feel like they're sandpaper, as your body isn't used to the contact and roughness of having something constantly resting on your skin.

That's unfortunately far from the only health worry that Williams and Wilmore will experience upon their return to Earth, as changes in gravity also cause significant and often irreparable bone density loss, alongside considerable muscle loss which can affect your ability to walk and even your heart.

Lack of gravity in space significantly weakens your muscles, as they don't have to work as hard (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

As gravity isn't weighing down your muscles your body doesn't have to work anywhere near as hard, and while this might sound nice in the short term, it weakens your body and becomes a major problem when returning back home.

Scientists have compared extended stays in space to being bedridden or comatose in hospital, and you require major physical rehabilitation in order to return to normal bodily functions, despite the fact that both conducted rigorous daily exercise while on board the ISS.

They also have to worry about the dangers of cancer due to radiation exposure while in space, and one doctor has called for more proactive screenings in these medical facilities in order to avoid dangers that we might not yet expect or understand.