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 Previous: Former ARRL Staff Member Bill Jennings, K1WJ, SK |  Next: It Seems to Us . . . Antenna Restrictions |
Astronauts Jim Voss (left) and Susan Helms, KC7NHZ, and cosmonaut Yury Usachev, UW3FU, grin as flowers are delivered to the Expedition 2 crew at a homecoming celebration in Texas. [Kathy Blum, N5UGI, Photo] |
NEWINGTON, CT, Aug 28, 2001--Returning to Earth after 167 days aboard the International Space Station, the members of the Expedition 2 crew were suffering the wobblies. It will take a few weeks of exercise and rehabilitation before crew commander Yury Usachev, RW3FU, and astronauts Susan Helms, KC7NHZ, and Jim Voss are reacclimated to Earth's gravity after enjoying months of weightlessness.
The Expedition 2 crew's stay aboard the ISS was extended by almost a month because of problems with the robot arm. The Expedition 3 team of crew commander Frank Culbertson, KD5OPQ, and cosmonauts Vladimir Dezhurov and Mikhail Tyurin took command at mid-month.
Usachev, Helms and Voss--ranging in condition from a bit off-balance and dizzy to nearly exhausted with the exertion of dealing with gravity for the first time in nearly a half-year--landed August 22 in Florida aboard the shuttle Discovery. All three walked off the shuttle under their own power, however. Following medical tests, the Expedition 2 and Discovery crew members were treated to a public homecoming celebration the following day at Ellington Field near Houston, Texas.
The Expedition 2 crew's stay in space was just three weeks shy of NASA's space endurance record.
During their Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) contacts, Helms and Voss often addressed the physical effects of their lengthy stay in a microgravity environment. They stressed that extended weightlessness results in muscle atrophy and bone loss and noted that regular and vigorous exercise was an important part of their daily regimen. During one contact, Helms told Massachusetts students that the crew used a treadmill and a stationary bike as well as "a system of pulleys" to retain muscle tone.
Extended weightlessness also can cause problems with balance and dizziness upon returning to Earth. The crew will engage in a physical rehabilitation, exercise and diet program that will last about two months.
The three also said they were looking forward to earthbound food. While Usachev craved real cheese, coffee and a steak, Helms wanted a fresh salad and Voss hungered for a hamburger and ice cream.
Voss addresses the homecoming crowd at Ellington Field near Johnson Space Center, while Helms and Usachev await their turns. The crewmembers had reunited with their families the previous day after arriving in Florida aboard the shuttle Discovery. [Kathy Blum, N5UGI, Photo] |
During the crew's stay, Helms made ham radio history by conducting the first-ever ARRL Field Day operation from space in late June. Despite its other duties, the Expedition 2 crew still managed to squeeze in 14 ARISS contacts with youngsters on Earth. Most were school contacts, but one included a QSO with Scouts attending the Boy Scout Jamboree in Virginia, while another was a contact with youngsters at the New Mexico Museum of Natural History.
The Expedition 3 crew is expected to resume the schedule of ARISS contacts soon, with schools in Florida, Texas and New York. Culbertson also is supposed to install a new packet TNC aboard the ISS.
| Previous: Former ARRL Staff Member Bill Jennings, K1WJ, SK | Next: It Seems to Us . . . Antenna Restrictions |
