Such pursuits may have to wait while Thomas readjusts to the force of gravity. Among the hurdles to be cleared before he can take that pleasant walk are temporary disorientation punctuated by waves of nausea and muscles so weakened they will ache with his every move, said two of his U.S. predecessors on Mir. That will get you twirling pretty good that first night. Wolf, a physician, returned to Earth in late January after a four-month voyage to Mir. The cartwheeling sensation he experienced each time he turned his head too quickly made the pepperoni pizza prepared for his first meal on Earth seem anything but appetizing.
Every muscle aches.
But they do. You feel very sore climbing up and down the stairs or carrying your children. Even his ear lobes grew sore as they battled the forces of gravity, Wolf said. Within a few days, however, the acute physical adjustment starts to ease, and the emotional joy of being back on Earth takes over, the two space travelers said. Thomas is the last of seven Americans assigned to live and work aboard Mir.