Her mission: readjusting to life on Earth
After record 328 days in space, astronaut Koch looked forward to a walk on the beach
Christina Koch wanted to end her record-setting 328 days in space with a walk on the beach.
It was a motivator after landing in Kazakhstan Feb. 6 as her body became reacquainted with Earth’s gravity: her neck getting used to the weight of her head, her body regaining balance after not needing any in microgravity.
But even after making the longest single spaceflight by any woman, she had been spared the motion sickness that other astronauts describe upon returning to Earth, and on Sunday she took that walk on the beach.
Such short-term effects are just one thing NASA will scrutinize now that Koch has returned from the International Space Station. How her body has responded to her nearly one-year stay in space could prove more useful as the agency prepares to take Americans to the moon and then Mars. The majority of data available is on male astronauts.
“It is certainly a very exciting time to be part of the NASA family when we are looking to go back to the moon,” Koch said
Wednesday during a news conference. “To go in a different way. To go to stay.”
Koch’s stay on the International Space Station, where she orbited her home planet 5,248 times and participated in six spacewalks, including the first three all-woman spacewalks, was the second-longest single spaceflight by a U.S. astronaut behind Scott Kelly’s 340 days.
Biomedical data from Koch’s extended-duration studies, including studies of the immune system and of the relationship among emotions, mood, stress and eating during spaceflight, will be combined with data from studies with Kelly and Peggy Whitson (who has a cumulative 665 days in space and previously held the longest spaceflight mission for a woman with 288 days) to better understand astronaut adaptability over long periods in space. The data can also help develop countermeasures to keep crew members healthy when in space for longer trips to the moon and Mars.
It’s important to conduct research with men and women because some studies, including one led by NASA researcher Steven Platts, have found differences in how their bodies react. Women are more likely than men to “experience faintness” as a result of orthostatic hypotension, a cardiovascular issue. And men appear more prone to vision changes caused by spaceflight associated neuro-ocular syndrome, according to a previous NASA news release.
As for the mental aspects of being in space for nearly one year, Koch said she focused on “the unique aspects of my life that one day I would just wish I could have back” instead of what she was missing at home.
She said it took about three months for the International Space Station to start feeling like home. To get used to not using a cup when drinking water and to get used to floating.
“I kind of forgot I was floating until a new crew would come and they would be so excited about floating,” Koch said.
Koch said she was happy to return home to LBD, which stands for Little Brown Dog, and lots of chips and salsa, a food she previously told the Associated Press she’d been craving.
Koch is a native of Michigan and grew up in Jacksonville, N.C. She most recently resided in Livingston, Mont., and is married to Robert Koch.
NASA selected her as an astronaut in 2013, and she completed astronaut candidate training in July 2015. Koch has earned a bachelor of science in electrical engineering, a bachelor of science in physics and a master of science in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. Prior to becoming an astronaut, Koch helped develop instruments used to study space and participated in remote scientific field work in Antarctica, Greenland and other areas.
As for her new space records, Koch hopes they will quickly be exceeded by other women. And she encouraged girls to follow their dreams and passions, especially if they seem scary, as those will be most fulfilling and have the greatest impact on the world.
“Do what scares you,” Koch said. “Do the things that might feel like they’re just out of your reach.”