Originally Posted by
JohnBurke
Too bad? It was an opportunity of a lifetime and something they've already stated they were grateful to do. They had a short stay, scored with a long stay, anything nearly any astronaught would give anything for.
They weren't marooned. They were able to stay an extended period. They considered it a gift.
I was completely ignorant of the toll extended space travel has on an astronaut’s body. Watching this last group exiting the spacecraft upon its return to earth as they were loaded onto their personal mobility devices - gurneys, shocked me. The loss of bone density, radiation exposure, and various skin rashes, in my opinion, warrants a bonus in their pay packet.