Jan 22 1997
From The Space Library
John E. Blaha became the first astronaut to leave the U.S. Space Shuttle carried by medical personnel. Blaha was experiencing weakness upon his return to Earth's gravitational conditions, and NASA's doctors wanted to gauge immediately the effects of long-term weightlessness on his body. Blaha remarked upon landing that he could hardly move, saying that he was "absolutely stunned" at the difficulty of returning to a gravity-controlled environment. NASA's doctors focused specifically on Blaha's dizziness and on his weakened bones and muscles, hoping to learn how to improve health plans for astronauts living aboard the ISS. Blaha had maintained an arduous schedule of exercise aboard Mir, to mitigate the weakening effects of the weightless environment. In addition, he had made the return flight aboard Atlantis lying down in a Shuttle seat, to minimize the crush of gravity.
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