Astronaut from Baldwin makes return to Earth following 6 months in space

Jasmin Moghbeli splashed down with her three other crew members off the coast of Florida early Tuesday morning.

Jon Dowding

Mar 13, 2024, 12:54 AM

Updated 275 days ago

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A Baldwin native made her return to earth after nearly six months at the International Space Station.
Jasmin Moghbeli splashed down with her three other crew members off the coast of Florida early Tuesday morning.
To get an idea of what's next for her after spending almost 200 days in space, News 12 spoke with a Franklin Square native who has an idea of what she's experiencing.
Mike Massimino is a former NASA astronaut who went on two space shuttle missions. He says the hardest thing to readjust to here on Earth is the gravity.
"Your balance system is all messed up when you first get back,” said Massimino. “Can't really walk a straight line very well cause [...] the vestibular system, your balance, all that is coming back, activated again by gravity."
For next few months, he says Moghbeli will be busy with medical checks and lots of debriefs.
"Everyone is going to want to speak to her about everything whether it's habitability, the food, how did she sleep, any medical issues, the space walks she did, working the robot arm, ways that can improve,” said Massimino.
Massimino, who emailed Moghbeli while she was in space, says something else is very important.
"We can all be proud of her,” he said. “I'm really proud of her."
Massimino also says astronauts typically can’t drive a car or fly a plane when they first come back.