Two Nasa astronauts expect a difficult return to a drastically changed world next week, after being onboard the International Space Station for almost a year.

Andrew Morgan shared with media that the ISS crew had tried to keep abreast of news regarding the coronavirus pandemic, but it was hard to comprehend what was really going on and what to expect when his nine-month mission ends next Friday.

Sharing her experience, Jessica Meir, who last year took part in the first all-female spacewalk, said, “It is quite surreal for us to see this whole situation unfolding on the planet below. We can tell you that the Earth still looks just as stunning as always from up here, so it’s difficult to believe all the changes that have taken place since both of us have been up here.”

The three astronauts will return to Earth exactly 50 years after the Apollo 13 crew splashed down in the Pacific ocean. An oxygen tank explosion aborted that moon-landing mission.

“Now there’s a crisis and the crisis is on Earth,” Morgan said.

Several astronauts offered comforting words on Twitter this week as countries around the world asked citizens to stay at home and closed schools and businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

Not all of the astronauts’ tweets mention coronavirus specifically, but they do talk about coping in stressful times. Wherever you are, we can probably agree these are stressful times — and we hope that you are doing OK.