NASA astronaut Sunita Williams may be experiencing the effects of an extended stay in space, as recent photos show noticeable weight loss. However, NASA officials have reassured the public, emphasizing that all residents aboard the International Space Station are closely monitored by a dedicated medical team.
“All NASA astronauts aboard the ISS undergo routine medical evaluations and are monitored by flight surgeons. All are in good health,” NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell told the Daily Mail last week.
NASA insisted stranded astronaut Sunita Williams is safe & healthy amid growing public concern for her health
The photo showed her looking ‘gaunt’, suggesting she had lost a significant amount of weight after spending more than 150 days stuck on the International Space Station. pic.twitter.com/vFEEkfVgDK
— AstroNana (@ImAstroNana) November 9, 2024
Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore have been in space since June following an unexpected turn of events during an eight-day mission. The pair, who were serving as test pilots for a Boeing Starliner on June 5, became stranded after the spacecraft malfunctioned. The Starliner ultimately returned to Earth without its crew after NASA deemed it too risky for Williams and Wilmore to remain aboard.
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A NASA employee, who is ‘directly involved with the mission’, told the New York Post that Williams has struggled to maintain the high-calorie diet required for astronauts aboard the ISS. He added, “The pounds have melted off her and she’s now skin and bones. So it’s a priority to help her stabilize the weight loss and hopefully reverse it”
The seven Exp 72 crew members spent Friday focused on experiment activation, spacesuit work, and training. More… pic.twitter.com/SGkDWVtcVK
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) November 8, 2024
Additionally, a Seattle-based pulmonologist noted that Williams appeared to be experiencing the natural stresses of living at high altitudes, even in a pressurized cabin, for extended periods.
Extended space missions can have significant effects on astronauts’ health, particularly for women, leading to issues such as weight loss, muscle atrophy, bone density loss, heart and vision problems, and kidney stones.
NASA further revealed that International Space Station Commander Suni Williams is working with her spacesuit, removing the impact shields and inspecting the gear for any leaks. In the afternoon, she serviced biotechnology equipment and installed new cassettes for crystallization research.
For the unversed, three NASA astronauts ended their extended space mission with a trip to the hospital after returning from the ISS on October 25. Their mission lasted nearly eight months, extended due to the Starliner crisis and rough weather on Earth. The astronauts, along with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, splashed down in a SpaceX capsule and were taken to a nearby hospital. One of the astronauts spent the night there for an undisclosed ‘medical issue’.
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