Rejecting recent media speculation about the health crisis of Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams, NASA has issued clarification that all astronauts at the International Space Station (ISS) are in “good health” and their routine medical evaluations are being monitored by dedicated flight surgeons.
But several NASA employees have expressed shock at the newly released photos of 59-year-old Williams from ISS, looking extremely thin, with sunken cheeks and a bonier frame.
“She is now skin and bones,” said a NASA employee directly involved in this particular space mission. “It’s a priority to help her stabilize the weight loss and hopefully reverse it,” the unnamed employee told the New York Post.
Williams, one of NASA’s most experienced astronauts, went to the ISS on 5 June with fellow astronaut Barry Wilmore.
It was a simple 8-day mission. But due to technical malfunctions, the astronaut duo have been stuck in space ever since.
Technical setback
The Boeing Starliner, which carried Williams and Wilmore to the ISS, experienced several issues.
This was Boeing’s first attempt at a crewed mission.
Since the 5 June lift-off, the Starliner capsule encountered five helium leaks, five manoeuvring thruster failures, and a propellant valve issue, requiring extensive troubleshooting by the crew and mission control in Houston.
According to NASA’s official release, mission teams performed a series of hot-fire tests, which re-enabled four of the thrusters while the crew manually piloted the spacecraft, before docking.
Astronauts busy conducting research, tests
Meanwhile, stuck in space, Williams and Wilmore have been conducting several tests on the ISS, including fluid physics research, plant facility maintenance, robotic operations, and Earth observations among others.
They have performed maintenance work on the plant water management system. Providing adequate water and nutrition to plants grown in space is critical as missions expand in low Earth orbit and beyond to the Moon and eventually Mars.
In addition, the crew is also busy taking a deeper look at the system to grow fresh produce in space, called the Vegetable Production System, or Veggie.
Williams has also used the ISS’ Ham Radio, to share her experiences and connect with students using space-to-Earth calls.
During their mission, the astronaut duo continues to capture hundreds of photographs of Earth, ranging from auroras, land, sea, orbital sunrises and sunsets, and more.
They also continue to support daily space station operations.
NASA responds to health fears
NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate spokesperson, Jimi Russell, responded to the health concerns of Williams, saying that all NASA astronauts “aboard the International Space Station undergo routine medical evaluations, are monitored by dedicated flight surgeons, and are in good health.”
Williams and Wilmore are now due to fly back to Earth in February 2025 on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft already docked at the orbital complex alongside two other expedition astronauts.
But a recent incident involving health issues with other astronauts has medical experts worried.
Four NASA astronauts – Matthew Dominick, Michael Barrett, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin – recently returned to Earth (25 October) after over 200 days in orbit. All four crew members had to be taken to hospital over a medical mystery that NASA hasn’t revealed due to medical privacy laws.
“Space flight is still something we don’t fully understand. We’re finding things that we don’t expect sometimes – this was one of those times,” Barrett, pilot of the crew that splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on 25 October after seven months in orbit, told reporters at a media briefing.
Health risks in space
According to NASA, astronauts’ entire bodies – muscles, bones, inner ear, and organs – must adjust to the new gravities encountered on the space station or their spacecraft. Some challenges can be particularly unique, such as optimal temperatures, pressures, lighting, noise, and immune responses.
Additionally, space radiation – invisible to the human eye – is not only stealthy but considered one of the most hazardous aspects of spaceflight.
However, Williams’ recent picture is indeed worrying, said Dr Vinay Gupta, Seattle-based pulmonologist and affiliate professor at the University of Washington. Dr Gupta also serves as chief medical officer of Amazon Pharmacy and makes regular appearances on NBC News and MSNBC.
“That (Williams’) image,” Dr Gupta told DailyMail.com, “suggests that picture is somebody that I think is experiencing the natural stresses of living at a very high altitude, even in a pressurised cabin, for extended periods.”
“Her cheeks appear a bit sunken – and usually it happens when you’ve had sort of total body weight loss,” Dr Gupta added.
This is probably because the body is using up more energy to get used to the lack of gravity and keep warm. In the cold and tough environment of space, astronauts need to work out for about 2.5 hours every day to stop losing muscle and bone.
Studies indicate that female astronauts, in particular, experience muscle loss more quickly than their male counterparts due to changes in metabolism during space travel.
However, NASA has clarified that both Williams and Wilmore are long-duration spaceflight veterans.
Wilmore previously spent six months aboard the ISS, while Williams has spent a total of 322 days on the orbital laboratory, including a six-month stay during which she became the first person to run a marathon in space.
NASA also said the astronauts have plenty of food, water, clothing, and oxygen. The space agency also routinely flies resupply missions to keep the ISS stocked – four such missions have launched in 2024, with a fifth scheduled for December.
In space, humans burn as many as 3,500 calories per day and typically slim down, according to NASA. For a four- to six-month ISS stay, it is not uncommon for astronauts to lose about 5% of their body weight by the time they return to Earth.
To avoid muscle and bone density loss in microgravity, crewmembers exercise for about two hours each day using a treadmill or stationary bike. They also eat three meals a day, typically consuming foods low in iron and sodium but high in calories and vitamin D. They sleep about 8 hours each night.
Astronaut blood samples and station air quality are analysed daily, and an onboard system uses solar panels to generate oxygen from sunlight and keep air flowing through the orbital laboratory.
