World
November 10, 2024 15:20
international space station - NASA is working to stabilize and reverse the weight loss of astronaut Sunita Williams after being in the International Space Station for almost 5 months.
Sunita Williams, who recently appeared in a video casting her vote for the U.S. presidential elections, is reported to have lost a significant amount of weight in five months.
The 59-year-old astronaut of Indian descent has been living in the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly five months alongside Butch Wilmore (61) after Boeing's malfunctioning Starliner spacecraft returned to Earth. They were originally scheduled to stay for only ten days, but are now spending even Christmas there. They can only be rescued in February next year, after spending 8 months in space.
A 'thin' photo of Williams taken on September 24 raised concerns due to her 'sunken' cheeks, indicating rapid weight loss. More recent images also show her with a slimmer figure, which is worrying as she still has three more months before returning to Earth.
NASA publicly stated that Williams is 'in good health' and undergoing 'routine medical evaluations'. However, behind the scenes, the space agency is actively working to 'stabilize and hopefully reverse the weight loss', according to a well-informed source. An anonymous NASA official directly involved in the mission told the New York Post that Williams was unable to maintain the 'calorie-rich diet that astronauts must follow' during their stay in the ISS.
Long-duration space missions have a negative impact on the health of astronauts, especially women. They can result in weight loss, muscle atrophy, bone loss, heart and vision problems, and kidney stones. Female astronauts lose more weight than men during space flights, primarily due to muscle loss.
'The pounds have melted off and she is now skin and bones. So, it is a priority to help stabilize and hopefully reverse her weight loss', the NASA source told the New York Post. NASA does acknowledge that Sunita is receiving 'supplementary nutrition'. 'Williams is in good health,' NASA said in a statement on November 7. 'We have no concerns about her or any other astronaut aboard the ISS.' The agency ensured that all NASA astronauts undergo health evaluations and are continuously monitored by dedicated flight surgeons. 'Williams, who has been at the ISS since June, has lost weight during her extended mission. Therefore, NASA has decided to increase nutritional support.'
Approximately a month ago, NASA doctors started assisting Williams to regain weight, according to the source. To stop and reverse her weight loss, Williams would need to consume 5,000 calories per day. For comparison, the average woman on Earth needs to consume between 1,600 and 2,400 calories to maintain her weight.
Williams and Wilmore were sent to the space laboratory on June 5 for a mission that was supposed to last ten days, but they have been there for almost five months now.