New York: NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is reportedly facing health issues after her prolonged stay on the International Space Station (ISS) for over five months in space. Notably, Williams has been struck in space due to the malfunctioning of her spacecraft.
Williams is currently stationed on the ISS as a member of the Expedition 71/72 crew. She, along with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, launched aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 5 this year. The spacecraft docked at the ISS the following day.
Recently photo of Williams surfaced online. In that photo, the Indian-origin astronaut could be seen having a pizza and snacks, however, her health seemed to have declined. She seemed to have lost considerable weight and nutritional deficiencies could also be observed.
Recent Pictures of Sunita Williams Surfaced Online:
@elonmusk Mystery in space new photos of stranded Boeing Starliner astronauts raise concerns about their health though she is smiling and seems to be in good spirits, Sunita Williams looks jarringly more hollow-cheeked than when she first boarded the ISS.CC: @[email protected]/wSk3UuBydz
— mobilemarkhtc (@mobilemarkhtc) November 6, 2024
It looks like those two American astronauts stuck in the ISS are not in good health, especially Suni Williams.🤔 pic.twitter.com/0bO64DUXeu
— ShanghaiPanda (@thinking_panda) November 1, 2024
However, NASA reportedly claimed that Williams and Wilmore aboard the ISS are fine amid growing concerns over astronauts' health.
According to Dr. Vinay Gupta, a Seattle-based pulmonologist, Williams's health condition could be a worrisome sign. "Her cheeks appear a bit sunken – and usually it happens when you've had sort of total body weight loss," Dr Gupta told DailyMail.com.
Also Read: 'From 260 Miles Above The Earth…': Astronaut Sunita Williams Extends Diwali Wishes From Space – WATCH
'I think what I can discern by her face and her cheeks being sunken in is that [she] has probably been at a significant [calorie] deficit for a while," he added. Notably, these health issues are common among astronauts on extended space missions. The image was reportedly taken on September 24.
"What you're seeing there in that picture is somebody that I think is experiencing the natural stresses of living at a very high altitude, even in a pressurized cabin, for an extended period," the doctor told the website.
Williams and Wilmore's eight-day mission stretched after a technical glitch. Elon Musk's Dragon capsule is scheduled to take off to rescue both astronauts in February next year.
The concerns about the health condition of Williams surfaced after four NASA/SpaceX astronauts were hospitalised under mysterious conditions upon returning to the Earth from an eight-month mission. These four astronauts were aboard the Crew-8 Dragon.