Photos have revealed NASA astronaut Sunita Williams’ shocking weight loss while she and her crewmate remain trapped on the International Space Station (ISS).
Williams, 59, and Barry Wilmore, 61, have been living on the ISS for five months after Boeing’s faulty Starliner spacecraft was deemed unsafe to return them to Earth.
An “emaciated” photo of Williams taken on September 24 recently sparked concern due to her “sunken” cheeks, which suggested she had lost weight rapidly.
More recent images also show her with a pronounced facial structure and a slimmer body, a concern given that she is still three months away from returning.
Publicly, NASA has said Williams is in “good health” and has been undergoing “routine medical evaluations.”
But behind the scenes, the space agency has been struggling to “stabilize the weight loss and hopefully reverse it,” according to a well-placed source.
The anonymous NASA employee who is “directly involved with the mission” told the New York Post that Williams has been “unable to keep up with the high-calorie diets astronauts must consume” while on the ISS.
Long-duration space missions affect the health of astronauts, especially women, causing weight loss, muscle breakdown, bone loss, heart and vision problems, and kidney stones.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore on June 5, preparing for the launch of Starliner that would take them to the International Space Station.
Female astronauts have been found to lose more weight – particularly through loss of muscle mass – than men during space flights.
“The kilos have melted away and now he is skin and bones. Therefore, it is a priority to help her stabilize the weight loss and hopefully reverse it,” the NASA source told New York Post.
About a month ago, NASA doctors began working with Williams to help her regain weight, the source said, even before the original DailyMail.com story drew attention to her deterioration.
To stop and reverse her weight loss, Williams may have to eat up to 5,000 calories a day, the source added.
In comparison, the average woman on Earth has to eat between 1,600 and 2,400 calories to maintain her weight. The source said Williams began the mission at approximately 140 pounds.
Williams and Wilmore launched toward the orbiting laboratory on June 5 for what was supposed to be a 10-day mission, but were stuck there for 156 days.
Now, they are ready to return to Earth in SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon capsule. Williams, Wilmore and the four Crew-9 astronauts will travel home together in February 2025.
By then, the Starliner crew will have spent approximately eight to nine months on the ISS, depending on when they land in February.
During that time, they will have endured microgravity, confined spaces, and high doses of space radiation.
A doctor has expressed concern about Williams’ health, stating that this September 24 showed her looking “emaciated.”
Over the past five months, photographs sent back to Earth have offered glimpses into the lives of Williams and Wilmore as they adjust to unforeseen circumstances.
Just hours before Starliner’s June 5 launch, the crew was photographed beaming in their blue Boeing spacesuits as they prepared for their short mission.
In that photo, the astronauts, especially Williams, look strikingly different than in recent images, including the September snapshot.
That image was one of several posted on the official ISS Instagram page that showed Williams, Wilmore and the other ISS astronauts making pizza together.
It recently went viral when the public expressed concern about Williams’ shocking appearance.
In it, she appears “emaciated,” Dr. Vinay Gupta, a Seattle veteran and pulmonologist, told DailyMail.com earlier this week.
“What you’re seeing in that image is someone who I believe is experiencing the natural stress of living at high altitude, even in a pressurized cabin, for prolonged periods,” he said.
“His cheeks look a little sunken in, and usually this happens when you’ve had some kind of total body weight loss.”
‘BBased on what I’m at least seeing in the photo, I don’t think he’s in a… place where let’s say his life is in danger.
‘BBut I don’t think you can look at that photo and say she’s a healthy body weight.’
The NASA source told the New York Post that the image surprised them. “I was breathless when I saw the last photo,” they said.
‘And it’s something we’re talking about, but not something we’re obsessed with. “It’s a real concern and everyone is taking it seriously.”
The body burns more calories in space as it adapts to changes in gravity and tries to maintain body temperature in cold, harsh conditions.
“They have to eat between 3,500 and 4,000 calories per day, just to maintain their current weight,” the NASA source said.
“And when you start to fall behind, your weight drops quickly.”
Wilmore (front left) and Williams (front right) pose with the other Expedition 72 crew members for a photo released Oct. 4.
“They’re eating very high-calorie foods, as you can see: deli meats and, you know, other meats, protein, but high-fat deli meats; it’s not necessarily a balanced diet,” Dr. Gupta said.
And to prevent loss of muscle and bone mass, astronauts exercise about 2.5 hours a day, which burns even more calories.
‘T“There are things that the human body cannot adapt to, and one of which is that you are probably losing more calories than you take in,” Dr. Gupta said.
“Your body is probably working harder to do basic things, because the partial pressure of oxygen is lower than it would be at sea level.”
The problem of body deterioration is of particular concern to women.
A 2014 NASA study found that women have a greater loss of blood plasma volume than men during spaceflight, and women’s stress response characteristically includes an increase in heart rate, while men respond with an increase in vascular resistance.
The loss of blood plasma causes your metabolic rate to temporarily increase while your body mobilizes resources to adapt to the loss of plasma.
And this response may slightly elevate calorie burning, resulting in weight loss similar to what Williams might be experiencing.
Another study published by Ball University in 2023 also found that women lose more muscle than men in a microgravity environment like spaceflight.
More recent photos, including one in which Williams and Wilmore pose for a group photo with the other Expedition 72 crew members on Oct. 4, show Williams still looking thin.
NASA declined to comment on the statements made by the anonymous agency employee and instead referred DailyMail.com to its original statement stating that all astronauts aboard the ISS are in “good health.”
Williams and Wilmore still have to wait three to four months until they can return to Earth on SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.
At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that Williams’ supposed deteriorating health will impact this timeline.
Although the Starliner mission has been extended significantly, Williams and Wilmore’s mission to the ISS will not be the longest ever completed by an astronaut.
That record is held by Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub, who returned to Earth aboard the Russian Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft on September 23 after 374 days on the ISS.
Most recently, a crew of four NASA/SpaceX astronauts returned to Earth on October 25 after a 232-day stay on the ISS.
All four crew members were taken to hospital after splashdown. Three received medical evaluations and were discharged that same day, while one remained under observation overnight.
NASA has not revealed any details about why the astronauts required medical attention or what was sustained overnight.
