Floating around in zero gravity is a relatively new phenomenon for the human body to deal with. The recent trip to the ISS has been a fascinating study for scientists, as the astronauts remain trapped up there for record lengths of time. However, one astronaut raised a few concerns after her health and weight appeared to be deteriorating.
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Sunita Williams, 59, was originally supposed to be on the International Space Station for only eight days. But, after the Boeing recovery capsule encountered problems, she has been up there significantly longer. Recovery of the astronaut isn't expected until February 2025, raising questions about their health and well-being.
Williams arrived in space in June for a quick 8-day trip, but the journey has ended up being significantly longer. Remaining in space for this amount of time has interesting effects on the body, which have become evident to people back home. Williams looks gaunt and seems to have lost a lot of muscle mass.
Astronaut Says Health is of No Concern
Despite her change in appearance, the stranded astronaut claims she is in good health. The lack of gravity has some pretty weird effects on the body, and maintaining muscle in zero-g is a struggle. She is also expected to keep up a very high-calorie diet.
Williams had some things to say about us terrestrials worries about the health of our astronaut. "My thighs are a little bit bigger, my butt is a little bit bigger. We do a lot of squats" she reassured the world on New England Sports Network Clubhouse Kids Show. "Folks in space, you know, their heads look a little bit bigger because the fluid evens out along the body. I think things shift around quite a bit, you probably heard of a fluid shift." This change is caused due to the amount of fluid that can now move around the body, unaffected by gravity.
However, despite her reassurances, her health is still of some concern. A medical health expert, working directly with the astronaut, commented on her weight loss. "The pounds have melted off her and she's now skin and bones," he said. "So it's a priority to help her stabilize the weight loss and hopefully reverse it."
Apparently, Williams is struggling to keep up with the huge amount of calories astronauts are expected to consume. I expect her training permitted for longer stays on the ISS, but the situation isn't exactly ideal all the same. They will hopefully arrive back on Earth in February of 2025, using a Space X shuttle rather than the faulty Boeing capsule.
