Nasa has insisted that one of its astronauts stranded on the International Space Station is safe and healthy less than a fortnight after four others were hospitalised.
Concerns have been raised about the health of Sunita Williams, who along with Butch Wilmore was stranded on the ISS in June and won’t be coming back to earth until after Christmas.
Dr Vinay Gupta, a pulmonologist in Seattle, told MailOnline a photo of Sunita showed her looking ‘gaunt’ suggested she had lost a significant amount of weight after spending more than 150 days stuck on the International Space Station.
The photo, taken on September 24, shows her tucking into a pepperoni pizza and chips while surrounded by condiments and snacks.
He added: ‘Her cheeks appear a bit sunken – and usually it happens when you’ve had sort of total body weight loss.
‘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.
‘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 pressurised cabin, for extended periods.
‘Based on what I’m at least seeing in the photo, I don’t think she’s quite at a… place where I say her life’s in danger.
‘But I don’t think you can look at that photo and say she has sort of healthy body weight.’
But Nasa holds firm that Sunita and the rest of the astronauts aboard the ISS are doing fine.
‘All Nasa astronauts aboard the International Space Station undergo routine medical evaluations, have dedicated flight surgeons monitoring them, and are in good health,’ spokesperson Jimi Russell said.
The news comes less than two weeks after four Nasa/SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts were hospitalised after returning to earth on October 25.
The crew had spent 232 days aboard the ISS, and one spent the night in hospital due to a ‘medical issue’ while the other three were discharged the same day.
Nasa refused to provide any details about why the crew was hospitalized, which astronaut had to complete an overnight stay, or whether the medical issues were related to their return to earth, citing their astronauts’ medical privacy.
Sunita and Butch have been aboard the ISS for six months as of today, and will remain there until at least February 2025.
By then, they will be able to catch a ride back to Earth on SpaceX’s Crew-9 mission Dragon Capsule.
Weight loss is not uncommon among astronauts during extended ISS missions. In fact, most lose about 5% of their body weight during a four to six month stay in orbit.
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