Is Sunita Williams’ health deteriorating in space? Here’s what NASA said as new photos reveal ’shocking weight loss’

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams may be feeling the ill effects of a prolonged stay in space — with recent photos showing a significant weight loss. Officials have sought to alleviate concerns about her health in recent days and insist that all International Space Station residents are closely monitored by a medical team.

“All NASA astronauts aboard ISS undergo routine medical evaluations and are monitored by dedicated flight surgeons. All are in good health,” NASA spokesperson Jimi Russell told the Daily Mail last week.

Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore have been in space since June after an eight day mission went awry. The duo served as test pilots for a Boeing Starliner on June 5 but became ‘stranded’ after their aircraft malfunctioned. The Starliner eventually returned to earth without its crew after NASA deemed it 'too risky' to carry Williams and Wilmore. 

The two astronauts have continued their work formally as part of the expedition and will return in February next year.

New photos of the astronaut have gone viral on social media with many flagging her ‘drastic’ weight loss over the past year. Reports indicate that Williams had started the trip while weighing about 140 lbs but struggled to meet the high-calorie intake required to maintain her weight as her stay in space continued.

“She has lost a lot of weight. The pounds have melted off her and she’s now skin and bones. So it’s a priority to help her stabilize the weight loss and hopefully reverse it,” the New York Post quoted a NASA employee directly involved in the mission as saying.

Meanwhile three NASA astronauts saw their prolonged space mission end with a trip to the hospital last month after returning from the ISS on October 25. They were also compelled to spend nearly eight months in orbit (longer than expected) duo to the Starliner crisis and rough weather conditions on earth.

The trio splashed down on a SpaceX capsule — along with Russian cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin — before being taken to a nearby hospital. One of the three Americans ended up spending the night there for an undisclosed “medical issue”.

(With inputs from agencies)