NASA's astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have been living on a diet designed for space travel. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, currently on an extended mission, have been keeping their energy up with some surprisingly luxurious meals, from shrimp cocktails to pizza.
However, with fresh food supplies dwindling, space experts are closing monitoring their nutrition plan. Here’s a look at what they’re eating and how they’re coping with the space food challenge.
Far from the freeze-dried meals of old, astronauts today enjoy a much more varied menu. Sunita Williams and Wilmore have been indulging in some ‘out-of-this-world’ meals, including breakfast cereal, powdered milk, roast chicken, and even shrimp cocktails. But, as specialists monitoring the Starliner mission reveal, it’s not all gourmet dining.
The astronauts' food is packed with enough calories to sustain them through their mission, but fresh fruits and vegetables are hard to come by on the ISS. After all, it takes a full three months for a new supply of fresh produce to make its way to the orbiting station.
As one specialist explained to The New York Post, “There’s fresh fruit at first, but as the three months continue, that goes away—and their fruits and vegetables are packaged or freeze-dried."
While Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are eating well, the limited supply of fresh produce means they rely heavily on freeze-dried options for their daily vitamins. NASA has confirmed that each astronaut consumes 1.7 kg of food per day, which is tailored to meet their specific nutritional needs.
But all this food, carefully prepared on Earth, has to be reheated once it reaches the ISS, which means the luxury of having a fresh salad or crunchy vegetables is a distant dream for the astronauts.
One of the most fascinating aspects of their diet? They’re recycling their waste—yes! NASA astronauts turn their urine and sweat into drinkable water, ensuring that hydration is never an issue despite the challenges of space life.
Amid the focus on their diet, recent images of Sunita Williams sparked concerns about her health, with some speculating she’s suffering from “dangerous weight loss.” However, Williams herself quickly dismissed these claims.
In a recent video message, Sunita Williams set the record straight, reassuring the public that she’s in good health.
"There are a lot of changes that go on here, but... it's funny, I think there's some rumours around outside that I am losing weight... I'm actually right at the same amount," she said.
Explaining the body changes in space, Williams added, “I think things shift around quite a bit... fluid shift." This phenomenon, she noted, makes the head appear slightly larger because fluids distribute differently in microgravity. Williams also joked about how her thighs and buttocks had “got a little bit bigger” during her time in space.
As NASA continues to monitor the health and well-being of its astronauts, the question remains: How can the space agency tackle the challenge of fresh food in space?
While the food technology used aboard the ISS has evolved significantly over the years, keeping astronauts nourished with a variety of foods remains a logistical challenge.
Until fresh supplies arrive, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will continue their space journey with enough calories to fuel their mission—but their diet will be far from the leafy greens and fresh fruit most of us take for granted.
