Astronaut Sunita Williams alongside along with her fellow astronaut Butch Willmore have been on the Worldwide House Station (ISS) since June 2024. The pair had launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5 for its first crewed flight, arriving on the area station on June 6. What was purported to be an eight-day-long mission became months of wait after Boeing’s defective Starliner spacecraft left the duo caught on the ISS. Williams together with Willmore have now spent over 150 days at ISS.
Whereas considerations have been raised repeatedly in regards to the well being of the astronauts, current images have stirred the dialogue. Williams seems gaunt, which specialists say would possibly imply she is affected by dietary deficiencies and that the prolonged keep is taking a toll on her physique — a phenomenon that is anticipated for astronauts who’re in area for an extended mission.
A photograph of a NASA astronaut placing collectively a pepperoni pizza is circulating on social media, and it seems Williams has misplaced appreciable weight.
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It seems to be like these two American astronauts caught within the ISS aren’t in good well being, particularly Suni Williams. pic.twitter.com/0bO64DUXeu
— ShanghaiPanda (@thinking_panda) November 1, 2024
Dr Vinay Gupta, a pulmonologist and veteran in Seattle, US, informed the Every day Mail that what individuals are seeing in that image is somebody who appears to be coping with the pure stresses of residing at a excessive altitude, which incorporates residing in a pressurized cabin, for lengthy durations. The physician mentioned that her cheeks look a bit sunken, which generally happens with general physique weight reduction.
Sunita Williams Caught In House: Skilled’s Take On Doable Well being Impacts
Dr Kuldeep Kumar Grover, Head of Crucial & Pulmonology, CK Birla Hospital, Gurugram, shares with Zee Information, “Stays in area for greater than a sure size of time can negatively affect well being. Different results embody lengthy durations beneath micro-gravity comparable to muscle atrophy and bone density loss, in addition to disruption in cardiovascular standing.”Â
The physician additional says that fluid shifts enhance intracranial strain, which poses some threat to imaginative and prescient. “Different potential dangers additionally embody circadian rhythm disruption as a result of absence of the conventional day-night cycle, which causes sleep issues and negatively impacts the psychological state of the astronaut. These results imply that precautionary measures and well being monitoring ought to be used throughout long-duration missions to area,” provides Dr Grover.
In response to specialists and as talked about within the Every day Mail report, the human physique burns extra energy in area to regulate to the modifications in gravity and tries to take care of its physique temperature in chilly, harsh circumstances. Moreover, to forestall muscle and bone loss, astronauts train about 2.5 hours a day, which ends up in additional calorie burning.
Sunita Williams’ Well being Replace: NASA Responds
In the meantime, amid considerations about Sunita Williams’ well being and that of different astronauts, a NASA spokesperson informed the Every day Mail that each one NASA astronauts aboard the Worldwide House Station are in “good well being” and bear routine medical evaluations. In addition they have devoted flight surgeons monitoring them.
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