Recently released photos of two NASA astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have caused health concerns to rise.

Although Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore were originally slated to spend eight days in space, their Boeing Starliner capsule malfunctioned. As a result, the two have been stuck there for 153 days.

People are now worried about their well-being after a doctor pointed out how “gaunt” Williams, 59, was starting to look.

Health concerns started to grow after new photos of two NASA astronauts stranded in space were released

Image credits: Joe Raedle / Getty

In the picture, the two Americans can be seen eating dinner that consisted of uncooked pizza and various other condiments. And although the 59-year-old was smiling at the camera, doctors didn’t hesitate to point out her hollow cheeks.

Dr. Vinay Gupta, a pulmonologist and veteran in Seattle, told the Daily Mail, “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 pressurized cabin, for extended periods.”

Gupta went on to say her appearance was most likely a result of “total body weight loss.”

Image credits: Kevin Dietsch / Getty

“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,” she added.

Astronauts burn approximately 3,500 calories per day, which is double that of an average person on land. This is due to the extra energy required by space’s harsher conditions and lower temperatures.

The doctor further shared that a main health concern in this case was muscle atrophy.

“They’re intaking very high-calorie foods, as you can tell — cold cuts, and, you know, other meats, the proteins, but high-fat cold cuts — it’s not necessarily a balanced diet,” Gupta said.

Image credits: ISS / nasaastronauts

William’s metabolism is probably “[through] the roof,” according to the expert in an effort to “keep warm” in the new and unfamiliar environment.

“Her body’s probably working harder to do basic things because the partial pressure of oxygen is lower than it would be on sea level,” she added.

Thoughts and prayers have been sent to the two astronauts stranded hundreds of miles away

Image credits: NASA

Some comments labeled NASA as responsible for the pair’s situation while others expressed sympathy.

“She was mentally or physically prepared for long term stay in space,” said someone. “She looks depressed, being stuck in a pressurized tube, imagine the claustrophobia!”

Another wrote, “About time NASA got their act together and restarted the Space Programme with Space Crafts that are as safe as they can be. Not expensive faulty tin cans from Boeing!!”

“oh my goodness.. she has changed sooo much from just the video of a few months ago,” read a third comment. “i pray they will get back safely, SOON!” 

NASA and Boeing’s crew are working tirelessly to bring Williams and Wilmore back home

 

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As read in BBC, when the two astronauts took off on June 8, their spacecraft encountered problems on its journey to the ISS such as helium leaks, which pushed fuel into the propulsion system. The result was a breakdown in the thrusters.

Engineers have spent months trying to figure out where the Starliner craft went wrong to no avail, testing experiments both on Earth and in space.

Image credits: astrohague / nasaastronauts

“Space flight is a risk, even at its safest and even at its most routine, and a test flight, by nature, is neither safe nor routine,” said NASA administrator Bill Nelson.

The pair is scheduled to stay on the ISS until February 2025 when they can return home on a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Due to the differences between the bodies of women and men, being in space affects each gender separately

Image credits: NASA Astronauts

In a study led by NASA, disparages between men and women were vast when looking at the number of physiological differences while in space.

Orthostatic Intolerance is the inability to stand without fainting for extended periods. This was more prevalent in females than their male counterparts. 

Image credits: astrohague / nasaastronauts

A possible explanation for this phenomenon narrows to leg vascular compliance, which is the capability of the veins in the legs to expand and hold more blood as pressure increases. Women typically face a greater decline in this area.

Image credits: NASA

The study similarly highlighted that women encounter a larger risk of losing blood plasma volume during spaceflight, and the stress response increases their heart rate, while men see an uptick in vascular resistance. 

Comments urged NASA to “bring them home”

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