NASA doctors are monitoring the second stranded astronaut on the International Space Station to make sure he hasn't lost too much weight during his long stay in space.
A NASA official on the mission told the Post that Butch Wilmore has also lost weight, but it doesn't appear to be as noticeable as fellow astronaut Sunita Williams.
“His weight was higher initially,” a NASA official said. But it's happening and it's being monitored. Attention is being paid to whether any changes can be seen in the astronaut's body. And he seems to have lost weight. ”
Wilmore, 61, is a former linebacker at Tennessee Tech. He was approximately 6 feet tall and weighed over 210 pounds. at the beginning of the mission. It's unclear how much weight she lost.
“Everything is unexpected,” says a NASA official. “None of this was expected. They were scheduled to stay for a week but have been going for six months now. They should be home by now and we should focus on other things.” It’s all very unpredictable.”
Attention to the astronaut's weight became public after NASA released photos showing the 59-year-old Williams looking extremely emaciated, with sunken cheeks and a noticeably thinner physique.
On Tuesday, Williams downplayed concerns about visible weight loss as “rumours” and said the difference in appearance was the result of changes in body fluids due to zero gravity.
“People in space have heads that look a little bit bigger because the fluid is evened out along their bodies,” she said during a livestream.
Williams and Willmore passed a pre-mission medical examination before their spaceflight and were scheduled to stay on the ISS for only eight days.
However, a technical failure aboard the Boeing Starliner leaves it stranded in space. It's been 160 days since they were gone.
SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule will take them home, but it's not expected to return to Earth until February.
In a statement last week, NASA stressed that there was nothing to worry about and that it was not overly concerned about Williams' weight loss.
“All NASA astronauts on the International Space Station undergo regular medical examinations. They are monitored by a dedicated flight surgeon and are in good health,” the statement said. are.
Another NASA official not directly involved in the mission told the Post that the agency is concerned about the speculation and that leaking sensitive information about the astronauts' health could be grounds for termination. He said he has alerted his staff.
“The HIPAA law apparently applies to NASA,” the official says coldly.
Boeing Co., which faced public embarrassment over its Starliner failure, was removed from the mission, but employees say executives are closely monitoring the latest developments. “If something were to happen to the astronauts, Boeing would be the one to blame,” the employee said. “This looks really, really bad.”
The weight loss incident occurred after four NASA astronauts returned to Earth in SpaceX's Dragon capsule and were rushed to the hospital after spending 200 days on the ISS.
One of the individuals was kept overnight at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola Hospital, NASA said.
The space agency did not disclose the nature of the medical emergency, and the astronaut was released the next day.
