NASA rushes to stabilize astronaut Sunita Williams’ weight

NASA doctors are frantically trying to help stranded astronaut Sunita Williams gain weight after she suffered a “significant” weight loss since arriving at the International Space Station in June.

Newly released photos show Williams, 59, looking shockingly thin, with sunken cheeks and a noticeably thinner frame.

“She has lost a lot of weight,” said a NASA employee directly involved in the mission and who has attended several briefings.

‘The kilos have fallen off her and she is now skin and bones. So it is a priority to help her stabilize and hopefully reverse the weight loss.”

Williams and fellow astronaut Barry Wilmore passed pre-mission physical tests before spaceflight and would spend just eight days on the ISS.

But when their Boeing Starliner suffered technical problemsthey became stranded in space.

A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule will give them a ride home, but won’t return to Earth until February.

They have now been in space for 155 days.

According to the NASA source, the 6-foot-2 Williams started the mission weighing about 140 pounds.

But as the mission dragged on, Williams couldn’t keep up with the high-calorie diets astronauts must consume, the source said.

Due to changes in their metabolism, astronauts must eat twice as many calories every day as Earth humans need.

“They need to eat about 3,500 to 4,000 calories a day just to maintain their current weight,” the NASA employee said.

“And if you fall behind, your weight drops quickly.”

Compounding the problem, they also need to exercise for more than two hours every day to maintain muscle mass and bone density in a zero-G environment, burning even more calories.

An avid runner, Williams became the first person to run a marathon in space in 2007 by running on a treadmill in the Boston Marathon.

To gain weight, Williams would have to eat up to 5,000 calories a day, the source said.

The average woman on earth needs about 1,600 to 2,400 calories to maintain her weight.

NASA doctors began working with Williams about a month ago to help her pack on the pounds — even before the viral images sparked global concern about her health, the source said.

Several NASA studies have found that the consequences of space travel are more severe for women. A 2023 study found that female astronauts lose muscle mass faster than their male counterparts.

But on Thursday, NASA emphasized in a statement that there is nothing to worry about, and that they are not overly concerned about Williams’ weight loss.

“All NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station undergo routine medical evaluations,” the statement read.

“They have dedicated flight surgeons monitoring them and are in good health.”

The alarming photo comes after a crew of four NASA astronauts returning to Earth on SpaceX’s Dragon capsule were rushed to hospital after spending 200 days on the ISS.

One of those astronauts was kept overnight at Ascension Sacred Heart Pensacola hospital, according to NASA.

The space agency did not disclose the nature of the medical emergency and the astronaut was released the next day.

Speculation about Williams’ health has become fodder for NASA gossip, the source said.

“I gasped out loud when I saw the last photo,” the NASA employee said.

“And it’s something we talk about, but not something we’re obsessed with. It is a real concern and everyone is taking it seriously.”