Space community divided on health of Starliner astronaut Suni Williams as appearance changes

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Published  November 7, 2024 9:28pm EST
FOX 35 Orlando
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Health of Starliner astronaut Suni Williams debated

Health concerns are growing for the Boeing Starliner mission astronauts still on the International Space Station.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Health concerns are growing for the Boeing Starliner mission astronauts who are still on the International Space Station. 

The duo, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, have been at the ISS for 155 days. Their mission was only supposed to be eight days, but the troubled Starliner capsule was deemed too unsafe to bring them home.

Williams and Wilmore won’t come home until February, and some are worried about William’s weight loss. New viral pictures showed significant changes in her facial structure from when she was on earth until now. 

"I think this weight loss issue is very serious," said David Denault who’s a former NPR space correspondent. 

Not everyone agrees. 

"I’m not at all concerned by the new pictures," said Ken Kremer who founded Space UpClose. 

Denault thinks the unexpected stay is affecting them physically and mentally.

"An eight-day mission to eight months," he added. "We would look at fatigue. We would look at stress and sleep loss."

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Kremer thinks the astronauts are used to the conditions.

"They’ve both been on long durations before. This is not new to them," said Kremer. 

Both experts agreed, the human body changes dramatically in space.

"Muscle mass can decrease by as much as 20% after two weeks in space, 30% after six months," said Denault. 

Another concern is radiation. 

"The longer they’re up there, the more they’re exposed," said Kremer. 

U.S. astronauts have stayed in space for up to a year before, and NASA is studying how they can keep astronauts healthier for longer in zero G. 

NASA shared this statement with FOX 35 when we reached out about the new photos: 

"All NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station undergo routine medical evaluations, have dedicated flight surgeons monitoring them, and are in good health."

This is not the first medical issue for NASA recently. When Crew 8 splashed down in October, one of the astronauts had to be taken to a hospital in Florida. NASA never released what exactly happened to them, but they were sent home a few days later. 

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