Astronaut Williams back on Earth: Health bounce after 288 days
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth after 288 days in space. Sunita Williams' appearance had long been a cause of concern for doctors. After the astronaut gave an interview, one of them spoke out.
Astronaut Sunita Williams, upon returning from space, garnered attention for her appearance. After spending 288 days in space, Williams and her companion Butch Wilmore landed off the coast of Florida on March 18. Dr. Vinay Gupta, pulmonologist and Air Force veteran, observed that in the first interview given after her return, Williams looks healthier. Dr. Gupta stated that Williams' face looks "fuller," which may be due to better sleep and a return to normal gravitational conditions.
"She's back on level ground. Her metabolism is normalizing to sort of normal gravity,” said Gupta, as quoted by the "Daily Mail."
He added that the astronaut likely started eating healthier, which allowed her to regain weight. Photos taken just after leaving the SpaceX Dragon capsule show Williams with gray hair, deeper wrinkles than before, and a very gaunt face. Medical experts also noticed her noticeably thinner wrists, indicating that she experienced rapid weight loss and muscle mass loss.
Health challenges after the mission
Dr. Gupta emphasized that returning to Earth is the moment when astronauts' bodies begin to regenerate. "The second you're back on level ground, your body starts to heal and sort of re-equilibrate," he explained. Although Williams returned with a head full of gray hair, she presented a new look with dyed black hair during the first interview.
The mission of Williams and Wilmore was supposed to last eight days, but technical problems with the Starliner capsule prolonged their stay on the International Space Station to over nine months. During this time, Williams visibly lost weight, and her appearance worried people worldwide. Dr. Gupta suggested that Williams' condition in space might have been influenced by her diet.
Dr. Gupta explained that if Williams had been avoiding meat-based proteins, it might have contributed to her health problems during the nine months she spent in space.
The medic noted that Wilmore, the second astronaut participating in the interview, did not show such changes in appearance, which may suggest differences in their diets. The health of Williams and Wilmore is now under constant observation by specialists. However, Dr. Gupta is confident that the most difficult moments are behind them.
