Suni Williams and other astronauts on the ISS are “in good health,” NASA says

by Junna Base November 10, 2024

“All NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station undergo routine medical examinations and are monitored by dedicated flight surgeons,” NASA said.

The concern appeared to surface in the weeks after four returning astronauts from an extended SpaceX mission called Crew-8 were mysteriously examined at a medical facility.
The Crew 8 astronauts spent nearly eight months on the space station, while the Starliner astronauts ultimately face the prospect of more than eight months in orbit.
Prolonged stays in low gravity conditions in space can place stress on the human body and lead to loss of body fat, muscle mass and bone density.

NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore were on the International Space Station for months longer than planned, and their long stay has raised public concerns about their physical well-being.

In a statement to USA TODAY on Friday, NASA said Williams and Wilmore, who reached the station in June on the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, are “in good health” – as are the other five space travelers living in orbit.

The concern appeared to surface in the weeks after four returning astronauts from an extended SpaceX mission called Crew-8 were mysteriously examined at a medical facility after crashing off the coast of Florida. One of the astronauts, who was not identified, even spent a night in the hospital before being released, according to NASA.

Prolonged stays in low gravity conditions in space can place stress on the human body and lead to loss of body fat, muscle mass and bone density. The Crew 8 astronauts spent well over seven months on the space station, while Williams and Wilmore are ultimately considering the prospect of more than eight months in orbit if they are able to return as planned in February.

The orbital stays are longer than the typical six-month expeditions most undertake, but NASA assures it is preparing and caring for its astronauts for long-duration missions.

NASA: All astronauts on the ISS “in good health”

Williams and Wilmore weren’t supposed to be on the International Space Station until June, when they reached the orbiting outpost during the Starliner’s first flight test.

But when Boeing’s spacecraft encountered a series of problems, NASA officials pondered for months what to do before deciding in early September to send the spacecraft back to Earth without a crew. The vehicle chosen to bring the Starliner astronauts home, a SpaceX Dragon, then arrived at the end of the month with two Crew-9 astronauts.

Part of the reason NASA officials were confident in their decision was the fact that both Williams and Wilmore, who have each been in orbit twice, are experienced astronauts who were prepared for an extended stay on the station .

Of the seven people on the space station – four Americans and three Russian cosmonauts – the Starliner astronauts have now been in orbit the longest.

Despite public concerns about their health, NASA said all members of Expedition 72 are doing well.

“All NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station undergo routine medical examinations, are monitored by dedicated flight surgeons and are in good health,” NASA said in its statement to USA TODAY on Friday.

Crew 8 astronauts will be taken to a medical facility upon their return

Two weeks ago, four members of a commercial mission called Crew-8 were finally able to return to Earth after first reaching the station in March.

But shortly after landing on October 25, the crew – NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt, Jeanette Epps and cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin of the Russian space agency Roscosmos – were all examined at a nearby medical facility.

While NASA said in a statement that this was only done “out of an abundance of caution,” it was revealed that a crew member who had a medical issue remained under observation in the hospital. The unnamed crew member was released the next morning “in good health,” NASA said.

What does being in space do to the body?

Although all Crew-8 astronauts were cleared for routine post-flight conditioning, the incident highlighted how strenuous long-duration space flights can be for humans.

In addition to the physiological deterioration that astronauts must endure, they must also endure isolated and confined environments and may be exposed to increased levels of radiation compared to what we experience on Earth.

NASA is using long-duration space flights as an opportunity to collect data that will help the agency improve the safety of human missions, especially at a time when astronauts are preparing to fly to the Moon and Mars.

Thanks to supply missions, the astronauts’ supplies are preserved

In addition, NASA supplies the space station with food, supplies, water, clothing and oxygen. Supply missions take place approximately every three months.

The most recent came Monday during SpaceX’s 31st commercial resupply mission, which launched to the space station with nearly 6,000 pounds of supplies and scientific research. The impending arrival of the uncrewed SpaceX Dragon, which departed after delivery, required the astronauts to re-dock another Dragon vehicle at the station.

The relocated Dragon is the same one that the Crew 9 team of Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov arrived on September 29, and it is the same vehicle that they and the Starliner astronauts will use to return home in February .

In the meantime, Hague and Gorbunov, along with Wilmore and Williams, will spend their stay conducting science experiments and performing maintenance on the station. Much of it will serve to prepare for human exploration deep into the cosmos as NASA envisions future lunar missions as part of its Artemis program.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and breaking news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]

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