New photos of stranded Boeing Starliner astronauts raise concerns about their health: report

Concerns for nan wellness of nan NASA astronauts stranded connected nan International Space Station person grown aft caller images showing 1 of them looking severely drawn surfaced.

Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore person been stuck connected nan ISS since June 6, when their Boeing Starliner knowledgeable method malfunctions.

The 2 brave Americans, who were only slated to beryllium astatine nan abstraction position for 8 days, person now spent 153 days among nan stars — and doctors are raising concerns astir their wellness aft a caller photograph shows Williams, 59, appearing jarringly gaunt.

The 2 astronauts are seen chowing down connected an advertisement hoc meal consisting of uncooked pizza, ketchup, mustard and various sundries.

Though she is smiling and seems to beryllium successful bully spirits, Williams looks remarkably hollow-cheeked than erstwhile she first boarded nan orbiting workplace.

“What you’re seeing location successful that image is personification that I deliberation is experiencing nan earthy stresses of surviving astatine a very precocious altitude, moreover successful a pressurized cabin, for extended periods,” Dr. Vinay Gupta told nan Daily Mail.

Williams’ notably sunken cheeks are apt a consequence of a “significant” calorie deficit, he added.

The quality assemblage burns much calories successful abstraction than it does connected terrestrial crushed owed to debased temperatures and wide harsh conditions, Gupta explained.

He emphasized that 1 of nan known wellness concerns for anyone spending extended clip successful abstraction is musculus atrophy.

“They’re intaking very high-calorie foods, arsenic you tin show — acold cuts, and, you know, different meats, nan proteins, but high-fat acold cuts — it’s not needfully a balanced diet,” Gupta told nan Daily Mail.

This alarming study comes aft a unit of 4 NASA astronauts returning to Earth connected SpaceX’s Dragon capsule were rushed to nan infirmary aft spending 200 days connected nan ISS.

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

The abstraction agency did not uncover nan quality of nan aesculapian emergency and nan astronaut was released nan pursuing day.