Sunita Williams: Rumours & Real Facts About Her Arrival On Earth From International Space Station (ISS)

Dr. BHASKAR CHAKRABORTY

We all aware and concerned for Indian born US Space Scientist & Astronaut Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who travelled to the International Space Station in June 2024 for the mission of higher research in International Space Station (ISS) and also often we are listening nowadays in various news and social media showing deep concern about their health issues (especially Sunita’s) and also their arrival on earth from the space station (which was scheduled in June last week/1st week of July 2024) and now in February 2025. In this article, I want inform and clarify all of our esteemed readers about the rumours and real facts about her arrival and health status as learned from NASA, USA news bulletins and sources.

According to news bulletin of NASA on 16^th November, 2024 Sunita expressed her updated status on health, their working procedures and their return to earth. Sunita clearly expressed that nothing to worry about her health status and clearly explained the effects of space on human body that usually occurs in space station when the astronauts are staying for a longer period space station. While fluid shifts can cause puffiness and changes in appearance, Williams emphasizes that these are normal adaptations to microgravity. The fluid redistribution phenomenon is one of the most obvious changes astronauts experience. Body fluids are drawn downward by gravity on Earth, whereas they go towards the head and upper body in space. As a result, astronauts' features appear puffier and their heads appear broader. Although her "sunken cheeks" may seem concerning, Sunita Williams has pointed out that they are only a normal adaptation to microgravity. Because the skeletal system and muscles behave differently in space than they do on Earth, her body is also changing in other ways, such as posture and muscle tone.

She also stated, "I weigh the same as I did when I arrived at the ISS (International Space Station)." Using specialist equipment, NASA weighs astronauts in orbit to make sure they are healthy. Williams informed everyone that her apparent weight loss was simply an optical illusion induced by fluid shift and muscle distribution alterations.

One of the most difficult issues astronauts encounter is muscle and bone loss owing to the lack of gravitational pressure. To address this, Williams and her crewmates engage in rigorous fitness routines. Williams stated that repeated squats and other weightlifting workouts have strengthened her thighs and glutes, which she credits with helping her maintain bone density. Long-term exposure to the space environment results in fewer evident health changes. In the confined atmosphere of the ISS, astronauts report experiencing skin sensitivity and irritation due to the growth of bacteria. Swelling around the eyes can impair eyesight. The medical staff at NASA is keeping a close eye on these impacts and regularly updates the crew on their health.

Not only is space living physically demanding, but it is also mentally taxing. According to NASA, technical difficulties with their spacecraft recently forced Williams and her crewmate Barry Willmore to remain on the ISS for an extended period of time. NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who travelled to the International Space Station in June aboard Boeing’s troubled “Starliner capsule” will return to Earth on a “SpaceX-crewed Dragon mission”, early next year. Initially scheduled to return in mid-June/early July after a week-long visit but Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore faced “thruster failures and helium leaks” on Boeing's new Starliner capsule which is “too risky “to bring them back on “Starliner Capsule”. So NASA decided Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will continue their ISS works and they will be back safely on earth in February next year. NASA officials also added that  “Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are not technically stuck, nor are they alone. They are safe on the International Space Station (ISS), which is appropriately equipped and stocked with essentials”. The ISS is a home for cosmonauts and astronauts who frequent visit there to conduct research. According to NASA’s website, the space station has the volume of a “five-bedroom house”. It can accommodate a crew of six people easily, with space left for visitors too.

According to NASA report, there is no urgency to bring them back immediately. The report suggests that Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams are safe on the ISS, a well-stocked, efficiently supplied, permanent ‘home’ for astronauts in space. The second reason is that both the NASA astronauts are not really "stuck" for unusually long, according to the report. The “Crew Dragon” which will bring Sunita Williams back can ferry up to seven astronauts, but NASA has so far used it for no more than four astronauts. Wilmore and Williams will be on Dragon’s return flight, along with two other astronauts who are among those currently on the ISS. Further, NASA news agency added that Astronaut Scott Kelly spent a year in the station. Astronauts typically spent six months on the ISS and Wilmore and Williams are not really “stuck” in space.

NASA officials emphasized that “It is pertinent to note that five spaceships are currently docked at the space station. These are the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour (Crew-8 mission), the Northrop Grumman resupply ship, Soyuz MS-25 crew ship, and the Progress 88 and 89 resupply ships”. SpaceX launched Crew-9 mission to bring NASA astronaut Sunita Williams back from space after extended stay last month.

According to space scientists at NASA, emergencies can strike at any time. In the worst-case scenario, the empty crew capsules are designed to act as lifeboats for astronauts. Until the Starliner was in space, it acted as a lifeboat for Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams. Now, with SpaceX’s spacecraft arriving, it will become their new lifeboat. The ISS is equipped to handle emergencies and astronauts are trained to respond to various scenarios. Past incidents, such as a near-miss with space debris and a fire on the Mir space station, highlight the importance of emergency preparedness in space.

Courtesy: NASA, USA News and updates

(The author is Professor of Chemistry, Sikkim Government College (NBBGC), Tadong, Gangtok. Views are personal)