How Sunita Williams, Butch Wilmore survived for 9 months. What did they eat on NASA space station?
ByHT News Desk | Written by Lingamgunta Nirmitha Rao
Mar 19, 2025 08:09 AM IST
Sunita Williams back on Earth: Months in space cause muscle loss, fluid shifts, kidney stones, vision issues, and balance problems after returning to gravity.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams safely returned to Earth on Tuesday (US local time), splashing down off Florida’s coast in a SpaceX capsule. Their return came nine months after their planned week-long stay on the ISS was disrupted due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner craft.
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams Space Launch Complex 41 on June 1, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Florida.(AP)
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams Space Launch Complex 41 on June 1, 2024, in Cape Canaveral, Florida.(AP)
The International Space Station (ISS), located 254 miles (409 km) above Earth, has hosted astronauts from around the world for nearly 25 years now. The US and Russia primarily manage the football field-sized research lab, which serves as a key hub for scientific collaboration.
Both Wilmore and Williams are Navy test pilots who later joined NASA. Wilmore, 62, was a high school and college football player in Tennessee, while Williams, 59, was a competitive swimmer and distance runner from Needham, Massachusetts. Wilmore missed most of his younger daughter’s senior year, while Williams stayed connected with her husband, mother, and relatives through internet calls from space.
Living in space for months poses physical challenges, including muscle and bone loss, fluid shifts that can lead to kidney stones, vision issues, and balance readjustment upon return to gravity. These effects are well-documented and managed by NASA. Both astronauts were experienced ISS crew members and refreshed their station training before launch.
Williams became ISS commander three months into their stay, holding the position until earlier this month.
Follow live updates on Sunita Williams' return to Earth
What did they eat, and how did they live for 9 months now?
Food on ISS: On November 18 last year, The New York Post reported that NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams had been eating pizza, roast chicken, and shrimp cocktails aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
Limited fresh produce: A source familiar with the Boeing Starliner mission issues mentioned in the report revealed that the crew's intake of fresh produce was restricted to maintaining a nutritious diet.
Variety of food: According to a specialist insider, the astronauts had access to breakfast cereal with powdered milk, pizza, roast chicken, shrimp cocktails, and tuna. NASA medics monitored their calorie intake.
NASA image: A NASA-released image from September 9 showed Wilmore and Williams having a meal on the ISS, with some of these food items visible.
Fresh food depletion: The insider highlighted that fresh fruits and vegetables were initially available but ran out within three months. “There’s fresh fruit at first, but as the three months continues that goes away — and their fruits and vegetables are packaged or freeze-dried,” the insider said in November last year
Food preparation: All meat and eggs were pre-cooked on Earth and only required reheating. Dehydrated foods like soups, stews, and casseroles were rehydrated using water from the ISS’s 530-gallon fresh water tank. The station also recycles astronauts' urine and sweat into fresh water for consumption.
Weight loss concerns: The specialist clarified that any weight loss was not due to a lack of food on the ISS. “So to be accurate, it should be very clear that any weight loss is not due to a lack of provisions on the ISS. There is plenty of food, even for an extended mission.” The ISS is stocked with about 3.8 pounds of food per astronaut per day, along with extra supplies for unexpected mission extensions.
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