NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams safely returned to Earth on Tuesday (US local time), landing off the coast of Florida in a SpaceX capsule. Their return came after a nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which was extended due to delays with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, initially meant to end their mission after just one week.
The ISS, located 254 miles (409 km) above Earth, has hosted astronauts from around the world for nearly 25 years. The station, primarily managed by the US and Russia, serves as a major hub for international scientific collaboration.
Both Wilmore, 62, and Williams, 59, are Navy test pilots who later joined NASA. Wilmore was a high school and college football player in Tennessee, while Williams was a competitive swimmer and distance runner from Needham, Massachusetts. During their time in space, Wilmore missed much of his younger daughter’s senior year, while Williams stayed in touch with her family through internet calls from space.
Living in space for months presents physical challenges, such as muscle and bone loss, fluid shifts that may cause kidney stones, vision problems, and balance issues upon returning to gravity. These effects are well understood and managed by NASA. Both astronauts were experienced ISS crew members and completed refresher training before launching.
Williams served as the ISS commander for three months during their mission and held that position until earlier this month.
What did they eat and how did they live for 9 months?
On November 18 last year, The New York Post reported that Wilmore and Williams had been eating pizza, roast chicken, and shrimp cocktails while aboard the ISS. Their access to fresh produce was limited, as it was managed to maintain a nutritious diet during the extended mission.
Food variety: The astronauts had meals such as breakfast cereal with powdered milk, pizza, roast chicken, shrimp cocktails, and tuna. NASA medics kept track of their calorie intake to ensure it met the astronauts’ needs.
NASA image: A NASA-released photo from September 9 showed Wilmore and Williams eating, with some of these items visible in the image.
Depletion of fresh food: Fresh fruits and vegetables were available at first but were gone after three months. From then on, they consumed packaged or freeze-dried fruits and vegetables. An insider stated, “There’s fresh fruit at first, but after three months, it goes away, and they get packaged or freeze-dried produce.”
Food preparation: All meat and eggs were pre-cooked on Earth and required only reheating. Dehydrated foods like soups, stews, and casseroles were rehydrated with water from the ISS’s 530-gallon fresh water tank, which also recycles the astronauts’ urine and sweat into drinkable water.
Weight loss concerns: Despite potential weight loss, the specialist clarified that the astronauts had enough food for the duration of the mission. “There’s plenty of food, even for an extended mission,” the specialist said. The ISS has about 3.8 pounds of food per astronaut per day, plus extra supplies for mission extensions.
