Stranded NASA Astronaut Hits Back Against Comments About Her Weight

"HIPAA laws apparently apply to NASA, too."

Eff Off

NASA seems to be in the middle of another health debacle after one of its astronauts was forced to hit back against rumors that she'd lost too much weight in space.

As the New York Post reports, NASA is monitoring the health and medical privacy of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the astronauts who've been stranded on board the International Space Station for months after Boeing's cursed Starliner — the troubled spacecraft they flew up in — was deemed too risky for their return voyage.

In recent weeks, there's been ample tabloid speculation about the astronauts' health and appearances, particularly when it comes to Williams. During a teleconference earlier in the week, the female astronaut attempted to put to bed rumors that she had lost a lot of weight and appeared "gaunt," as one Earthbound doctor opined to the Post.

"I'm the same weight that I was when I got up here," Williams said during the presser. She added that there could be a number of things affecting her appearance in photos, including the way microgravity changes water distribution in the body.

Still, NASA is apparently concerned not only with its astronauts' health and safety, but also about potentially sensitive medical information leaking to the press. According to an insider source who spoke to the NYP on condition of anonymity, anyone caught leaking astronaut health details could potentially be fired.

After this story was published, NASA reached out with an additional comment.

"All NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station are in good health," said NASA's chief health and medical officer JD Polk. "It’s unfortunate that rumors persist otherwise. NASA and our partners have safely conducted long duration missions aboard the orbital laboratory for decades, studying the effects of space on the human body as we prepare for exploration farther into the solar system. Crew health is regularly monitored by dedicated flight surgeons on Earth, and they have an individual diet and fitness regime to ensure they remain healthy throughout their expeditions."

Muscle Gains

As Gizmodo noted in its own write-up of the debacle, Williams seemed compelled to point out some specific physical changes she'd experienced during her time on the ISS to dispel the rumors about her alleged weight loss.

"I could definitely tell that weightlifting, which is not something that I do all the time, has definitely changed me," the astronaut said on the NASA live feed, referring to how astronauts undergo a vigorous fitness regimen in orbit to offset the health effects of space travel. "My thighs are a little bit bigger, my butt is a little bit bigger."

While space sexism is nothing new, it's a sorry return to the undue physical attention pioneering female astronauts like Sally Ride experienced, Gizmodo pointed out, which saw her and countless others in her wake being scrutinized over their weights and dress sizes while their male colleagues got no such attention.

Notably, this debacle comes just a few weeks after another group of NASA astronauts — which included another woman of color, Jeanette Epps — were hospitalized under mysterious circumstances upon returning back to Earth because one in their midst experienced a health issue.

In that case, at least, the woman hasn't been singled out — if only because NASA is remaining mum about what happened and who it happened to.

More on actual astronaut health problems: Space Tourist Alarmed When Vision Starts to Deteriorate