Stranded NASA astronauts share Thanksgiving meal after growing fears over their health

The NASA astronauts who are stranded on the International Space Station have shared their Thanksgiving meal.

There have been growing concerns about the health of the astronauts after they went to space earlier this year.

It was supposed to be an eight day mission but Butch Wilmore and Sunita ‘Suni’ Williams will likely not return to Earth until early next year.

Setting off in June 2024, there were multiple problems found in their spacecraft Starliner’s thrusters.

Five of the spacecraft’s maneuvering thrusters had reportedly stalled, with five helium leaks and a faulty propellant valve.

Boeing had insisted that the spacecraft was safe, allowing thruster tests that had taken place both in space and on the ground.

NASA deemed it too unsafe for the pair to return to Earth and instead they will need to wait until early next year when they will be picked up by SpaceX Crew-9.

Wilmore and Williams have been keeping people on Earth up to date with what they’ve been doing, previously sharing a pizza night they enjoyed on the ISS.

Now, they have revealed that they will be having smoked turkey, butternut squash and brussel sprouts on Thanksgiving.

The food was dehydrated before being sent to the space station.

In a video, Williams said: “Our crew up here just wanted to say Happy Thanksgiving to all our friends and family who are down on Earth and everyone who is supporting us.”

Concerns about Williams’ health began to grow after a photo of her was shared in September where she appeared severely gaunt

While Williams seemed to be in good spirits, her cheeks looked hollow and it caught the attention of people on social media.

One user commented on Instagram, saying: “Is Suni OK? Health wise?”

Over on X, formerly Twitter, another said: “It looks like those two American astronauts stuck in the ISS are not in good health, especially Suni Williams.”

Speaking to the Daily Mail, expert Dr Vinay Gupta said: “What you’re seeing there in that picture is somebody that I think is experiencing the natural stresses of living at a very high altitude, even in a pressurized cabin, for extended periods.”

The expert went on to explain that the human body burns more calories in space due to lower temperatures and harsher conditions so it’s possible that Williams’ appearance is due to being in a calorie deficit.

Gupta continued: “They’re intaking very high-calorie foods, as you can tell — cold cuts, and, you know, other meats, the proteins, but high-fat cold cuts — it’s not necessarily a balanced diet.”