Surviving 9 Months in Space: What Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore Ate on the NASA Space Station

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 astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth on Tuesday after spending nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Their stay was extended beyond the initial planned week due to issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Despite the challenges of long-term space travel, both astronauts maintained their health with a carefully managed diet.

Food on the ISS was diverse, including breakfast cereals with powdered milk, pizza, roast chicken, shrimp cocktails, and tuna. Fresh produce was initially available but quickly ran out, with the astronauts relying on freeze-dried fruits and vegetables. All meat and eggs were pre-cooked on Earth and only required reheating.

The astronauts’ diet was carefully monitored by NASA medics, ensuring that their calorie intake met the demands of their rigorous environment. Dehydrated meals, such as soups and stews, were rehydrated using water from the station’s 530-gallon fresh water tank, which also recycled astronauts’ urine and sweat into drinking water.

Despite these challenges, food was never in short supply. The ISS had a stock of about 3.8 pounds of food per astronaut daily, with extra provisions on hand for unexpected mission extensions. The astronauts, who faced muscle loss, vision issues, and balance problems after returning to gravity, managed their health with regular exercise and medical monitoring.