Latest photo of Suni Williams, NASA astronaut stuck in space, spurs concern

Isabel Keane

December 19, 2024 at 3:20 PM

A holiday photo of NASA astronaut Suni Williams has drawn concern -- as her return to Earth has been delayed a second time.

Images of Williams, 59, shared by NASA on Tuesday captioned "Another day, another sleigh," garnered worried responses on her behalf, as she and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore have been stuck at the International Space Station since June -- with a new return date set for late March.

"They look like they are in very bad shape in need of been evacuated ASAP," a nervous commentator wrote on X under an image of Williams and fellow astronaut Don Pettit, 69.

Another chimed in: "Suni Williams does not look well, she needs to come home now."

One of the photos shows Williams and Pettit sporting red, white-trimmed Santa hats and nervous grins while speaking on a ham radio inside the ISS's Columbus laboratory module.

Meanwhile, other commentators expressed well wishes for Williams, as what was supposed to be an eight-day stay at the ISS for her and Wilmore extended to over nine months after their Boeing was repeatedly plagued with issues, including leaks that made the thrusters malfunction.

"They are getting pretty skinny! Praying for their safety!" another social media user added.

NASA said on Thursday that Williams and Wilmore, along with NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, will head back to Earth after the four-member Crew-10 mission takes off in late March and reaches the space station.

The agency did not specify a date for the return of any of the astronauts.

Hague and Gorbunov boarded the ISS in September, over three months after Williams and Wilmore.

"Known as a handover period, it allows Crew-9 to share any lessons learned with the newly arrived crew and support a better transition for ongoing science and maintenance at the complex," NASA said in the statement on Tuesday.

The Crew-10 mission was originally slated to launch in February. NASA said the delay was to give the teams time to complete processing on a new Dragon spacecraft for the mission.

With Post wires