Stranded 254 miles above Earth, astronauts Butch Wilmore, 61, and Sunita Williams, 59, are now surviving on soup made from water recycled from their own urine. What started as an eight-day mission in June has turned into a six-month ordeal, after the Boeing Starliner spacecraft meant to bring them home suffered helium leaks and thruster malfunctions, rendering it too dangerous for a manned return trip.
Initially treated to fresh fruit, roast chicken, and pizza, the duo’s menu has been reduced to powdered milk, dehydrated casseroles, and freeze-dried soup—reconstituted using water processed from their own sweat and pee. The ISS’s advanced filtration system ensures no liquid goes to waste, but the drastic dietary adjustment has raised concerns about their health.
NASA doctors closely monitor their nutrition, ensuring they meet daily calorie needs, yet both astronauts appear visibly thinner. Addressing her gaunt appearance, Williams dismissed diet concerns, attributing the weight loss to microgravity. “I maintain my weight through rigorous exercise and proper nutrition,” she said.
The astronauts’ extended stay has tested the station’s resources, with NASA relying on its 530-gallon water recycling tank and an emergency food stockpile to sustain the crew. Meals are prepared on magnetized trays with metal utensils to avoid floating mishaps, and each astronaut receives about 3.8 pounds of food daily.
Rescue is on the horizon, but it’s a long wait. A SpaceX Dragon craft is slated to bring them home in February 2025, leaving Wilmore and Williams to endure another three months of space soup and microgravity workouts.
While NASA insists the crew is well-cared for, their survival on soup made with recycled pee underscores the stark challenges of extended space missions. Their endurance is a testament to human resilience—even when dinner comes with a very unusual ingredient.