In response to these statements, Williams herself first spoke out, noting that she is doing fine. Then NASA intervened in the situation. The chief health and medical officer of the space agency, J.D. Polk, dismissed rumors regarding the astronauts' health, stating that they are "in absolutely excellent health and condition."
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have been stuck on the ISS due to technical issues with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft. According to the original mission plan, they were supposed to spend just over a week in space, but they have now been at the orbital outpost for almost six months and will return home only in the winter.