Sunita Williams turns Santa on International Space Station, prepares for Christmas in space

The ISS crew, including NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, is gearing up for Christmas in space.

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and her crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are preparing to celebrate Christmas in space. After a Space X Dragon capsule made a cargo delivery to the ISS which included supplies and holiday gifts for the crew, NASA shared a picture of the veteran astronaut wearing a Santa hat.

NASA shared a picture of veteran astronaut Sunita Williams wearing a Santa hat. (X/NASA_Johnson)

“Another day, another sleigh. NASA Astronauts Don Pettit and Suni Williams pose for a fun holiday season portrait while speaking on a ham radio inside the ISS's Columbus laboratory module,” the post on X read.

Take a look at the post here:

Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have spent six months on the ISS and are set to return to earth in February. They duo left earth for a eight-day mission in June but were stuck in space after their aircraft malfunctioned.

Is Sunita Williams losing weight in space?

Last month, Williams celebrated Thanksgiving in space and shut down rumours about her apparent weight loss. In an interview with NBC News, the Indian-origin astronaut said: “We have a bunch of food that we’ve packed away that is Thanksgiving-ish like some smoked turkey, some cranberry, apple cobbler, green beans and mushrooms and mashed potatoes.”

Speculations surrounding the alleged shortage of food due to their mission's unprecedented extension and a photo showing a hollow-cheeked Williams caused a stir globally with many worried about the astronaut's health.

However, Williams has dismissed the rumours and said that the changes in her appearance were caused by her weight shifting due to loss of gravity.