Nicole Aunapu Mann, Needham native on ISS, says she's healthy after media report

Astronaut Nicole Aunapu Mann, a Needham native, says she is healthy and doing well aboard the International Space Station

Media reports that she lost weight were "inaccurate," she says

Nicole Aunapu Mann, a Needham native and astronaut aboard the International Space Station(ISS), says media reports that she dropped weight were "inaccurate." "I am healthy and doing well up here," Aunapu Mann said in a statement from NASA. "My weight is stable, and I am continuing to perform my duties as a member of the Expedition 68 crew."

Earlier this month, a German news outlet reported that Aunapu Mann had lost a significant amount of weight while in space. The report cited an unnamed NASA source who said that Aunapu Mann had lost as much as 10% of her body weight. NASA did not comment and referred all questions to Mann's family. In a statement, Aunapu Mann's family said that she was "doing great" and that the reports about her weight loss were "inaccurate." Aunapu Mann's statement is the first time she has spoken out about the reports.

Aunapu Mann is a member of the first all-female spacewalk team. She and astronaut Jessica Watkins completed a spacewalk on March 30, 2022. The spacewalk lasted 7 hours and 18 minutes. Aunapu Mann and Watkins installed new solar panels on the ISS. Aunapu Mann is scheduled to return to Earth in September 2023.