Finally, the good news…Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore are set to return to the earth as the NASA’s crewed mission, SpaceX Crew-10 left for the International Space Station (ISS). The mission has four astronauts – NASA’s Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov – to replace Williams and Wilmore at the ISS.
Williams and Wilmore have been stuck at the ISS since June 2024, facing delays, space debris threats, helium leaks and technical glitches on the Starliner spacecraft on which they travelled. Having spent over 600 days in space so far, for three different missions, Williams did spacewalks for 62 hours and nine minutes, leading the women astronaut corps in spending maximum time on the activity. She also became the first woman astronaut to test a space capsule.
At the ISS, Williams helped with a lot of maintenance and cleaning of the football field-sized space station. She and her colleague helped replace many old instruments on the ISS and send back a lot of trash to Earth. According to NASA, Williams, Wilmore and another astronaut, Nick Hague, “completed more than 900 hours of research between over 150 unique scientific experiments and technology demonstrations during their stay aboard the orbiting laboratory”.
Due to unforeseen delays in their return, Williams accommodated herself with extensive weight training in space, to keep her body fit and in shape as she floated around in near zero gravity in space. Though rumours about her failing health spread like wild fire, until she issued a clarification, saying she weighs the same as she did when she arrived at the ISS. Her “wild hair” also garnered worldwide attention, with US President Donald Trump saying: “I see the woman with the wild hair, good, solid head of hair she’s got. There’s no kidding, there’s no games with her hair.” Trump had some words of appreciation for Williams as he told a pair of stranded astronauts aboard the ISS that “we’re coming up to get you.” He blasted the former President Joe Biden for their eight-day mission stretching to nine months and counting. Trump said, “Biden left them up there. We’re going to get them out. We’re coming up to get you,” lifting his head and looking up, as if sending the message to the astronauts.
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore
Meanwhile, Williams sent Diwali, Christmas and New Year greetings to humans on Earth and even held a session with students of a school named after her. She even wished the participants of the 2024 Paris Olympics good luck from space.
Among other activities, the astronaut helped with some gardening in space by watering lettuce plants and studying them, in an effort which, according to NASA, could “show how less-than-ideal conditions affect plant growth and help scientists design systems to produce safe and nutritious food for crew members on future space journeys”.
The news of Wlliams and Wilmore returning to Earth certainly brings cheers to the millions praying for them, especially their families waiting anxiously. What is even more appreciating is how the two astronauts kept themselves busy in the most adverse situations.
