NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has described India as “amazing” when viewed from space and expressed her eagerness to visit her father’s homeland to share her space exploration experiences.
The 59-year-old astronaut, along with other astronauts, addressed reporters in their first joint press conference on Monday after returning to Earth following their nine-month-long mission as part of the SpaceX Crew-9 mission.
“India is amazing. Every time we went over the Himalayas, and I’ll tell you, Butch got some incredible pictures of the Himalayas. Just amazing,” Williams said during a press conference, referring to fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore.
Williams, Nick Hague and Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, returned to Earth on March 18 onboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which splashed down in the sea off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida.
For Sunita and Wilmore, test pilots for Boeing’s new Starliner capsule, an eight-day mission stretched to more than nine months as a series of helium leaks and thruster failures deemed their spacecraft unsafe. The spacecraft returned without them in September.
Stunning Views Of The Himalayas
Williams vividly described the breathtaking sights of India from space, especially the geological formations.
“You can see, like I have described it before, just like this ripple that happened, obviously when the plates collided, and then as it flows down into India. It’s many, many colours,” she said.
“When you come from the east, going into Gujarat and Mumbai, the fishing fleet that’s off the coast there gives you a little bit of a beacon that here we come. And then all throughout India, the impression I had was just this network of lights from the bigger cities going down through the smaller cities. Just incredible to look at at night as well as during the day, highlighted, of course, by the Himalayas,” Williams remarked.
On Visiting India
Williams expressed her enthusiasm about visiting India and engaging with people there, particularly in light of the upcoming Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), which will feature an Indian astronaut.
“I hope, and I think for sure, I’m gonna be going back to my father’s home country and visiting with people and getting excited about the first, or not the first, but the Indian national who’s going up on the Axiom Mission coming up. Pretty awesome,” she said.
She was referring to Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, who will be part of the Ax-4 commercial astronaut mission to the ISS. Shukla, born in Lucknow, will be the second Indian astronaut to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
“They’ll have a hometown hero of their own who will be able to talk about how wonderful the International Space Station is from his perspective. But I hope I can meet up at some point, and we can share our experiences with as many people in India as possible. It’s a great country, another wonderful democracy that’s trying to put its foot in the space countries, and we’d love to be part of that and help them along,” Williams said.
Sunita William’s Indian Background
Williams’ father Deepak Pandya hailed from Gujarat and came to the US in 1958 where he did his internship and residency training in Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. She was born in Ohio to Deepak and Ursuline Bonnie Pandya.
When Wilmore asked Williams if she plans to take her crew members on the trip to India with her, she replied with a laugh. “Absolutely. You might stick out a little bit but that’s okay. We’ll get you all primed with some spicy food, will be good.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had welcomed Williams and her fellow Crew-9 members as they returned to Earth after the prolonged mission to the International Space Station, saying their unwavering determination will forever inspire millions.
“Welcome back, Crew9! The Earth missed you,” Modi said in a post on X.
“Theirs has been a test of grit, courage and the boundless human spirit. Sunita Williams and the #Crew9 astronauts have once again shown us what perseverance truly means. Their unwavering determination in the face of the vast unknown will forever inspire millions,” Modi had said.
He had said space exploration is about pushing the limits of human potential, daring to dream and having the courage to turn those dreams into reality.
“Sunita Williams, a trailblazer and an icon, has exemplified this spirit throughout her career,” the prime minister said.
“We are incredibly proud of all those who worked tirelessly to ensure their safe return. They have demonstrated what happens when precision meets passion and technology meets tenacity,” Modi had said.
(With PTI inputs)
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