NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore on Monday held their first press conference following their return to Earth. They addressed concerns about Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, talked about Crew-9 mission, their plan to fly again and National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) commitment etc. The two astronauts also expressed their willingness to fly again and showed confidence in the Starliner, despite facing issues during their last space mission. Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore were left stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for nine months. They returned to the earth on March 18.
Sunita Williams And Butch Wilmore On Starliner
When asked if he would fly again aboard the Starliner, Wilmore nodded and said that they are going to rectify all the issues that they encountered on their last journey. Wilmore said, “Yes, We’re going to make it work. Boeing is completely committed. NASA is completely committed, and with that, I’d get on in a heartbeat.”
Williams also shared a similar response to the question. She acknowledged that minor issues need to be addressed. She further praised the capabilities of the Boeing spacecraft. Williams mentioned that scientists are actively working on the issues related to the spacecraft.
“I would agree, the spacecraft is really capable. There were a couple of things that need to be fixed … and folks are actively working on that, but it is a great spacecraft, and it has a lot of capability that other spacecraft don’t have. To see that thing successful and to be part of that program is an honour,” Williams added.
Crew-9 Mission
NASA astronaut Nick Hague, who was part of the Crew-9 mission too shared his experience and lauded agency’s commitment to ensuring the safe return of astronauts. “Crew-9 mission is unique, like every space flight mission tends to be… it highlights, to me, safety and the importance of the mission and the balance of those two,” Hague said.
Williams Describes India’s Glimpse From Space
Williams was also asked about how India looked from space. To this, she replied, that “India is amazing, just amazing.” She mentioned the incredible pictures she took from up there and described the breath-taking view of the Himalayas. “All throughout India, I think the impression that I had was this network of lights and from the bigger cities going to the smaller cities, and just incredible to look at night as well as during the day highlighted of course by the Himalayas which is just incredible as the forefront going down into India,” added Williams.
Williams On Visit To India
When asked if she would like to visit India and extend her help to ISRO’s flight programme, she said that she definitely hopes to do so. “I hope we can meet up at some point and share our experiences with as many people in India – why as possible because it is a great country and another wonderful democracy. That is trying to put its foot in the space countries and would love to be a part of that and help them along,” Williams added.
She further stated, “I hope and I think for sure I’m going to be going back to my father’s home country and visiting with people and getting excited about the Indian astronauts who’s going up on the ISRO mission coming up.”
Watch The Video Here:
Both the astronauts appeared in good physical condition during their first press conference. Williams highlighted that she had gone for a 3-mile run on Sunday.
‘We Were Prepared To Do Anything’ Says Williams
Moreover, in an interview to Fox News, the two astronauts thanked United States President Donald Trump and SpaceX owner Elon Musk for their efforts in bringing them back to Earth. Williams revealed that both the astronauts had prepped as they were going to stay longer than the scheduled short trip. Her revelation has put an end to the discussions and speculations that arose during their stay at the ISS.
Williams said, “Our focus was on the mission, the Starliner portion of the mission, first flights, test flight. And that was our focus, but we trained for everything. Maintenance on station, science on station, spacewalks on station, robotics, arm work on station. We trained for it all. And we were prepared to do anything that we were asked of for a long duration.”
Also Read: SpaceX Set To Launch Four Astronauts On Mission To Polar Orbit: What Makes This Path Unique?
