'Never felt stuck': Sunita Williams on unexpected extended stay in space

Nasa astronauts share their experiences aboard the ISS, challenges with Starliner, their safe return, and observations of India from space

In her first press conference since returning to Earth, Sunita Lyn “Suni” Williams, one of two National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) astronauts who spent approximately nine months in orbit, stated she never felt stuck on the International Space Station (ISS).

 

“It’s great being back home after being up there, but we never felt stuck,” said the 59-year-old astronaut on Monday. Williams was originally scheduled for an eight-day mission with fellow astronaut Barry Eugene “Butch” Wilmore but ended up staying for 286 days due to technical issues with their spacecraft.

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Williams and Wilmore expressed surprise at the attention their extended mission received, emphasising their commitment to duty and prioritising the mission above personal considerations.

 

“We weren’t aware of what was going on down there on Earth. The world does not revolve around us; actually, we were revolving around the world,” Williams remarked.

 

“I am very thankful for people paying attention. It is good for space exploration,” she added.

 

 

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Astronauts on Boeing’s Starliner

Discussing their prolonged stay, the astronauts acknowledged partial responsibility for the issues encountered and expressed willingness to fly on Boeing’s Starliner again.

 

“I’ll start and point the finger and I’ll blame me. I could have asked some questions, and the answers to those questions could have turned the tide,” Wilmore told reporters.

 

“All the way up and down the chain. We all are responsible. We all own this,” he said.

 

Both astronauts affirmed their confidence in the Starliner program. “We are going to rectify all the issues we encountered. We will fix them. We will make it work,” Wilmore stated.

 

Wilmore added that they are scheduled to meet Boeing program managers and engineers on Wednesday to discuss issues related to Starliner.

 

‘Wonderful experience’: Williams on stay at ISS

Reflecting on their time at the ISS, Williams and Wilmore, along with colleague Nick Hague, observed numerous scientific experiments.

 

Williams described staying in space as a remarkable experience she would happily relive, despite the challenges involved.

 

How India looks from space

 

“India is amazing,” Williams said, describing the view of the Himalayas from space. “Every time we went over the Himalayas, we got incredible pictures. It happened like a ripple and flows down into India.”

 

She highlighted the rich colours visible from orbit, especially as the landscape transitioned into Gujarat and Mumbai. “It gives a beacon of ‘here it comes.’ There were networks of lights going from bigger cities and into smaller ones,” she said.

 

“I hope to come back to my father’s home country and am getting excited about an Indian astronaut going to space with Axiom Mission,” she said, referring to India’s collaboration with private space ventures.

 

On life after returning

Sharing stories about reuniting with family and undergoing rehabilitation to recover, Williams said she wanted to hug her husband, Michael J. Williams, and her dogs after returning from space and enjoyed a grilled cheese sandwich. She mentioned recently running almost two kilometres.

 

“Feeling good since we have been back, almost two weeks now. (I) actually went out and ran three miles yesterday, so I’ll give myself a pat on the back,” she said.

 

Wilmore spoke about spending time with family.

 

They expressed gratitude to all involved in the mission, including Nasa and Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, as their Dragon spacecraft brought them back to Earth on March 18.