Indian-American NASA astronaut Sunita Williams shared details about her return to Earth after spending nine months aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
In her first press conference since coming back, Williams expressed gratitude to everyone involved in the mission, including NASA and Elon Musk’s SpaceX, whose Dragon spacecraft brought her and fellow astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore home.
"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.
She described her first moments back on Earth, hugging her husband, Michael J. Williams, and reuniting with her pet dogs. Williams, known for her love of Indian cuisine, revealed her first meal: a grilled cheese sandwich, which reminded her of her vegetarian father.
"Of course, we heard some things from our friends and families, and people were interested in what was going on and concerned about our health and all that stuff while we were up there. We were just part of the team, doing the job, filling in wherever we could," she stated.
Williams and Wilmore were originally set for an eight-day test mission on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft last June. However, due to unexpected delays, they spent 278 days longer than planned in orbit.
They finally returned on 18 March aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.
President Donald Trump alleged that his predecessor, Joe Biden, abandoned the astronauts in space. On 7 March, he announced he had given Elon Musk permission to bring them back.
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