'Never felt stuck' - NASA astronaut Sunita Williams rejects 'neglect' claims in first interview after return

Astronauts Sunita "Suni" Williams, and Barry "Butch" Wilmore speak during a news conference at the NASA Johnson Space Center on March 31, 2025 in Houston, Texas. Williams and Wilmore answered questions regarding their SpaceX Crew-9 mission and extended time on the International Space Station. (AFP Photo)

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore publicly spoke to media for the first time since they returned to Earth on March 18. Interacting in media, both astronauts rejected the “neglect and marooned in space” narrative that kicked up a political storm back on terra firma.

On the extended stay at the International Space Station, Williams said that she “never felt stuck.” The NASA veteran calmly said that she “heard something…” but she focused on the work she was required to do.

“I hate to say that maybe the world doesn’t revolve around us, but we revolve around the world. I think we were really focused on what we were doing and trying to be part of the team,” Williams said during her press interaction.

Similarly, Butch Wilmore, the second NASA astronaut who was with Williams at the ISS pushed back on the entire narrative of both of them being stranded in space. “Stuck? OK, we didn’t get to come home the way we planned. But in the big scheme of things, we weren’t stuck,” Wilmore told Fox News. He said that they were “trained for this.”

Apart from them, Crew 9 commander Nick Hague was also present at the press conference. Backing up his crewmate, Hague also brushed aside the politics around the mission. “The politics, kind of, they don’t make it up there when we’re trying to make operational decisions,” Hague was quoted as saying.

Williams and Wilmore were scheduled to be return on Earth in eight days when they commenced their mission on June 5, 2024.  But after docking at ISS, the thruster of Starliner developed a snag and NASA decided that it was unsafe to bring back the astronauts.