Watch: NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams Shares Diwali Greetings from ISS 260, miles above Earth
Watch: NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams Shares Diwali Greetings from ISS 260, miles above Earth
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams extended warm Diwali wishes from 260 miles above Earth
Highlighting the festival’s message of “goodness prevailing.” In her video message, Williams shared how her father’s Indian heritage taught her to value Diwali traditions and expressed gratitude to US leadership for recognizing the Indian community’s contributions.
Happy diwali to all at the international space station by Sunita Williams #ISS #WhiteHouse #SunitaWilliams pic.twitter.com/TASQPznSTi
— बकैती बाबू (@BAKAETI_BABU) October 29, 2024
Williams’s mission, initially a one-week stay on the ISS with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, faced an extended timeline after technical challenges rendered Boeing’s Starliner capsule unfit for their return. Originally, Williams and Wilmore were set to return on the Starliner, but gas leaks and thruster issues led NASA to reassign them to SpaceX’s Crew-9 Dragon capsule instead. This adjustment pushed back their departure to early 2025 and displaced Crew-9’s primary astronauts, Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, from their initial roles.
To accommodate the change, NASA launched Crew-9 with additional ballast, stabilizing the spacecraft despite the unusual crew adjustment. Since Crew-8’s departure, Williams and Wilmore have been conducting daily scientific tasks aboard the ISS, including particle behavior analysis, cognitive testing, and handling radio frequency hardware for research initiatives.
Williams and Wilmore are now anticipated to return in February 2025, marking nearly nine months aboard the ISS. Despite technical setbacks, their prolonged mission highlights the adaptability and collaboration essential in modern space exploration.
