Sunita Williams has quite forgotten the mechanism of walking!
The ace astronaut who has been stranded at the International Space Station since June 2024, recently revealed, as reported by People Magazine, that she is trying to remember how to walk as she awaits her return to Earth in spring.
What happened?
Williams, who is a Needham native herself, spoke to students from Needham High School on January 27 and shared a few glimpses from the experience of living at the space station. While sharing her experience, as People reported quoting WBZ-TV, Sunita said, “I’ve been up here long enough right now I’ve been trying to remember what it’s like to walk. I haven’t walked. I haven’t sat down. I haven’t laid down. You don’t have to. You can just close your eyes and float where you are right here.”
Williams also told students that she hadn’t expected for her and fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore to be stuck in space for such a long time, stating that it was a “bit of shock”. In her words, “We knew that it would be probably a month or so, honestly. But the extended stay was just a little bit different.”
Life before NASA:
Sunita Williams, the widely acclaimed spacewalker, began working with NASA in 1998, when she was selected as an astronaut. But before that, Williams was a Naval Aviator before who trained as a shelicopter pilot and flew in combat during the Persian Gulf War and Hurricane Andrew.
After Williams graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1987 with a degree in physical science, she was commissioned as an Ensign in the Navy and received her designation as a Basic Diving Officer. She then reported to the Naval Aviation Training Command for aviator training. In 1989, she began combat helicopter training.
Williams was indeed a Naval Aviator before becoming an astronaut, and she flew in helicopter support squadrons during the Persian Gulf War and Hurricane Andrew. She also served as an aircraft handler and assistant air boss on the USS Saipan.
Key points:
Military service: Williams was commissioned as an Ensign in the U.S. Navy and completed her aviator training at the Naval Aviation Training Command.
Helicopter pilot: Williams primarily flew helicopters in support squadrons, including during the preparations for the Persian Gulf War.
Relevant experience: Her experience as a Naval Aviator likely contributed to her skills and adaptability when training to become an astronaut.
Stuck in space:
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams went to space on June 5, 2024. She and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore launched on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft for the first crewed flight of the vehicle. The flight was originally scheduled to last about a week. However, technical issues caused NASA to delay the return of the Starliner to Earth. The 59-year-old has been trapped in space along with 61-year-old Wilmore after their spacecraft experienced mechanical issues and had to be sent back home without them.
Williams and Wilmore remained on the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew.
They are expected back on Earth in spring, with NASA stating that the spacecraft that will bring them home won’t be ready for launch anytime before late March 2025.
The Dragon capsule that was meant to take Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore home arrived at the ISS in late September 2024. NASA had previously said it was collaborating with Elon Musk‘s company SpaceX to “complete processing” on the Dragon spacecraft for the mission.
Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said in December 2024, “We appreciate the hard work by the SpaceX team to expand the Dragon fleet in support of our missions and the flexibility of the station program and expedition crews as we work together to complete the new capsule’s readiness for flight.”
