NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams Receives Support from Colleagues on Earth
Sunita Williams, an Indian-origin NASA astronaut, is currently aboard the ISS after the Boeing Starliner mission. Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev and astronaut Mike Massimino sent her a selfie during their meeting in India. Williams expressed happiness about the unexpected gesture and looks forward to their planned reunion. Artemyev also met PM Modi and delivered messages encouraging education among Indian youth.
Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has been stationed aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June 5 of last year, following a mission on the Boeing Starliner. Due to ongoing technical issues with the spacecraft, she remains in orbit. Recently, Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, who has participated in three ISS expeditions, met US astronaut Mike Massimino in India. They captured a selfie and sent it to Williams as a surprise.
“She (Sunita) is one of the happiest colleagues of mine ever. Now she has been almost 8 months in orbit. Yesterday I met a colleague of mine, Mike Massimino, from the United States, and we took a selfie and sent it to Sunita Williams,” stated Oleg Artemyev in an interview with NDTV.
Artemyev reported that Williams expressed her happiness upon receiving the photo and mentioned their anticipation of meeting her in March. Both Williams and her fellow astronaut Butch Willmore have remained aboard the ISS since their launch. NASA decided to return the Starliner to Earth unmanned due to safety concerns, successfully landing the spacecraft on September 6.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Williams confirmed the Crew-10 mission is set to launch on March 12, with a return planned for March 19. Regarding the challenges of being an astronaut, Artemyev remarked, “The life of a cosmonaut is quite a complicated one. You have to spend a lot of time training, practicing.” He stressed the need for motivation and a desire for continual learning in this profession.
During his visit to India, Artemyev met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he presented both Russian and Indian flags. He emphasized the importance of strong relations between the two nations, saying, “I told PM Modi it’s a great pleasure to meet that friend of our Russian President Vladimir Putin.” He also conveyed a message to Indian youth, encouraging them to pursue knowledge: “Read a lot, dream a lot and study a lot… Learn, learn, learn.”
The recent interactions among astronauts and cosmonauts highlight the camaraderie and global cooperation in space exploration. Despite technical setbacks for Sunita Williams on the ISS, her spirits remain high, supported by colleagues like Oleg Artemyev and Mike Massimino. This relationship underscores the importance of international collaboration and the encouragement of future generations in science and space travel.
Original Source: www.ndtv.com
