NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams on Her Return, India’s Space Program, and Why She’ll ‘Definitely Visit’ Soon:

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore conducted their first media appearance yesterday after returning from the International Space Station (ISS) on August 4. The astronauts shared insights into their recovery meal, the political controversies concerning their extraction mission, and the potential of Boeing’s Starliner. Williams, who is of Indian origin, showered India with compliments from her previous trips to the country and remarked on its picturesque landscapes from space, which she captured through videos and pictures. She expressed her intent to visit “for sure”.

“Every time we flew over the majestic Himalayas, we snapped beautiful pictures,” Williams said. “It happened like a ripple and flows down into India.” She also gave insight into India’s most famous mountain range. When asked about her plans for the future, Williams replied, “India is undoubtedly, a very good democracy. I believe that I am going back to my father’s country.”

After the thruster on the Starliner’s failed Boeing’s thruster, Williams and Butch were left stranded in space for 278 days. However, during their presser, both seasoned NASA astronauts fresh from the press rebutted that claim saying they never felt as if they were trapped in space.

Williams praised India’s space program and expressed her desire to meet with Shubhanshu Shukla, who is part of the Gaganyaan mission and will be flying Axiom-4, a private space programme, soon.