Mission became the sixth longest in NASA’s history.
Astronaut Sunita Williams reunites with her dogs after 288 days in space
After nine months stuck aboard the ISS, astronaut Sunita Williams returns home to a joyful reunion with her dogs in Houston, Texas.
What’s one of the first things you’d do after returning to Earth after almost 300 days in space?
For Massachusetts native Sunita Williams seeing her dogs was near the top of the list.
Williams, a native of Needham, MA, and astronaut Butch Wilmore recently returned to Earth after a much- longer-than-planned trip to space. The two were stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly 300 days, despite the original plan calling for it be a short trip.
The mission became the sixth longest in NASA’s history.
Here’s what to know about what Williams did when she returned to her Texas home.
What did Williams do when she came back to her house in Texas?
She was greeted by her two dogs, and she is shown in a post on X playing with them when she arrived.
With the video on X, she wrote, “Best homecoming ever!”
What else did Williams say that she wanted to do as soon as possible?
She said she wants to return to Massachusetts.
“Personally, we have a house up in New England, and my husband has been talking about when we’re going to get up there and do a lot of fun stuff up there,” Williams said at a press conference after returning to Earth.
Williams graduated from Needham High School in 1983, according to NASA. Her sister lives in Falmouth, MA and works at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.
Who is Suni Williams?
After high school, Williams went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Physical Science, from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987 and Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1995. She was selected as an astronaut by NASA in June 1998.
Williams is a veteran of two space missions. She was serving as the pilot of the recent Crew Flight Test mission aboard the Starliner. It is the first crewed flight for that vehicle.
Why were the astronauts stuck in space on the ISS?
The problems with the astronauts’ ship – the Boeing Starliner – included helium leaks in the propulsion system and the failure of five thrusters. Four of the thrusters were restored and one was turned off for the rest of the mission, according to NASA. The initial return date was mid-June 2024. The mission was originally scheduled to be eight days but the return was delayed three times.
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