Washington [US], September 16: US astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague,
and Butch Wilmore participated in the India-USA space collaboration event held in
Washington, DC, where IAF Group Captain and astronaut Shubanshu Shukla virtually
joined.
Reflecting on her experience during Expedition 72, Williams stated that it was a
super difficult challenge, highlighting the importance and value of teamwork,
communication and mutual support.
“It is a super difficult challenge to take, but we have been super fortunate in our time
to see different things.. We have only taken different experiences that you have and
added them into the spacecraft you are training for…” Williams said during the event.
She further stated that the mission lasted longer than expected, giving lessons on
team support and understanding the importance of communication.
“We only thought we were about to be up there for just a little time, but the biggest
thing we have learnt from our expedition is the team support, and it has been our
honor to even have learn a lot of things.. There was a lot of communication, which
really helps the team, but one of the most important things we have learnt is that one
needs to listen to each other and that teamwork is equally important,” she further
added.
The Expedition 72, which started with the departure of the Soyuz MS-25 in
September 2024, was the 72nd long-duration mission to the International Space
Station.
The mission, where Sunita Williams served as the Commander, conducted 1,000
hours of research on studies including those of human health, materials science,
biology and fire safety.
Their work also included the enhancement of the metal 3D printing capabilities in
orbit, preparing the first wooden satellite for deploymen,t among other tasks.
The Expedition 72 crew also included cosmonauts Aleksandr Gorbunov, Aleksey
Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner.
NASA Crew-9 astronauts Sunita Williams, Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore, and Russian
cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, reentered Earth’s atmosphere and breathed air for
the first time in over nine months on March 18, following the successful splashdown
of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule at 5:57 p.m. EDT.
After their return, Wilmore and Williams began physical therapy at the Johnson
Space Center to help their bodies readjust to Earth’s gravity. The therapy is a
standard procedure for astronauts returning from space.
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