Sunita Williams comes home after 286 days and 4,577 laps around Earth

NEW DELHI, MAR 19 : 286 days in space, 4577 orbits around the planet and flying over a distance spanning 195.2 million kilometres, Nasa astronaut Sunita Williams has safely returned home.

The astronaut, who went on an eight-day mission to space with fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore, was forced the stay in zero gravity for nine months after the Starliner spacecraft she piloted to space developed multiple technical faults.

What seemed to be a quick test certification flight, a process Suni had been familiar with thanks to her test pilot days in the US Navy, turned into a long stay filled with new adventures, record-shattering spacewalk and a political slugfest.

The astronauts, part of the Crew-9 mission, ended their spaceflight as they splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean having braved the challenging re-entry through Earth’s atmosphere.

PICTURE-PERFECT SPLASH DOWN

The Crew-9 astronauts boarded the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Tuesday morning as they suited up and undocked from the Harmony port of the International Space Station.

What lay ahead for the four veteran astronauts was a 17-hour-long flight that was controlled and monitored by the teams at Nasa, and Elon Musk-led SpaceX.

The Dragon performed flawlessly as it executed the descent burn putting the capsule on a re-entry trajectory into the planet’s atmosphere.

As it hurtled down at a staggering speed, the friction from the thick atmosphere created a plasma wall outside the Spacecraft. Inside the four astronauts waited with bated breath for the communication blackout to end as temperatures soared.

Moments later, Dragon emerged from the atmosphere, and a radio message was received at Mission Control indicating all is well.

The drogue parachutes then slowed down the vehicle from thousands of kilometres to a soft splash-down speed, gently hitting the waves of the Atlantic Ocean off the coast if Florida.

A recovery ship was waiting to greet Williams and her crew mates.

A LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY

While Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore have returned safely, their rehabilitation and recovery process has just begun.

The two astronauts will now have to get used to the “punishing” effect of gravity as it pushes blood down their body. In space, fluids move upwards, causing puffiness in the face and thinning of the legs. This reverses upon return to Earth, sometimes leading to discomfort.

Muscles are not used as much as they are on Earth, leading to muscle weakening and shrinkage.

Sunita Williams may experience weakness and difficulty walking upon landing. Astronauts lose 1-2% of bone mass per month in space, increasing the risk of fractures. Although countered by exercise, she may need time for her bones to regain strength.

The heart does not have to work as hard in space, and over time, it may slightly decrease in size. It takes time for the cardiovascular system to readjust. The body’s sense of balance is altered in space, causing nausea, dizziness, and disorientation. These symptoms may continue for a short time after landing.

PM MODI’S MESSAGE TO INDIA’S DAUGHTER

Ahead of her return, In a personal letter delivered by astronaut Mike Massimino, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed, “Even though you are thousands of miles away,

you remain close to our hearts,” reflecting the pride of 1.4 billion Indians.

PM Modi acknowledged Williams’s extraordinary contributions to space exploration and invited her to visit India upon her return. “India is praying for your health and success,” he wrote, reaffirming the nation’s deep bond with its illustrious daughter.

SPACEX SOARS HIGH

Weeks after President Donald Trump made Sunita Williams’s return a political slugfest to target the Biden administration with SpaceX founder Elon Musk standing by his side, the aerospace giant has delivered.

Williams launched into space aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which had received the contract to develop a reusable spacecraft to transport astronauts to and from space station alongside SpaceX. However, it has been hit by multiple failures, delays and a stain of being the only vehicle to launch with astronauts, but return empty from space.

Meanwhile, Musk’s SpaceX has emerged as the biggest player with its Dragon spacecraft displaying a 100% success rate so far, leaps and bounds ahead of any competition.

With the return mission now over, SpaceX will shift focus towards the Axiom-4 mission, set to launch in Spring and it has India written all over it.

India Air Force Gp. Capt. Shubhanshu Shukla will pilot the Dragon spacecraft to the ISS on a 14-day-mission as part of Axiom-4 along side three other astronauts on a private mission.

All eyes will be on this mission, that will take India back to space nearly half a century after Rakesh Sharma’s historic maiden flight.

-PTI