In 1984, Rakesh Sharma became India’s first astronaut and looked down at India from space. When Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked him how India appeared from above, he quoted a famous poem by Muhammad Iqbal. Fast forward 40 years, Sunita Williams, an astronaut of Indian descent, recently returned from 286 days on the International Space Station (ISS) and shared her thoughts when asked a similar question.
During a press conference, when a journalist asked Sunita how India looked from space, she immediately replied, “India is amazing, just amazing.” She spoke beautifully about how incredible the Himalayan mountains look from above, saying they appear like a rippling wave flowing down into India, filled with many colors.
Sunita continued, mentioning how, when flying over Gujarat and Mumbai, the fishing boats create a welcoming sight as they approach. She described seeing a sparkling network of lights at night and admired the Himalayas standing proudly in the background.
When asked if she wants to visit India and help the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), she expressed her eagerness to share experiences with more people in India. “India is a great country and a wonderful democracy, and I would love to support their space mission,” she said.
Butch Wilmore, her fellow astronaut, jokingly asked if she would take her crew with her on her trip to India, to which Sunita replied, “Absolutely!”
After reentering Earth’s atmosphere on March 18, they both began exercises at the Johnson Space Center to help their bodies get used to Earth’s gravity again. Both astronauts looked healthy and happy during the press conference, and Sunita even mentioned that she went for a 3-mile run the day before!
Leave a Reply