Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, two astronauts from NASA, are getting ready to return to Earth after spending nine months in space. However, they cannot leave until their replacements arrive at the International Space Station (ISS) next week.
In a recent press conference, Sunita Williams responded to a suggestion made by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Musk said that the ISS should be retired earlier than planned. Williams disagreed and stated that the ISS is still important for science. “This place is amazing right now. We shouldn’t quit just yet,” she said.
Williams also shared that she is looking forward to seeing her Labrador retrievers again. She explained that waiting to go home has been tough. “It’s been a roller coaster for our families, more than for us,” she said. “Every day is exciting for us because we are in space and it’s a lot of fun.”
When Williams and Wilmore left Earth in June on Boeing’s Starliner capsule, they were only supposed to be in space for about a week. But, NASA found some serious problems with the Starliner. They decided it was not safe for transporting people back to Earth, which delayed their return.
NASA said that the next crew will launch on March 12 using a used SpaceX capsule. Before Williams and Wilmore head back home with NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov, the two crews will spend almost a week together in space.
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