Photo: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Astronauts are highly trained professionals with arguably one of the coolest jobs out there. But at the end of the day, they are also human beings who get homesick—especially if their return home takes longer than expected. Suni Williams, one of the astronauts who were stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for months and just made it back this week, opened up about the struggles of being stuck in space.
Months before her return, Williams spoke from the ISS with students at Needham High School, where she graduated from in 1983. The astronaut revealed that the experience has altered her perception of basic physical things on Earth. “I've been up here long enough; right now I've been trying to remember what it's like to walk. I haven't walked. I haven't sat down. I haven't laid down. You don't have to. You can just close your eyes and float where you are right here.” Williams added, “There’s no resistance. You can do things like a gymnast can do without any effort, without any training. It’s pretty fun. You’re sort of flying through the lab.”
The astronaut also opened up about staying in touch with her closest relatives during her time in space. “My mother's getting a little bit older, so in that regard, I just try to stay in touch with them and those guys as much as possible. I think I talk to my mom practically every day. Just check in with her and call her and see how she's doing. So it's just a little bit different relationship than we had potentially planned on for the last couple of months. But we're managing,”
On the other hand, being an astronaut is something Williams doesn't take for granted, so she's been grateful for the experience. During a press conference shortly before her return, the astronaut said she will miss “everything” about being in space. “This has been Butch [Wilmore] and my third flight to the International Space Station,” she said. “I think just the fact that we're living up here in this very unique place gives you an amazing perspective—not only (with the view) out the window, obviously, but also just on how to solve problems, and I don't want to lose that spark of inspiration.”
Williams returned to Earth aboard the SpaceX Crew-9 capsule alongside Wilmore earlier this week. They had arrived at the ISS on June 6, 2024, for an eight-day mission to test Boeing Starliner's capsule. However, the craft experienced technical issues, stranding them at the ISS. Despite this, both astronauts deny being “stuck” and instead opt for a positive outlook on their productivity. During her time in orbit, Williams carried out space walks and conducted many scientific experiments. Upon her return to Earth, Williams has become the American astronaut with the second-longest combined time in space with 608 days over three trips to the ISS, only behind Peggy Whitson.
Suni Williams, one of the astronauts who were stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) for months and just made it back this week, opened up about the struggles of being stuck in space.
Photo: NASA
“I've been trying to remember what it's like to walk. I haven't walked. I haven't sat down. I haven't laid down. You don't have to. You can just close your eyes and float where you are right here.”
Photo: NASA
On the other hand, she said she would miss “everything” about being in space.
Photo: NASA
Sources: Astronaut Suni Williams speaks with Needham High School students from ISS; ‘Trying to remember what it's like to walk': Sunita Williams tells students at her alma mater; SpaceX Dragon successfully splashes down, returning NASA astronauts back to Earth; Nasa astronauts back on Earth after being stuck months on ISS: ‘grins, ear to ear’; Were the astronauts stranded or abandoned? It’s best to ask them.
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