This marks Sunita Williams' third trip to the ISS. Previously, she took an idol of Lord Ganesh and the Bhagavad Gita to space. To celebrate her arrival, she performed a brief dance and embraced the seven other astronauts aboard the station.
The Boeing Starliner, piloted by Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams and her crewmate Butch Wilmore, successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday. This mission is notable as Williams, at 59, has become the first woman to pilot and test a new crewed spacecraft on its inaugural mission.
This marks Sunita Williams' third trip to the ISS. Previously, she took an idol of Lord Ganesh and the Bhagavad Gita to space. To celebrate her arrival, she performed a brief dance and embraced the seven other astronauts aboard the station.
Following an old ISS tradition, Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore were welcomed by the ringing of a bell. Reflecting on her celebratory dance, Sunita Williams remarked, “That’s the way to get things going,” and expressed gratitude to her crewmembers, whom she referred to as “another family,” for “such a great welcome.”
Ms. Williams and Mr. Wilmore are the pioneering crew to fly the Starliner. They docked the Boeing spacecraft with the ISS roughly 26 hours after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The two NASA astronauts oversaw the Starliner as it autonomously executed a series of maneuvers, gradually approaching the orbiting laboratory before docking. The docking was delayed by about an hour due to technical issues, including minor helium leaks.
During their journey to the ISS, the crew completed several tests, including manually flying the Starliner for the first time in space. They are slated to spend about a week in space, assisting with various tests and conducting scientific experiments.
Upon their return, the Starliner is scheduled to land on land rather than in the sea. This mission is part of NASA's commercial crew program, which aims to provide an alternative to the SpaceX Crew Module for ferrying astronauts, with the Boeing Starliner emerging as a viable option.
“Like going back home,” Sunita Williams commented before liftoff, admitting to some nerves but no jitters about flying in a new spacecraft. “When I reach the International Space Station, it will be like going back home,” she said.
Williams had a hand in designing the SUV-sized Starliner, which can accommodate seven crew members. She also had the honor of naming the spacecraft, choosing “Calypso” after the iconic ship used by French oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques-Yves Cousteau.
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