Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who has been stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) since June 5 due to issues with the Boeing Starliner, received a cheerful surprise from cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev and astronaut Mike Massimino. After meeting in India, they sent Williams a selfie, and Artemyev shared that she felt very happy. NASA plans her return on the Crew-10 mission scheduled for March 12. Artemyev emphasized the challenges of being a cosmonaut and also presented Indian and Russian flags to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the friendship between Russia and India. He encouraged Indian youth to read and learn extensively.
NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, of Indian origin, who was aboard the Boeing Starliner on June 5 last year and has been unable to return due to technical issues with the spacecraft, received a delightful surprise.
During a meeting in India, cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, who has participated in three ISS expeditions, met astronaut Mike Massimino, and the two snapped a selfie which they sent to Sunita Williams.
“Sunita is one of my happiest colleagues. She has now spent nearly 8 months in orbit. Yesterday, I met Mike Massimino from the United States, and we took a selfie that we sent to Sunita Williams,” Artemyev shared with NDTV.
“She responded that she is very happy,” Artemyev mentioned, noting that they told her they are eager to meet her in March.
Sunita Williams and her fellow astronaut Butch Willmore have been at the ISS since June. A decision was made to return Starliner to Earth without its crew, which successfully landed on September 6 after NASA declared in August that it was “too risky” to bring Wilmore and Williams back.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Sunita Williams confirmed that the Crew-10 mission is scheduled to launch from Earth on March 12 and is set to return them home the following week on March 19.
When asked about the challenges of being an astronaut, Cosmonaut Artemyev stated, “The life of a cosmonaut is quite complicated. It requires extensive training and practice. You must be highly motivated and eager to discover new things to succeed in this profession.”
Cosmonaut Artemyev also had the opportunity to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, presenting him with both Russian and Indian flags, highlighting the strong bond between the two nations.
“I told PM Modi it’s a great pleasure to meet a friend of our Russian President Vladimir Putin. As we say in Russia, ‘A friend of my friend is my friend,'” the cosmonaut remarked.
“I gifted PM Modi the Indian and Russian flags,” he added.
When asked if he had a message for the youth of India, he encouraged, “Read a lot, dream a lot, and study a lot… Learn, learn, learn.”