Stuck In Space, Sunita Williams thanks Biden, Harris for celebrating Diwali

On By Littum


Washington:

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who has been in space for nearly five months, extended her warmest Diwali wishes to those celebrating the festival in the US and around the world.

In a video message shared from the International Space Station (ISS), the Indian-origin astronaut said that this year she had the unique opportunity to observe Diwali from 260 miles above Earth and recalled her father’s efforts to keep their cultural roots alive by teach her and her family about Diwali and other Indian festivals.

“Greetings from the ISS,” Williams said. “I want to extend my warmest wishes for a happy Diwali to everyone celebrating today at the White House and around the world.”

“This year I have the unique opportunity to celebrate Diwali from 260 miles above the earth on the ISS…My father preserved and shared his cultural roots by teaching us about Diwali and other Indian festivals,” she further said.

Emphasizing the festival’s message of hope and renewal, she said Diwali is a time of joy as goodness reigns in the world.

Williams also expressed gratitude to US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for their participation in the Diwali celebrations and for recognizing the community’s contribution.

“Diwali is a time of joy as goodness reigns in the world…Thank you to the President and Vice President for celebrating Diwali with our community today and for recognizing the many contributions of our community,” she said.

The message was particularly poignant as it came during a special Diwali celebration at the White House.

In particular, Sunita Williams, together with her fellow astronaut Butch Willmore, has been on the ISS since June. The pair had launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5 for their first manned flight, arriving at the space station on June 6.

A decision was made to return Starliner to Earth without its crew, and the spacecraft successfully returned on September 6, after NASA said in August that it was “too risky” to return Wilmore and Williams to Earth.

Wilmore and Williams continued their work formally as part of the expedition and will return next February. This means what would have been a week-long test flight extended to about 8 months.

(With the exception of the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)