NASA's Starliner spacecraft safely splashed down off the Florida coast, ending a nine-month mission. The crew, including astronaut Sunita Williams, returned after an extended stay on the International Space Station. Dolphins near the splashdown site added a unique touch to the landing. The mission provides valuable insights for future space projects, including India’s Gaganyaan.
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00:00Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore back on earth this time after a mission that was supposed
00:19to be just for nine days went to nine months full of uncertainty.
00:23But during these nine months, they ensured that work was still being done.
00:28But when the splashdown happened with a safe return to earth, the SpaceX Dragon capsule
00:33made a picture-perfect moment.
00:35This is off the Florida coast and a 17-hour descent full of challenges.
00:39Sunita Williams and the crew extracted off the capsule and that is when you saw the first
00:45smile and a thumbs up.
00:46This was not a spacewalk this time, rooted to gravity, taking their first step, but of
00:51course very carefully.
00:53Even the SpaceX capsule was called the Freedom.
00:56The two astronauts remember traveling along with NASA's Nick Hegg and a Russian cosmonaut
01:01Alexander Gorbunov for 17 hours on their journey home.
01:05Sunita's return marks the conclusion of a historic space odyssey.
01:09It paves the way for new opportunities in space exploration and scientific discovery
01:13as well.
01:14And there you have it.
01:16So amid all of that, in case you missed, here's that moment.
01:19The moment when that successful splashdown happened, congratulations and applause poured
01:25in for the crew nine, finally after nine months, returning safe and sound.
01:55parachutes and as those parachutes, those main parachutes begin to inflate fully, four
02:01beautiful able to float freely, 400 meters, Florida.
02:16And splashdown crew nine back on Earth freedom, splashdown, good main release, copy, splashdown.
02:37We see main chutes cut, Nick, Alex, Butch, Sonny, on behalf of SpaceX.
02:43Welcome home.
02:47Tacked as well as the panels that enclose where the drogue parachutes are located.
02:52Yeah, Sandra, this view is absolutely unbeatable.
02:54So just to kind of finish off what I was saying is once that side hatch of the spacecraft
02:59is open, that crew will be assisted out of the capsule one by one.
03:04The capsule will be placed inside of what you can see there is basically a basket.
03:09We call it the.
03:18So once securely on.
03:21Welcome aboard the recovery vessel.
03:23Recovery personnel are completing final checks.
03:36And there you have it.
03:37The side hatch is open for the first time since September.
03:43And there we do see crew nine, some happy waves, smiles all around.
03:47Back on Earth, it looks like we're getting our next crew member here.
03:52That is none other than Sonny Williams.
03:56Big smile, big waves.
03:59She like her other crew members now will be assisted on to the mobility aid.
04:17There we have it.
04:18Some waves, some thumbs up and some smiles.
04:22We're getting some views of him now as he egresses or exits the spacecraft.
04:42Once again, some elation and cheers there from Butch Wilmore.
04:53We can see folks on board clapping as our first crew member.
04:59And that is NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander of crew nine.
05:05Now out of Crew Dragon Freedom.
05:08Some smiles, thumbs up and a wave can't get any better than that.
05:14Spent 171 days in space alongside.
05:21Greatly appreciate your interest in the commercial crew program and also human spaceflight.
05:27Of course, as you know, it's been just a huge week for commercial crew.
05:32You know, the missions, I think sometimes seem easier than they are if I just step back
05:37and think about all the challenges we had to launch crew nine, moving to a different
05:43launch pad, adjusting the seats and the crew training.
05:48And then, you know, over the weekend, once we docked Crew 10 safely, looking at the weather
05:54patterns, finding this great opportunity that we landed at today, adjusting the timeline.
06:00You know, it's never easy.
06:01Spaceflight's always dynamic.
06:04Sometimes it seems like things move from step to step to step, but there's usually different
06:07paths along the way.
06:08I want to tell you, I want to thank the crew nine team and the ground teams for their dedication
06:13to excellence, their resilience, their flexibility during this expedition, everything they did
06:19to have a successful expedition, as you have all witnessed.
06:24SpaceX, SpaceX has been an incredible partner for us, and it shows the benefits of the commercial
06:31public private partnership that we have.
06:33So just they just been a huge, great partner throughout all this.
06:39Crew nine, in addition to the spacewalks that many of you witnessed, they performed just
06:43about 150 experiments on board the International Space Station with over 900 hours of research.
06:51And the work we do on the International Space Station benefits the nation, benefits people
06:55on Earth and are the building blocks for going back to the moon and to Mars.
07:01Crew Nick and Alexander both spent 171 days in space on this trip, seeing the arrival
07:08and departure of four different visiting vehicles to the ISS.
07:11Butch and Sonny spent 286 days in space, and they got to see eight different visiting vehicles
07:17coming and going from the ISS.
07:20We stay really busy as we talk about all these vehicles coming and going from the station.
07:27Nick and Butch each conducted one spacewalk and Sonny conducted two.
07:31That actually gave Sonny the record for most time on spacewalks by a woman and puts her
07:36fourth overall in terms of time outside doing doing spacewalks.
07:42You know, all of our crew members go through evaluations, they fill out surveys, they do
07:46medical evals.
07:48So all of these things happen on every crew member.
07:50So we do get some unique data from from Butch and Sonny based on their stay.
07:55But it's it's something that we do with every crew member that flies.
07:58There's always changes that happen on board.
08:01There's always adjustments that we have to make that that all of the crew members adapt
08:04to as you've watched with our flight schedule over the years.
08:09It's very rare that we actually get a flight to fly exactly where we planned it two years
08:13out when they were thinking it was going to be.
08:15So it's okay that we have these changes and they adapt really well.
08:20But everybody gets kind of looked at in terms of those effects and understanding just the
08:26effects of spaceflight on them.
08:29So remember, while, of course, the world was cheering, tuning in to the NASA live stream
08:33that was coming in.
08:34But there was something specific that happened when the Dragon capsule made a splashdown.
08:40Was there a special welcome?
08:41And that was a happy surprise welcome by the dolphins there off the Florida coast.
08:46This is what happened.
08:50Closing the distance there between dolphin cam back again, we can we can see that the
08:57Dragon capsule and the recovery vessel at distance is closing again.
09:02This is just one more step as we continue to work recovery operations for Dragon freedom.
09:10And we anticipate the lift of the Dragon capsule to occur here in just a few minutes.
09:17Now, once all of the rigging is on the capsule and it's hooked up to the recovery vessel,
09:24we will see the hydraulic arm, which is that kind of like bridge like structure there at
09:29the aft end of the recovery vessel.
09:33We'll see that articulate backwards.
09:36And that's a good sign that we're we're getting even closer to pulling the capsule out of
09:41the water.
09:42It will then move forward and the capsule will be placed inside of what you can see
09:49there is basically a basket.
09:51We call it the nest Dragon nest where that's where the capsule will will be placed in order
09:57for it to be translated to the forward end of the of the vessel and for the astronauts
10:02to be closing.
10:03So the homecoming has happened literally many across the world who had been tuning in consistently
10:09tracking updates of this mission and uncertainty have breathed a sigh of relief, but it's not
10:13still easy.
10:14Look at this.
10:15There are going to be challenges as the human body has to readjust from no gravity for nine
10:19months to gravity of the earth.
10:22That basically means there could be baby feet.
10:24There is a certain weightlessness that causes the foot calluses to diminish.
10:28Remember that in gravity bones and muscles are constantly engaged not in space, but there's
10:33a space spacewalk the body's floating this could lead to when you land on Earth dizziness
10:39vertigo difficulty in walking.
10:41Now these are two experienced astronauts.
10:43They are trained.
10:44They understand these challenges where leg and back muscles may weaken specifically when
10:49we talk about bodies and remember Sunita Williams 59 years of age a Butch Willmore is about
10:5462.
10:55They are trained experienced.
10:57However, they will also have to ensure that their body can come to terms with now gravity
11:02on Earth bone density loss is often reported for an extended period of time of a stay that
11:08can happen in space, which means an increased risk of fractures when you land on Earth cardiovascular
11:14recovery the heart and blood circulation very different when you're in no gravity and different
11:20when you're on Earth and therefore that is something that the medical experts would be
11:24looking at.
11:25Could there be a spatial disorientation remember a lot changes specially for the ones who've
11:30been floating.
11:31There's a tethered spacewalk that we have seen the journey in space.
11:35And then when you take the first step literally rooted to the ground this time has happened
11:40with Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore there were smiles.
11:43Of course, we play that visual of them giving a thumbs up waving to the cameras, but for
11:48the next 45 days, there will be a rehab program where each day they will be tracked for that
11:54recovery.
11:55So let's understand this more because I'm very curious to know how the human body then
11:59recovers and how we can ensure that there will be the sharing of this experience in
12:03journey by the astronauts very soon.
12:06Joining me right now in our special panel, Dr. Dheeraj Kaul, he's a special medicine
12:10expert on Sunita and on specifically when it comes to space medicines.
12:15Professor P.D. Sahadev joining us.
12:17He's from the Department of Astrophysics from the Delhi University.
12:19Anurag Pandey joining me.
12:21He's an astronomy and science communicator as well.
12:24Dr. Dheeraj Kaul, I bring you in here first.
12:27Tell us more about that because that's what many need to understand but are not much aware
12:30about the challenges that one faces and what kind of a recovery method treatment that's
12:36given to astronauts who return to Earth.
12:39Dr. Dheeraj Kaul, can you hear me?
12:47All right, we'll go back to that in just a short while.
12:52I also want to bring in now Professor P.D. Sahadev from the Department of Astrophysics.
12:56When we look at these challenges, Professor Sahadev, do you think this is also something
13:00while they are veterans, they are trained, but something that will be very cautiously
13:04watched because we cannot just sit back and acknowledge all as well.
13:07The next 45 days also will be as important.
13:10Yeah, as you said that when they are in zero or microgravity and then when they have now
13:18reached on Earth and with gravity, so there will be of course, there will be different
13:24feelings and here different feelings.
13:27Also, you know that we are protected on this Earth by our environment, that the air and
13:35all these different kind of layers of environment and that protects us from the high energy
13:41radiation like cosmic rays, other rays coming from the terrestrial that comes to Earth.
13:49So before reaching, they are absorbed there.
13:52But in the universe or in the space, there's no such kind of protection.
13:58So all these people, they'll be getting irradiated or they'll be getting exposed to such kind of radiation.
14:06So that one thing is the radiation that will affect their bodies.
14:13And then another is they say muscle loss because there is not much work over there because in zero gravity,
14:20you cannot have much exercise because you will be feeling weightless.
14:27Another thing is that they say that there is a loss of calcium and because of that, there will be loss in your bone density.
14:39And of course, there will be stress because you have gone over there for nine days or something and you will be
14:45you are staying over there for nine months.
14:48All of that will be tracked very carefully by the scientists as well.
14:52I want to go back to Dheeraj Kaul.
14:54I think Dr. Kaul is joining us now.
14:56If you can hear me, Dr. Kaul, good morning.
14:58Namaskar. You tell me, because everyone's curious about what happens now.
15:01The shift from microgravity to gravity on Earth, the kind of treatment or protocol that is followed because everyone's watching the smiles.
15:09But we also understand the next 45 days will be very crucial.
15:12So what kind of protocols are followed?
15:14What happens? What kind of medicines are used?
15:17Tell us all about that.
15:18Yes. Thank you for having me on the show.
15:20Very important question.
15:21And first of all, congratulations to all the women, especially Indian origin, for such a momentous day today.
15:27It's a big motivation for everybody.
15:29And as a as a student of science, I would welcome anybody to look into space, space as an industry to grow and especially space health care,
15:40space medicine, which is an area of my interest as well.
15:42But coming to your questions, you see they were exposed to microgravity.
15:47So you have to understand what that means.
15:50So space station actually does have 89 to 90 percent of the gravity as you experience on Earth.
15:55But because the space station is falling, you know, right at the edge of the Earth and the human is also falling along with it.
16:03So they experience weightlessness.
16:05So when you experience weightlessness, there are issues associated with this.
16:09For example, your bodies are designed and used to work at a gravity 1G, one gravitational force.
16:15So what does it do? It holds the muscle and makes them strong.
16:19When you work with weight, that's why when you want to build muscle, what do we tell you to do?
16:24Weight lifting weight.
16:25If you go minus weight, minus weight means weight lesser than your own body or zero weight.
16:31What happens? You lose the muscle mass because you lose the muscle mass.
16:35You lose overall body weight.
16:37Second thing is you get dehydrated.
16:40The third thing is you lose the calcium from your bones.
16:43It leaches out as you stay longer in the space.
16:47So when these astronauts turn to Earth, they can't even walk.
16:50They can't even lift a pen like Sunita will be talking about.
16:54The third thing is they have small you and me every day experience small micro fractures in the bone.
16:59But they don't do very well when you are in the space because of the gravity issue and the weakness of the bone.
17:05The third thing is your heart.
17:07If you go by system, your heart is gets used to pumping blood at a very low gravity, almost zero gravity.
17:14It doesn't have to work that much.
17:15When you come to the Earth, the gravity kicks in.
17:17It has to pump harder.
17:19The flow of blood goes down.
17:21You may have clot formation and your heart may go into congestive heart failure.
17:25Now, mind you, all these people who become astronauts are physically extremely fit.
17:30Endurance Williams Ram Marathon.
17:33And that's one thing.
17:34The second thing is your lungs don't diffuse very well when you change the pressures.
17:39So that's another issue.
17:41The third thing is your nervous system gets affected.
17:44You get affected by radiation because in space there is radiations equivalent to for layman of x-rays.
17:51On Earth, you have a magnetic field which deviates the radiation.
17:57And you have atmosphere which deviates the radiation.
18:00What does this radiation do?
18:01Does DNA damage.
18:03So you have a high risk of cancer and malignancy.
18:05The third thing is you have skin breakdown.
18:07You can have ulcers.
18:09Not to talk about isolation, which is a very big problem in space.
18:13You can get depressed.
18:14You can get anxious.
18:16So what do we do in space medicine?
18:18We take different measures system by system to prevent it.
18:22For example, to prevent you from losing muscle and bone to the best we can.
18:26It's not an ideal situation.
18:28We mandate you to work out for two hours with weight-bearing exercises like treadmill, weightlifting, biking and stuff like that so that the loss is minimized.
18:38But there is a loss.
18:40For cardiac, we ask you to do treadmill or working out.
18:44For lung, there is an exercise with air pressure.
18:47For skin, you have to monitor your skin every day.
18:49There are protocols to it.
18:51Then you get affected because the kidneys don't filter well.
18:54You have stone formation.
18:56So through telemedicine, we remotely monitor you to prevent depression and anxiety.
19:00There is screaming back and forth from the space station to the Earth.
19:04And you talk to your family.
19:06Dr. Kaur, also tell me this.
19:08I'm curious and this is my added question.
19:10When you're describing so much effort that goes in, there's a full-on expertise that comes in here.
19:16How much of a role does age play?
19:18I'm looking at a 59-year-old Sunita Williams, a 62-year-old Butch Wilmore.
19:23Does age come as a factor?
19:25They look extremely fit.
19:26But also, do you think there are then special space medicines that add on that will track them now that they have returned?
19:34Go ahead.
19:35Absolutely. Very important question.
19:37So I'll give you a fun fact.
19:39Do you know your chronological age, as in your regular number, actually slows down in space?
19:46For every six months you spend in International Space Station, you age at a rate of 0.05 seconds less.
19:53But what about the biological age?
19:54You actually age faster when you talk about biological age because it's a very harsh environment in the space.
20:01Although your oxygen is 21% in the space station, you have atmospheric pressure, which is equally good.
20:07But still, the content of recycled air is a big problem.
20:11Circadian rhythm, as you know, right?
20:14Beauty sleep.
20:15You need six to eight hours of sleep to heal your body, including healing your own DNA.
20:20Every day, human makes your abnormal DNA and cancerous cells.
20:24How do you protect them?
20:25You have two-hit mechanism, which works the best when you sleep, resting.
20:29But circadian rhythm gets altered in space because you have around 16 times sunrise and sunset.
20:36One day of space station is equivalent to like 90 minutes on the Earth.
20:41So your circadian rhythm is a big problem.
20:44Insomnia is a big problem.
20:45Sunitha William actually worked on circadian rhythm hazards, how to improve productivity with abnormal circadian rhythm.
20:53So this is high tech stuff, which I'm telling you about space medicine.
20:56You rightly asked me, what do you do to prevent these factors?
21:00For example, nutrition.
21:02It has been the biggest challenge to come up to optimal nutritional status.
21:07So we give them a micro amino acids, like very simplified amino acids, very high quality fat, very high quality carbs.
21:14And we give them anti-aging medicines.
21:17There are certain things like coenzyme Q, which I don't want to go in detail,
21:20but there are minerals and vitamins which are provided
21:23so that your DNA damage is minimized.
21:25Your oxidant stress is less, which you can take on Earth too.
21:29And try to give them most natural ingredients of vitamins and micro elements.
21:34It's incredible what you are telling us right now, because this perspective is important for the viewer.
21:39Remember that so much is being taken on the human body and eventually for a mission like space exploration.
21:45Dr. Dheeraj Kaul, please stay on with me.
21:47And remember that there is a full on team who are supervising,
21:51monitoring what the astronauts are facing and have to give in to the psychological stamina of the astronauts
21:58and to look happy, to show that they are doing well, despite the uncertainty that they are facing.
22:02I want you to take a look at this report.
22:04They are back and how, but there are challenges, especially when it comes to health.
22:08And of course, the kind of research that has come with these astronauts and more.
22:13Here's a report on that.
22:22Splashdown Crew 9 back on Earth.
22:28A 10 day space odyssey that ended up lasting almost 10 months.
22:32Williams and Wilmore will face difficulties to adapt to Earth's gravity.
22:39The two may experience baby feet after extended space travel,
22:43which means they will lose the thick part of their skin as weightlessness causes food calluses to diminish.
22:50They may experience dizziness, vertigo and difficulty walking for the first few days.
22:55Even though astronauts exercise in space, muscles, especially in the legs and back, weaken due to reduced use.
23:02Prolonged weightlessness leads to bone density loss, increasing the risk of fractures.
23:08In space, fluids shift upwards and the heart does not have to work as hard to pump blood.
23:14They will require a period of cardiovascular recovery.
23:17They might experience special disorientation as the brain readjusts to the constant downward pull of gravity.
23:25To counter these effects, NASA and other space agencies have extensive rehabilitation programs involving physical therapy,
23:33medical monitoring and gradual reconditioning.
23:36After coming back from space, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore will take weeks to acclimatize.
23:43Bureau Report, India Today.
23:48It was an extended space journey, but Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are back.
23:52But remember, while the world is watching and staying tuned to what happened and what happens after,
23:57they return as well with regard to challenges.
24:00But there is a village in Gujarat, in India, where there are celebrations that have erupted.
24:04Julasan village in Mehsana district, where Sunita Williams has her origins from.
24:10It was once home to her father and grandparents.
24:13This tiny village has a population of roughly about 7,000 people.
24:17But they are proud of the fact that the astronaut has a connection to their village.
24:20And their village today is in many ways on the world map.
24:23Just to let you know more about this, Sunita Williams was born on 19th September 1965 in Ohio, in America,
24:29to Deepak Pandya and Ursula Bonny.
24:32Her father, Deepak Pandya, was a neuroscientist from Gujarat.
24:36He had migrated to America in the late 1950s, where he met and married Ursula.
24:41Prime Minister Modi has invited NASA astronaut Sunita Williams and the family to visit India,
24:46as and when the health will permit.
24:49Her ancestral village, though, already celebrating.
24:52It was like a Diwali festivity there.
24:54And could there be a visit coming in soon for Sunita Williams to India and to her village?
25:02So here's, remember, while the village is celebrating,
25:06they feel a connect to Sunita Williams and the family's Indian origins.
25:09But what about the family that raised Sunita, that has known her closely,
25:14especially the talent and the resilience that she has shown.
25:17Just a short while ago, we spoke to the mother of Sunita Williams, Ursula Bonny Pandya.
25:23And here's what they had to say.
25:28What did she say?
25:29Conversation between you and Sunny about her becoming an astronaut, growing up.
25:33Oh, well, she didn't want to be an astronaut at first.
25:38She was going to be a veterinarian.
25:41But the way it turned out, she went to the Naval Academy,
25:46and one thing led to another, and she became an astronaut.
25:52So, you know, we just talked about it, and I said, do what you like.
26:00You know, you're going to be doing this for a long time.
26:04So that's what she did.
26:08It feels very good.
26:10You know, I'm so thrilled that so many people are following her career
26:16and her adventure in space, and, you know, she's a good role model for everybody,
26:23and the kids especially, they all love her.
26:27I support her in everything that she's done so far, and I'm just proud of her.
26:34All right, joining me now live from New Jersey is Falguni Pandya.
26:38She's Sunita Williams' sister-in-law.
26:40Falguni, thank you for coming in.
26:42All right, all dressed up in Indian wear.
26:44I believe you're at a temple, and I must tell you and the family
26:48that she may be family to you, but here in India,
26:51everyone has felt and believed that she's as much an Indian girl
26:55and an Indian family and an Indian space girl returning to Earth.
26:59How's the mood for the family there in New Jersey for you?
27:03So we are in New Jersey.
27:05She has family spread out throughout the United States.
27:09We all are very connected on message groups, WhatsApp groups.
27:14Everyone is very excited.
27:16For my family, we decided to come to the temple as we had planned on doing,
27:22that after she lands, we were going to come here,
27:25and I'm very happy to be expressing my gratitude to Bhagwanji
27:31for having everything go as planned safely, and I am joined by Panditji
27:37and Bhabiji.
27:39Panditji is also a third cousin of Sunny Williams,
27:42and he has been an integral part of the family.
27:47He calls Sunny's dad Chacha as well, and Sunny has come to this temple
27:53many, many times.
27:55This is our family temple.
27:57So Panditji has met Sunny.
27:59About Sunita Williams, who you've known personally, about the woman,
28:04because it takes a lot of resilience to indulge in this mission,
28:08to go into space, be there, not knowing when to return.
28:12Does she have a certain resilience that you felt always set her apart
28:15from others?
28:18Absolutely.
28:20I think that way she is unique, and she is a role model,
28:26and it's very evident that despite of so many uncertainties,
28:34so many obstacles, she has always remained positive,
28:39which is very difficult to do, and especially in today's day and age
28:43when we all lose our sense of well-being when things don't go our way,
28:51and upcoming generation as well.
28:53I think she is particularly unique and very talented in the work she does
29:01as well as in her attitude.
29:04So let me briefly now take you to the Jhulasan village in Gujarat,
29:08where this tiny village was where a Diwali-like celebration erupted
29:12when the news was confirmed that Sunita Williams,
29:15whose father was born and brought up in Gujarat, in Mehsana,
29:18has a daughter who is now made the village, the state, the country also.
29:42Yesterday, to tell you the truth, everyone used to say,
29:47how does it feel, how does it feel?
29:49We used to feel joy, we used to feel everything,
29:52but we had a lot of worries in our minds,
29:55when will she come down?
29:57When will we come back to earth,
30:00and when will Sukhma come back to her home?
30:07This is what we used to pray for.
30:09I have been praying for Ishwarmay and Mrityunjay all day long.
30:16My colleague Shivani Sharma is joining me from this ancestral village live right now.
30:21She was tracking all these festivities that happened.
30:23Shivani, tell me more, what is the mood like right now,
30:27and how they remember this Pandya family of Jhulasan village?
30:32Gujarat, the mood is very evident in the pictures and the music,
30:38the loud sound of the whole year in Mehsana, Jhulasan,
30:42where people are celebrating, and these celebrations are continuing since morning.
30:47You see, the people of Mehsana, they had already prepared to celebrate Diwali,
30:53right after the Holi festival, and they are still continuing.
30:57We are so happy, they all are together to celebrate Sunita Williams' safe return on earth,
31:06and we have been talking to these students since yesterday.
31:09They all were so worried, but they were hopeful.
31:12They said that they have been praying since last 9 months,
31:15so she will be back safely.
31:17How happy are you all to have Sunita Williams back?
31:20We are very happy.
31:21The atmosphere is just like Diwali.
31:23We are all very happy.
31:25Do you also feel that one day you can become like Sunita Williams?
31:28Yes, we feel the same.
31:30How are you celebrating today?
31:32So many firecrackers.
31:33Where did the children come from?
31:35Sunita Williams will come here, and that's why there are firecrackers.
31:40And here, like Diwali…
31:43You also danced a lot, right?
31:45Yes.
31:46So, how long do you think she should come to meet you?
31:531-2 months.
31:56So Pooja, they are so hopeful that she will visit them as soon as she recovers well,
32:01and this celebration will continue through the day today.
32:04There have been certain prayers, certain hawans that have been planned in Jhulasan today,
32:10in the ancient ancestral temples.
32:13So all this is happening today.
32:15Everybody is elated, joyful,
32:18and they all connect to Sunita Williams as their own daughter,
32:22daughter of India, daughter of Mehsana.
32:24I can hear dhol, dhamaka, fireworks behind you Shivani,
32:28the morning looking like in Mehsana district, an ancestral tiny village.
32:32But when you listen to these young girls and boys also watching,
32:35remember they also possibly are dreaming that if the Pandya family can do it,
32:39and if Sunita Williams can make the country, the world proud,
32:44and contribute to space exploration,
32:46why can't these girls also do it?
32:48And let's just hope the next Sunita Williams will be from India,
32:51and not from the United States of America.
32:53Thank you very much Shivani Sharma for getting us these details as well.
32:56I want to go back to the panelists also who are joining us.
32:59The moment that you see, this was when, in 2007 I believe,
33:02Sunita Williams met then Chief Minister Narendra Modi,
33:06and that's one of the reasons that now incumbent Prime Minister Modi
33:09knows the family fairly well,
33:11and we are told from the scientists who we were speaking to,
33:14Dr. Soumanath, former ISRO chief said,
33:16Prime Minister Modi has been consistently inquiring about her safe return
33:20in the past few months, and has invited her to India,
33:24and has said she's miles away, but is close to hearts.
33:27I want to bring in Anurag Pandya as well.
33:30Anurag Pandya is joining me for the latest,
33:33but also Professor Sahare and Dr. Dheeraj Kaul as well.
33:37Professor Sahare, I'm looking at these visuals,
33:39and I think of a girl, a woman who's as American as it gets.
33:44She's born and brought up in Ohio.
33:46She's never really lived in India,
33:49and yet I see consistently images coming in
33:51of how grounded she is to her heritage and culture,
33:55and I'd like to say here that you need strong roots
33:58to also then have great wings.
34:01Yeah, this is the Indian culture.
34:04See, when her parents would have migrated to US,
34:08still that culture they carried over there,
34:11and then inculcated all these things in her,
34:14and that is how all these things have come,
34:17and then all these things are there,
34:19and she prays to God Ganesha.
34:24She carries Bhagavad Gita with her,
34:27and probably that is making her will,
34:31her will powers and everything very strong,
34:35and I presume that she is a role model,
34:41and she will always be a role model
34:44for all Indian, not only Indian girls,
34:47but all the young people who inspire
34:51to go for such kind of studies and such kind of expeditions.
34:56Stay with me, Professor Sahare,
34:58because Anurag Pandey is also joining us,
35:00Astronomy and Science Communicator.
35:01Anurag, appreciate your patience for waiting all this while.
35:04You tell me, when you look at this moment,
35:06what does this moment mean to science enthusiasts here in India,
35:10and the kind of connect ISRO can have now in similar missions.
35:14We are aiming for Gaganyaan, we are aiming for Chandrayaan 4.
35:17What does it mean for Indian space scientists and enthusiasts?
35:20Go ahead.
35:22Yeah, definitely.
35:23So, it's a very big achievement for all over India.
35:26Basically, Sunita Williams has just broken many records
35:31while being in the space.
35:32She has done the maximum spacewalks during her time.
35:35She has been continuously engaged in various experiments,
35:38including research on biomodule,
35:42as well as research on human lives.
35:45So, it seems very critical that these studies that she has done
35:49over the period of her nine months on this space,
35:52it will be very, very useful that even if we go for next Chandrayaan mission,
35:57it will be very helpful.
35:59These type of findings will be very, very useful here.
36:01And secondly, definitely, she has demonstrated a good positive attitude
36:07towards any women who wants to further go in space
36:11and demonstrate such kind of experiments.
36:16So, it's such a brave act, I can say.
36:18And in future, it will definitely motivate many, many enthusiasts
36:24working in space to not just go in space,
36:27but also to be disciplined and also to be, you know,
36:31continuously being in touch of these type of areas.
36:35I'm also a science communicator,
36:37and I myself, in practice of learning about space
36:41and knowing much about the news from ISRO and NASA,
36:43it seems like, you know, such kind of coordination between, you know,
36:47Boeing and SpaceX, where they have sent Sunita Williams
36:52a very, I mean, very customized and automated Starlink spacecraft
36:57to bring back Sunita Williams towards Earth.
37:00It seems like, you know, good achievement in the terms of our machineries
37:06and as well as good strength, I can see from, you know, all over the world.
37:11And remember that ISRO has achieved also these missions that we've done
37:15is on fairly on a budget compared to how the Western nations have pulled in.
37:19But nevertheless, a lot of lessons for Indian Space Research Organization
37:22to also pick on and how we can contribute further,
37:25especially when it comes to crew flights.
37:28Stay on with me, gentlemen, because this, in many ways,
37:31is being called as a space odyssey.
37:33It comes to an end today after nine months, uncertainty and more,
37:37and a historic mission, nevertheless, with all the research and data
37:40that comes with these scientists.
37:41White House has given out a statement.
37:43They've said promises were made and promises have been kept.
37:46That was the first statement that came in from the spectacular rescue.
37:50The White House is hailing Elon Musk and SpaceX.
37:54That helped clearly in the return of the astronauts
37:57and NASA's role in the rescue, of course.
38:00U.S. President Donald Trump, however, took a jibe at his predecessor, Joe Biden,
38:04accusing him that he abandoned the astronauts
38:07and the Trump administration could bring them back.
38:10Trump is also now adding that astronauts will visit the Oval Office
38:13as soon as the health permits and returns to normalcy.
38:16Elon Musk's SpaceX Dragon that facilitated the safe return of the Crew 9
38:21also put out a statement hailing President Trump
38:24and said that he clearly prioritized the rescue mission.
38:28So what does this mean for India's space scientists?
38:32How are they looking at it?
38:33And remember, we have achieved, whether it's the Mangalyaan, the Chandrayaan,
38:37but now also aiming for our crewed flight,
38:40and that would be the Gaganyaan mission.
38:42I spoke a short while ago to former ISRO chief Dr. S Somnath.
38:46Here's what he had to say about how ISRO was looking at this mission.
39:12The issue of the Boeing Starliner getting into some difficulties
39:16of bringing Sunidhi and others back home and coming empty,
39:21we were looking with a lot of anticipation how they are going to come back.
39:25And all of us knew that it was going to come back only Crew Dragon.
39:28That seems to be the only option left.
39:30But then it took quite some time.
39:32I really don't know how it took so much time.
39:35Possibly they could have done it early.
39:36But then it happened today.
39:38We should be very, very happy to see it's happening.
39:41And it also showcases our ability to handle crisis.
39:45Human beings don't get stuck in space,
39:48but there are mechanisms to bring them back home.
39:50Of course, it's available.
39:52So though it doesn't happen with the main satellite which they intended to,
39:56because Boeing Starliner is no longer functional
39:59and ready to take human beings,
40:01but then at least there is a Crew Dragon available to do that.
40:04And if it was not, there would have been another craft available
40:08from the Russian side or somewhere else to do this mission.
40:11So human beings have now progressed far beyond
40:14its original capability of going to space travel.
40:17And it gives us hope that future travel will happen
40:20with more and more vehicles available.
40:22Options should be available for us to go and come back to space.
40:26I think that's how I look at it.
40:28So you also, because you led the Chandrayaan mission
40:30that gave such a celebration moment for India
40:33and how this was consistent determination that came in.
40:36Tell us about what such missions mean to scientists like yourself,
40:40because there are so many uncertainties, challenges
40:42that people outside the agency may not realize.
40:45So tell us about the kind of effort,
40:47the determination that is needed to keep going,
40:50to ensure success this way or that will come
40:53and the kind of challenges that are often involved in such missions.
40:59The human space missions are always very, very challenging.
41:02Technically, as soon as it's planning and execution,
41:05first and foremost is, of course, design of the spacecraft
41:08where human beings travel.
41:10It's a really complex mastery of engineering and science.
41:13It's design, it's operation, software,
41:16and every element that has to work very synchronously.
41:19I think that is one of the biggest challenges
41:21and it takes years of perfection to make it work every time.
41:24Though it looks so simple and easy for it to come back
41:27and then land softly with the parachutes deploying,
41:30but it is fully autonomous
41:32and the human interventions are very, very minimum,
41:35except in case of contingencies and failures.
41:37So the whole of the mission is in terms of sequencing appropriately.
41:41At the right time, it has to de-orbit from the full velocity
41:45to the re-entry velocity,
41:47so as to precisely locate it to land at a very tight spot,
41:50a few kilometers away in the area where we have to collect them.
41:56So failures, how do you really handle failures in such missions
41:59and what type of redundancies are built into it
42:02in case anything goes wrong?
42:04And how ultimately the splashdown sites are identified
42:08for high-resolve recovery tools?
42:10I think all of this, globally, they understand this
42:13and many a times there were initial issues,
42:16but now after having perfected it,
42:18it is like airline travel,
42:20where you don't worry about all those technicalities
42:22of those who travel there.
42:24So it's a question of numbers.
42:26It's a question of numbers that we perfected
42:29with a large number of specimens.
42:32From the former ISRO chief,
42:34listen in now to this exclusive conversation
42:36with the incumbent ISRO chief, Dr. V. Narayanan.
42:41Sir, what we saw was absolutely stunning.
42:45Please tell us, as a scientist yourself,
42:48how do you look at the big occasion
42:50that we all witnessed at 3.28 Indian Standard Time?
42:56First of all, I would like to say we are so excited.
43:00Me and my officer on special duty in Delhi,
43:06Mr. Rajiv,
43:09we both, we are so excited.
43:13More we are watching the entire progress
43:16without even sleeping one second.
43:19And that is the type of excitement what is there.
43:22And we have to understand, appreciate everything.
43:26And it is a phenomenal thing,
43:28an outstanding thing what happened
43:30in the scientific community,
43:32scientific era, science and technology development area.
43:36I don't consider the X country, Y country,
43:40I don't consider.
43:41But as far as the scientific community is concerned,
43:45what happened is a phenomenal thing.
43:47And yesterday also I told you,
43:49I'm 100% confident
43:52Madam will be safely brought and flashed on.
43:57We were continuously keeping watch of the mission.
44:01How it got deducted, how it is moving.
44:05Being a propulsion expert,
44:07I also can understand and appreciate
44:09how the propulsion system is working.
44:13And then we were so much excited to understand
44:20the way the mission happened.
44:24And then finally I'm extremely happy
44:29to see all the four astronauts smiling.
44:33And in fact, we are also smiling, to be frank.
44:38We have a team working on a similar game.
44:42I think you can understand and appreciate us.
44:46So really it is a good achievement
44:50for the scientific community.
44:52That much only I can tell.
44:54I want to take a question from Anurag Pandey,
44:57who is an astronomy and science communicator.
44:59Let's end this bulletin, Anurag,
45:01on thinking and asking about
45:03what Indian Space Research Organisation can do
45:06or India at large, political will combined,
45:09to ensure that the next Sunita Williams,
45:11Kalpana Chawla coming from India,
45:13that we have already been making strides, of course.
45:16What are the lessons that we must take
45:18that our space exploration, our missions,
45:20are also perhaps the next benchmark for the world to see?
45:27Definitely.
45:29Sunita Williams is just a pride
45:32for all over the nation currently.
45:35Her successful extended space mission
45:37shows great adaptability and scientific excellence.
45:41Currently, I think Sunita Williams' story
45:43will likely ignite public enthusiasm for space missions
45:46like Kalpana Chawla's legacy did.
45:48Human face of space explorations
45:51will be more taken seriously now.
45:53And I can think greater societal and political support
45:56for ISRO's missions like Mangalyaan 2
45:58and future lunar programs will be
46:00further taken care after this.
46:02Sunita's work on ISS is not just planetary,
46:05it is also in scientific experiments
46:07and adaptability in microgravity
46:09and international collaborations.
46:11I think that will be very, very helpful
46:13in other missions like Mangalyaan 2
46:15and Chandrayaan follow-up missions.
46:17And in case, just to let you know,
46:19our scientists have already finalized some astronauts
46:23for our further Gaganyaan missions.
46:26They are training in Russia and India.
46:28So Sunita Williams' legacy will likely serve
46:30as a training benchmark for her spacewalk experiences
46:34and physical fitness.
46:36And that will definitely give many, many wings
46:39to our training programs.
46:41And will definitely broaden our, you know,
46:45bridges between NASA and ISRO's
46:47further relation with NASA.
46:49And I have to say, despite all the budget and limitations
46:51that India has had as a developing country,
46:53we have become only fourth nation
46:55in several of these missions
46:57that Western nations remember
46:59have a budget way beyond.
47:01And yet ISRO has managed to pull off all these missions
47:03and already planning for Chandrayaan 4 in 2028,
47:06Gaganyaan mission in the next few months.
47:08And that will, of course, begin with the Vayu Mitra Robo.
47:11Thank you so much to panelists joining us.
47:13And it's been a four-hour-long marathon telecast
47:17that we have brought to you to help you understand
47:19what this moment is.
47:21And it's not just about America and NASA.
47:23As much as the focus has been with them,
47:25this is about space exploration
47:27and connecting to India as well.
47:29So leaving you with that picture-perfect moment
47:31of the splashdown,
47:33and then the smile and the wave.
47:35And there you see it on your screen,
47:37drogue deployment.
47:39Continues to make its way back to planet Earth.
47:42The mains are quite a bit larger.
47:44You'll be able to notice the difference on your screen.
47:46Big time this afternoon. And there we go.
47:48We have visual on four healthy mains.
47:53That view was from inside.
47:55View there of the reefing
47:57on those parachutes.
47:59And as those parachutes,
48:01those main parachutes begin to inflate fully,
48:03four beautiful...
48:05able to float freely.
48:09400 meters.
48:11Florida.
48:19And splashdown.
48:21Crew 9 back on Earth.
48:29And SpaceX Freedom.
48:31Splashdown.
48:33Good main release.
48:35Copy splashdown.
48:37We see main chutes cut.
48:39Nick, Alex, Butch, Sunny,
48:41on behalf of SpaceX,
48:43welcome home.
48:47Tacked as well as the panels
48:49that enclose where the drogue parachutes
48:51are located.
48:53Oh yeah, Sandra, this view is absolutely unbeatable.
48:55So just to kind of give you a sense
48:57of what I was saying is,
48:59once that side hatch of the spacecraft is open,
49:01that crew will be assisted out of the capsule
49:03one by one.
49:05The capsule will be placed inside
49:07of what you can see there
49:09is basically a basket.
49:11We call it the...
49:21So once securely on...
49:23Welcome aboard the recovery vessel.
49:25Recovery personnel
49:27are completing final checks.
49:37And there you have it.
49:39The side hatch is open
49:41for the first time since September.
49:45And there we do see
49:47Crew 9, some happy waves,
49:49smiles all around, back on Earth.
49:51Oh, looks like we're getting
49:53our next crew member here.
49:55That is none other than
49:57Sunny Williams.
49:59Big smile, big waves.
50:01She, like her other
50:03crew members, now will be
50:05assisted onto the mobility aid.
50:19There we have it.
50:21Some waves, some thumbs up, and some smiles.
50:25We're getting some views of him now
50:27as he egresses or exits
50:29the spacecraft.
50:45Once again, some
50:47elation and cheers
50:49there from Butch Wilmore.
50:55We can see folks
50:57on board clapping as our
50:59first crew member.
51:01And that is NASA
51:03astronaut Nick Haig,
51:05commander of Crew 9.
51:07Now out of
51:09Crew Dragon Freedom.
51:13Some smiles,
51:15thumbs up, and a wave. Can't get any better
51:17than that. Spent 171 days
51:19in space alongside.