NASA scientist Sunita Williams talked about her 286 days in space and described how beautiful India looked from space. India Today's Senior Assistant Editor, Sibu Tripathi, discusses the importance of food in space and how it is stored on space stations.
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00:00For the first time you hear directly from Sunita Williams, what was it like in the space
00:05station, in space literally for 9 months, a journey that was supposed to be for 9 days
00:12turning into 9 months and that is when you realize the uncertainty and the difficulties
00:19one has to face, packaged and freeze dried food was eaten for 9 months, say she ate grilled
00:27cheese sandwich after landing, so the moment she landed she decided she doesn't want to
00:33have the frozen food and the first taste she wanted to have was the grilled cheese sandwich,
00:38remember this is the first time that you hear how butch Willmore, Sunita Williams were in
00:44the space, many call it stranded, many say it was also a lesson and work being done while
00:50they were on board the International Space Station, so what was the first step that she
00:54took when she landed, first hugged my husband and the dogs, butch Willmore says responsibility
01:02of the space saga is on me, so they clearly realized the responsibility on their shoulders,
01:08remember it's incredible, a 59-year-old Sunita Williams and almost 62-year-old butch Willmore
01:13and they've been on this mission together as a duo, ate packaged and freeze and frozen
01:20dried food for 9 months, the moment we landed I ate a grilled cheese hot sandwich, so of
01:27course that reminds you remember because of the toughness that one needs, not just physical
01:33stamina but the fact that you realize the kind of uncertainty but also the restrictions
01:39you have, there's only so much and you have to in many ways ration that food as well,
01:45so if you didn't hear any of this on board because they also wanted to put out an image
01:50of optimism, let's listen in to Sunita Williams.
01:53Oh well I'm back, first and foremost we were always coming back and I think people need
02:01to know that and we're back to actually you know share our story with so many people because
02:07you know it's like you all mentioned it's slightly unique and there's some lessons
02:12learned to it and part of that is just resilience and being able to take a turn that was unexpected
02:19and make the best of it and I think that is the biggest thing that I want to pass down
02:24particularly to kids who think that their life should be the straight arrow to what
02:30you want to do and you're just going to get there, well you know sometimes it takes some
02:33turns, some rights and some lefts and you just keep focused on your goal and other doors
02:37might be open for you, so I think that's the biggest message.
02:41I would have to say yes, absolutely, you know it's interesting, we go and launch,
02:45we knew it was a little bit unique obviously, first time flying on a new spacecraft so yeah
02:49that was interesting but you know then life goes on up there and I mentioned yesterday
02:54you know we pivoted and we are International Space Station crew members and we're doing
02:58what all of our other friends in the astronaut office do is go and work and train and do
03:05science, amazing science experiments up on the International Space Station, so you know
03:09I think you sort of get maybe a little bit tunnel visioned in what your job is, do your
03:14job type of thing right and so you're not really aware of what else is going on down
03:19here, I hate to say that, you know maybe the world doesn't revolve around us but we revolve
03:25around the world, something like that, but you know I think we were just really focused
03:29on what we were doing and trying to be part of the team and making sure we pulled our
03:34weight for the team.
03:36Of course we heard some things and I'll let you know obviously hand this off to Butch,
03:40heard some stuff from our friends and family that people were interested and wondering
03:43what was going on and concerned about our health and all that kind of stuff while we're
03:46up there but I mean we were just part of the team doing the job, filling in wherever we
03:51could and then knowing that there's rotational flights and we will be coming home eventually
03:55on a rotational flight so no I don't think we were aware to the degree, pretty honored
04:02and humbled by the fact of when we came home like wow there are a lot of people who are
04:07interested, very thankful, very amazed that we could hopefully be one positive element
04:12to bring people together.
04:13I get to hug my husband and hug my dogs and I'll say that in that order but maybe not,
04:19no I'm just joking, but of course food, you know something that's just like for home for
04:24me like something that is very, you know reminds you of home and I had, my father was a vegetarian
04:28so I had a good grilled cheese sandwich when I got home so that reminded me of him.
04:33So many who prepared us for our mission, the commercial crew program with NASA and Boeing
04:41as well as SpaceX really got us ready to go.
04:45All of the trainers here at Johnson Space Center, the mission control teams all over
04:50the country in Florida to California so throughout the whole country as well as what we're doing
04:56now you know our teams here are getting us ready to get you know rehab and get ready
05:01to take on new challenges so you know feeling good since we've been back almost two weeks
05:07now actually went out and ran three miles yesterday so I will give myself a little pat
05:11on the back.
05:12Our trainers are rocking it and getting us ready to get back to help out with the new
05:18astronauts as they're getting ready for their mission so the biggest thing I want to say
05:22was thank you.
05:24Alright, so that's the first time that we hear from the woman who we had been watching
05:28with regard to how her life has been in space, the first step that she took on 19th of March.
05:33Joining me, India Today's Senior Assistant Editor of Science, Sebu Kumar Tripathi.
05:37Sebu, good morning.
05:38I think this has been a logical conclusion to that journey and she jokingly says what
05:45I noticed was that I ate a grilled cheese sandwich but it also reminds us of nine months
05:51of how she ate frozen food and it reminds you of the kind of restrictions, limitations
05:57and yet the toughness one needs.
05:59Definitely, I think spending nine months in space is incredible in more ways than one.
06:07To live on a mission where you are supposed to just live for eight days and then suddenly
06:12it extends for nearly eight to nine months.
06:14It takes a lot of physical and mental toll and I think that's where food is very very
06:19important.
06:20If you had good food, I think you had a good company on the space station and NASA is known
06:24for preparing some of the most well-curated, well-processed, well-developed food for the
06:31astronauts.
06:32So in the beginning, they had all the food that they had carried with them on the stylish
06:37space craft, followed that our cargo resupply missions were conducted and then all the food
06:43was sent from NASA to the space station.
06:45But then again, at the end, these are all processed packaged foods that have been prepared
06:49well in advance.
06:50So once she lands, I think that grilled sandwich must have tasted very very nice.
06:54I'm sure and it's in many ways a metaphor as well, you know.
06:57It's a victory, it's a return.
06:59Many thought it was going to be very difficult at one point.
07:02Sebu, thank you so much and you've been tracking it since day one about this journey
07:06of Sunita Williams and Butch Willmore.
07:08Remember, over the next few days, this was the first reaction.
07:11Over the next few days, we'll have more and more about the lessons, details and how
07:15many young enthusiasts watching both of them realizing that there's no deadline,
07:20that you can be able to fulfill your dreams at any age and how.