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"I've been trying to remember what it's like to walk": astronaut Sunita Williams shares her thoughts on being stuck in space for 8 months

Inna VasilyukNews
Sunita Williams, 59, answers questions from students while in space. Source: images.nasa.gov

Sunita Williams, 59, who is currently stuck in space, shared new details of her 8-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS). The NASA astronaut admitted that she is trying to "remember what it's like to walk" because she is now in zero gravity all the time.

Answering questions from students of Needham High School, which she graduated from in 1983, Williams said she was shocked to learn that instead of the planned 8 days, she would have to be in space for so many months. The astronaut noted that such a long extraterrestrial journey has also changed her relationship with her family, CBSNews reports.

One student asked Sunita Williams what microgravity is in space, and she replied that it feels like she is floating or flying.

"I've been up here long enough right now I've been trying to remember what it's like to walk. I haven't walked. I haven't sat down. I haven't laid down. You don't have to. You can just close your eyes and float where you are right here," the NASA astronaut said.

Williams also noted that she and colleague Barry Wilmore assumed that their trip could last longer than eight days, as it was the first time they flew on a Boeing Starliner, but did not expect it to last this long.

"It was a little bit of a shock, actually. We knew that it would be probably a month or so, honestly. But the extended stay was just a little bit different, " Williams explained.

Nevertheless, the astronaut noted that she is having fun in space, and she is glad that she can share this experience with everyone on Earth. However, she emphasized that it has changed her relationship with her family.

"My mother's getting a little bit older, so in that regard, I just try to stay in touch with them and those guys as much as possible. So it's just a little bit different relationship than we had potentially planned on for the last couple of months. But we're managing," Sunita said.

As a reminder, Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams landed on the ISS on June 6, 2024, and their mission was supposed to last only eight days. However, due to a malfunction, the Boeing Starliner spacecraft was unable to deliver them to Earth on time, and the astronauts are stuck in space for 8 months now.

Their return trip was originally scheduled for February 2025. However, NASA has announced that it is postponing the mission until spring.

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