Sunita Williams and her crew have safely returned to Earth via SpaceX's Crew Dragon after an extended stay on the International Space Station. The mission showcases the ability to handle crises in space travel. Williams, of Indian-American heritage, has inspired many with her space journey. Her safe return was closely monitored by Indian officials, including Prime Minister Modi.
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00:00Sir, this moment has finally happened.
00:03You were also heading the ISRO when the Boeing Starliner had gone into space.
00:07What does this moment mean to you?
00:09How are you tracking it about the splashdown on Earth?
00:14This is a moment we were all waiting for to happen for quite some time after the issue
00:22of the Boeing Starliner getting into some difficulties of bringing Sunidhi and others
00:28back home and coming empty.
00:30We were looking with a lot of anticipation how they are going to come back.
00:35And all of us knew that it is going to come back only through Dragon.
00:38That seems to be the only option left.
00:40But then it took quite some time.
00:42I really don't know why it took so much time.
00:44Possibly they could have done it early.
00:46But then it happened today.
00:48We should be very, very happy to see it's happening.
00:51And it also showcases our ability to handle crisis.
00:56Human beings don't get stuck in space.
00:58But there are mechanisms to bring them back.
01:00Of course, it's available.
01:01So though it doesn't happen with the main satellite, which they intended to, because
01:06Boeing Starliner is no longer functional and ready to take human beings.
01:10But then at least there is a Crew Dragon available to do that.
01:14And if it was not there, still there would have been another craft available from the
01:18Russian side or somewhere else to do this mission.
01:21So human beings have now progressed far beyond its original capability of going to space
01:26travel and gives us hope that future travel will happen with more and more vehicles available.
01:32Options should be available for us to go and come back to space.
01:37So you also, because you led the Chandrayaan mission that gave such a celebration moment
01:41for India and how this was consistent determination that came in.
01:45Tell us about what such missions mean to scientists like yourself, because there are so many other
01:51uncertainties, challenges that people outside the agency may not realize.
01:55So tell us about the kind of efforts, the determination that is needed to keep going
02:00to ensure success, this or that will come and the kind of challenges that are often
02:05involved in such missions.
02:08The human space missions are always very, very challenging technically, as well as planning
02:14and execution.
02:15First and foremost is, of course, design of the spacecraft where human beings travel.
02:19It's a really complex mastery of engineering and science.
02:23It's design, it's operation, software and every element that has to work very synchronously.
02:29I think that is one of the biggest challenges and it takes years of perfection to make it
02:33work every time, though it looks so simple and easy for it to come back and then land
02:38softly with the parachutes deploying, but it is fully autonomous and the human interventions
02:43are very, very minimum, except in case of contingencies and failures.
02:47So the whole of the mission is in terms of sequencing appropriately, the right time it
02:52has to de-orbit from the full velocity to the re-entry velocity, so as to precisely
02:57locate it to land at a very tight spot in a few kilometers away in the area where we
03:03have to collect them.
03:04So failures, how do you really handle failures in such missions and what type of redundancies
03:11are built into it in case anything goes wrong?
03:14And how ultimately, after the splashdown sites are identified for helicopter recovery tools.
03:20I think all of this, globally, they understand this and many a times there were initial issues,
03:26but now after having perfected it, it is like airline travel where you don't worry about
03:31all those technicalities, those who travel there.
03:34So it's a question of numbers, yeah, it's a question of numbers that we perfected with
03:38over a large number of specimens.
03:42All right, so remember it's also about the Indian roots that has found a connect for
03:47India and feeling like she's our space girl too.
03:50Sunita Williams was though born in Ohio on 19th September 1965, her father has been a
03:55neuroscientist born and brought up in Gujarat.
03:58He migrated to America in the 1950s where then Sunita Williams was born.
04:03So she has a mixed heritage of Gujarati and American descent.
04:08Sunita's ancestral roots are from a village in Gujarat, Jhulasan village in Gujarat, where
04:13literally there was a celebration mode knowing that in some way their village has also made
04:18it to the world map.
04:20She has visited Gujarat to reconnect with her cultural legacy and remember even though
04:24born and brought up in the USA, throughout her space journey she has consistently referred
04:29to her Hindu roots, whether it was with the Bhagavad Gita or even carrying the samosas
04:34as a snack.
04:35She's embraced her faith by carrying the Ganesh deities into the space to stay rooted.
04:41She also remember captured and shared a kumbh mela image when the ongoing mela was on and
04:46the kind of congregation we saw of the largest gathering on earth.
04:50She sent in an image from space as well feeling like she's a part of it.
04:54Also she's met Prime Minister Modi but that happened in 2007 when Prime Minister Modi
04:59was then the Gujarat Chief Minister and that is why we are told that the Prime Minister
05:04incumbent has also spoken to senior scientists for example Dr. Somnath has been inquiring
05:09consistently about her safe return which has now happened and he's known to her father
05:15as well.
05:16I want to go to B.K.
05:17Tyagi who's been a former Principal Scientific Officer from the Vigyan Prasad which looks
05:21at the scientific innovation technology research.
05:26So you tell me this, when I look at Sunita Williams or Kalpana Chawla stories, Sunita
05:31Williams here for specific reasons, do you think young girls here in India across the
05:36world possibly are looking at her journey?
05:40She's about 59 years of age and thinking if she can go into space so can I and I think
05:45of that story because sometimes you don't know who you're inspiring by just your efforts
05:51and determination.
05:53Yes I think this is very, it's an example and very inspiring not only for girls even
06:01for young boys also, our the future generation and in air is not abounding even the this
06:11the other astronaut he is I think 64.
06:18So this all are they all are setting an example if you have a determination you can do it
06:26and they are there, they overstayed there, they are still in a perfect stage of their
06:34health, they are very healthy, hearty, happy.
06:38So this gives a message because this is all, all the results will be the common heritage
06:44of the mankind in terms of their findings and it as the space industry will grow you
06:53know the more we need more and more people in a different at different level not only
07:00astronaut but the engineers, doctors, dietitians, designers.
07:06So this is like Sreeta William has set an example that space going to be the you know
07:17one of the future in science and technology and you have a definite option to opt for this career.
07:29To keep going sir because many would say that by the age of 60 a woman's prime is over,
07:35she shows and this is for anyone, anyone male or female at 60 as well your prime can be the
07:41biggest highlight and headline across the world.
07:44Professor P.D. Sahari, Sunita Williams and her Indian connect, I look at these visuals coming
07:50in from a village in Gujarat where there are celebrations and the connect that many feel.
07:54Do you think her journey has been inspiring to a lot of youngsters who may not have the
07:59means right away but they do have a dream, they have an ambition and when you look at
08:03stories like this you perhaps feel that many young youngsters are going to be encouraged
08:07and possibly later into the life as well if she almost at 60 can go into space I hope
08:13many others are looking forward to fulfill their dreams too.
08:17Yeah certainly, certainly it's very inspiring and she's a role model to many,
08:22many youngsters not only youngsters many other people, many other scientists even.
08:27So the way she has courage, the way she has all resilience as she stayed over there and
08:35faced all the difficulties and she really had very strong will to so it's all the qualities
08:43and mix are very different than others and many people will get inspired.
08:49I'm sure those who dream for such kind of thing I mean she will be always a role model.