Tamil Nadu Chief MInister M K Stalin on Wednesday
expressed his happiness in the State Assembly on the safe return of Indian
Woman Astronaut Sunita Williams and three other crew members from the
International Space Station (ISS), ending a ninth month ordeal.
Sunita was the second astronaut from India after Wing Commander Rakesh
Sharma to have gone to the space wayback in 1984.
Rakesh flew in the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11 and made history by becoming
the first Indian citizen to reach space.
Making a statement in the State Asembly said India born Sunita and Butch
Wilmore, who were conducted scientific experiments in ISS for the ast 287
days, were stranded in the ISS and could not return to Earth due to a technical
glitch.
Stating that reports emerged expressing concern over their health condition and
that their lives could be in danger, the Chief Minister despite this, the Astronauts
stayed in ISS and discharged their duties.
At this stage, SpaceX Dragon spacecraft , when reached the ISS, splashed down
safely with Sunita, Butch and others on Wednesday early motning.
He said the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, in the
Gulf of America on early Wednesday morning at 0327 hrs (IST).
He said “the news that they have landed safely on earth has brought immense joy
and happines for all of us”.
Mr Stalin congratulated and also thanked all those who were involved in the operations
for ensuring the safe return of Astronatucs from the ISS.
Welcoming the crew members home, NASA said its astronauts Nick Hague, Sunita
Williams, and Butch Wilmore, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov,
returned to Earth at 5:57 p.m. EDT.
Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and its crew.
Upon returning to shore, the crew flew to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston
and reunite with their families.
