Watch astronaut Suni Williams' dogs welcome her home after nearly 10 months in space
A lot of people are happy to see Massachusetts astronaut Suni Williams
back on Earth
after nine-and-a-half months of being
stuck in space
. And there are two animals that are thrilled to have her home as well.
Williams, a Needham native, shared
video
this week of the reunion she had with her two dogs, Rotor and Gunner.
"Best homecoming ever!" Williams posted to X, formerly known as Twitter.
The excited pups can be seen jumping all over her.
"Are you showing off?" Williams asks them in the video. "My little bad boys."
At a press conference on Monday, Williams said she was looking forward to
getting home to New England.
"I wanted to hug my husband and hug my dogs, and I'll say in that order ... but maybe not," Williams joked.
Williams wasn't entirely without her furry friends in space. The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod made
3D printed models
of her dogs, and they were sent on a supply shipment to the International Space Station just in time for Christmas.
Williams is a Needham High School graduate who was selected as an astronaut in 1998 and made her first space flight to the space station in 2006.
She and astronaut "Butch" Wilmore launched to space last June on the first piloted test of the Boeing Starliner. They were only supposed to be in space for up to 10 days, but helium leaks and thruster problems caused NASA to keep them at the space station and
bring the Starliner back uncrewed
.
After 286 days, a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule brought them back to Earth on March 18. Williams said she would be willing to go to space in the Starliner craft again when the issues are fixed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tree of Knowledge: Fairmont State receives Division of Forestry grant for planting project
Jun. 11—FAIRMONT — Don't call it "landscaping." Fairmont State University last week received a grant from the West Virginia Division of Forestry, which it will use for a tree-planting project on its Locust Avenue campus — but the motivation, participants say, has roots going way deeper. "The trees themselves are a great project, " architecture major Ryan Williams said. They include the American Holly, Eastern Rosebud, Common Witch Hazel trees, all of which are native to north-central West Virginia, and all planted near the dormitories that line the Campus Drive East entrances, which are currently devoid of greenery. "But even more than that, I hope it will inspire more students to get involved, " continued Williams, who is on the school's Creative Sustainability Council and helped secure the Community EquiTree grant through the forestry division. "The more people are engaged with their community and campus, " the student said of the project expected to be completed at month's end, "the more we can better serve." And the best way to engage and serve, Williams continued, is by celebrating nature, which is perpetually blooming, growing and evolving. Such celebration, the student said, happens whether we realize it or not. For many, the academic family tree goes back 41 years to 1984, when celebrated biologist and naturalist Edmund O. Wilson wrote and published a slim book he titled, "Biophilia " — or literally, "love of life." "Life, " in the case of Fairmont State, being what happens on the other side of the classroom wall. Humans, inherently — and unconsciously, even — just "feel " better in the presence of greenery and trees in places they may not normally be found, the naturalist surmised. Especially, he said, in cities and other locales where concrete, neon and gray buildings prevail. College campuses, too. At the height of the pandemic five years ago, with its student population sequestered under quarantine, Fairmont State did a nod to Wilson. The university created Falcon Park, a walking trail which takes in 7.9 wooded acres at the top of campus and is a haven for native birds, turtles and butterflies. Falcon Park has since been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation. Meanwhile, the most recent tree project, said Devin Carpenter, an assistant construction manager at Fairmont State, will be enjoyed for future generations — aesthetically and environmentally. As the trees grow, he said, their root systems will stabilize hillsides, preventing soil erosion. Their canopies will shade asphalt during the hottest days of summer. And their fall foliage will add to the beauty of campus, Carpenter said. "And they offer back to nature a piece of what urban development once removed, " he said.
Dominion Post
a day ago
- Dominion Post
Tree of Knowledge: Fairmont State receives Division of Forestry grant for planting project
FAIRMONT – Don't call it 'landscaping.' Fairmont State University last week received a grant from the West Virginia Division of Forestry, which it will use for a tree-planting project on its Locust Avenue campus – but the motivation, participants say, has roots going way deeper. 'The trees themselves are a great project,' architecture major Ryan Williams said. They include the American Holly, Eastern Rosebud, Common Witch Hazel trees, all of which are native to north-central West Virginia, and all planted near the dormitories that line the Campus Drive East entrances, which are currently devoid of greenery. 'But even more than that, I hope it will inspire more students to get involved,' continued Williams, who is on the school's Creative Sustainability Council and helped secure the Community EquiTree grant through the forestry division. 'The more people are engaged with their community and campus,' the student said of the project expected to be completed at month's end, 'the more we can better serve.' And the best way to engage and serve, Williams continued, is by celebrating nature, which is perpetually blooming, growing and evolving. Such celebration, the student said, happens whether we realize it or not. For many, the academic family tree goes back 41 years to 1984, when celebrated biologist and naturalist Edmund O. Wilson wrote and published a slim book he titled, 'Biophilia' – or literally, 'love of life.' 'Life,' in the case of Fairmont State, being what happens on the other side of the classroom wall. Humans, inherently – and unconsciously, even – just 'feel' better in the presence of greenery and trees in places they may not normally be found, the naturalist surmised. Especially, he said, in cities and other locales where concrete, neon and gray buildings prevail. College campuses, too. At the height of the pandemic five years ago, with its student population sequestered under quarantine, Fairmont State did a nod to Wilson. The university created Falcon Park, a walking trail which takes in 7.9 wooded acres at the top of campus and is a haven for native birds, turtles and butterflies. Falcon Park has since been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation. Meanwhile, the most recent tree project, said Devin Carpenter, an assistant construction manager at Fairmont State, will be enjoyed for future generations – aesthetically and environmentally. As the trees grow, he said, their root systems will stabilize hillsides, preventing soil erosion. Their canopies will shade asphalt during the hottest days of summer. And their fall foliage will add to the beauty of campus, Carpenter said. 'And they offer back to nature a piece of what urban development once removed,' he said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
SpaceX readies private launch of four astronauts to International Space Station
Four crew members are set to launch Wednesday on a privately funded mission to the International Space Station. The flight, organized by the Houston-based company Axiom Space, is slated to lift off at 8 a.m. ET from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The foursome will journey into orbit in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket. NASA will broadcast live coverage of the launch beginning at 7:05 a.m. ET on NASA+. The flight was scheduled to launch Tuesday but high winds along the Florida coast forced a one-day delay. The mission, known as Ax-4, is expected to last about two weeks at the International Space Station. The mission will be led by retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has already logged a record 675 days in space — more than any other American astronaut. Joining her will be pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, an astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organization; mission specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, a Polish scientist with the European Space Agency; and mission specialist Tibor Kapu, a mechanical engineer from Hungary. Shukla, Uznański-Wiśniewski and Kapu will make history by becoming the first people from their countries to live and work on the International Space Station. During their two-week stay at the orbiting lab, the Ax-4 crew members will conduct a host of scientific experiments, according to NASA, including studies of muscle regeneration, how sprouts and edible microalgae grow in microgravity and how tiny aquatic organisms survive at the ISS. If the launch goes according to plan, the four astronauts will dock at the space station on Thursday at around 12:30 p.m. ET. The upcoming flight will be Axiom Space's fourth crewed mission to the International Space Station. The company's first private expedition to the ISS was in 2022 with an all-civilian crew. The price tag for the Ax-4 mission has not been publicly disclosed, but space tourists reportedly paid around $55 million per seat on previous Axiom Space expeditions. This article was originally published on
