Latest news with #NeedhamHighSchool
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronaut Suni Williams reunites with dogs being stuck in space. See heartwarming video
What's one of the first things you'd do after returning to Earth after almost 300 days in space? For Massachusetts native Sunita Williams seeing her dogs was near the top of the list. Williams, a native of Needham, MA, and astronaut Butch Wilmore recently returned to Earth after a much- longer-than-planned trip to space. The two were stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for nearly 300 days, despite the original plan calling for it be a short trip. The mission became the sixth longest in NASA's history. Here's what to know about what Williams did when she returned to her Texas home. She was greeted by her two dogs, and she is shown in a post on X playing with them when she arrived. With the video on X, she wrote, "Best homecoming ever!" She said she wants to return to Massachusetts. "Personally, we have a house up in New England, and my husband has been talking about when we're going to get up there and do a lot of fun stuff up there," Williams said at a press conference after returning to Earth. Williams graduated from Needham High School in 1983, according to NASA. Her sister lives in Falmouth, MA and works at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute. After high school, Williams went on to earn her Bachelor of Science in Physical Science, from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1987 and Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1995. She was selected as an astronaut by NASA in June 1998. Williams is a veteran of two space missions. She was serving as the pilot of the recent Crew Flight Test mission aboard the Starliner. It is the first crewed flight for that vehicle. The problems with the astronauts' ship – the Boeing Starliner – included helium leaks in the propulsion system and the failure of five thrusters. Four of the thrusters were restored and one was turned off for the rest of the mission, according to NASA. The initial return date was mid-June 2024. The mission was originally scheduled to be eight days but the return was delayed three times. This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Astronaut Suni Williams reunites with dogs being stuck in space. Video
CBS News
03-04-2025
- Science
- CBS News
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.
CBS News
31-03-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Watch Live: Massachusetts astronaut Suni Williams speaks about return since being stuck in space
Astronaut and Needham, Massachusetts native Sunita Williams will speak about her nine-and-a-half months stuck in space for the first time since returning to Earth in a news conference on Monday. You can watch it live on CBS News Boston at 2:30 p.m. by clicking on the video player above. Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore will talk to reporters at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas about their extended stay on the International Space Station. Williams and Wilmore were only expected to be in space for eight to 10 days originally when they blasted off on June 5, 2024. That soon turned to months after NASA was concerned about issues with the Starliner they arrived in. The spacecraft returned to Earth in September without Williams and Wilmore. Then, the SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon capsule traveled to the space station with two empty spots for Wilmore, 62, and Williams, 59. However, NASA said that their replacements were aboard the SpaceX Crew-10, which was set to launch "no earlier than late March 2025," after experiencing issues. Williams and Wilmore finally returned to Earth on March 18, just off the coast of Florida, on the SpaceX Dragon capsule with commander Nick Hague and cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov. Their 286-day mission, which spanned 121 million miles and 4,576 orbits, is the sixth-longest single NASA mission. To celebrate her return, there was a watch party at The Common Room in her hometown of Needham . "I think it's an exciting day and exciting return. We love Suni here. She is our local shero," said Kiana Brunson, principal of the elementary school. "We all kind of feel relieved that she's, like, safe, and, yeah, we're so excited to see her again," Needham student Priya Butler said. An elementary school in Needham, Sunita Williams Elementary School, was named after the astronaut in 2019. Her flight suit and other NASA artifacts are displayed there. Williams graduated from Needham High School in 1983. Her classmates said she was smart, funny, and athletic during her time at the school. "It is so exciting and we're so proud to have a classmate that is so successful and did something so amazing," said Donna Zambito, who went to school with Williams. Williams' 10 months in space were not without challenges. In January, the astronaut spoke to Needham High School students while she was stuck in space. She answered questions from the students and described her out-of-the-ordinary experience. "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," Williams said. She explained that they expected to be stuck at the space station a bit longer than originally planned, but the "extended stay was just a little bit different." "It was a little bit of a shock, actually," Williams described. Williams managed to stay connected to Massachusetts while she was in space. In August, she ran the Falmouth Road Race from a treadmill on the space station. The race is seven miles long and has roughly 12,000 other runners.
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Astronaut stuck in space "trying to remember what it's like to walk"
NEEDHAM - Massachusetts native and astronaut Suni Williams said she's "trying to remember what it's like to walk" after being stuck in space for almost seven months. Williams on Monday was answering questions at the International Space Station from students at Needham High School, where she graduated from in 1983. One student asked her what microgravity feels like in space, and she answered that it felt like she was swimming 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," Williams said. Keeping up with her family while in space She said that she and astronaut Butch Wilmore expected their trip to be longer than eight days since it was the first time they were flying the aircraft but did not expect it to be delayed that long. "It was a little bit of a shock, actually," Williams explained to students. "We knew that it would be probably a month or so, honestly. But the extended stay was just a little bit different." Williams said she is having fun in space and is glad she can share the experience with everyone back on Earth. She explained 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," Williams said. "I think I talk to my mom practically every day. Just check in with her and call her and see how she's doing. 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." She said that she doesn't necessarily feel isolated in space because of her busy schedule and her ability to talk to people at home. Astronauts stuck in space The Needham native has been stuck in space with Wilmore for the last seven months after problems with the Starliner concerned NASA and prompted them to keep them up there longer. Their trip was meant to last eight to 10 days originally but has since been delayed multiple times. A SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon went into space with the intention of bringing the astronauts down in February. However, their replacements are aboard a different aircraft, SpaceX Crew-10, which is not expected to launch into space until late March or April. That means they are not able to return to space until they complete a handover period. Vice President JD Vance's first interview | Face the Nation Rebuilding Paradise A tour of the Bronx
CBS News
27-01-2025
- Science
- CBS News
Astronaut Suni Williams, stuck in space, says she's "trying to remember what it's like to walk"
NEEDHAM - Massachusetts native and astronaut Suni Williams said she's "trying to remember what it's like to walk" after being stuck in space for almost seven months. Williams on Monday was answering questions at the International Space Station from students at Needham High School, where she graduated from in 1983. One student asked her what microgravity feels like in space, and she answered that it felt like she was swimming 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," Williams said. Keeping up with her family while in space She said that she and astronaut Butch Wilmore expected their trip to be longer than eight days since it was the first time they were flying the aircraft but did not expect it to be delayed that long. "It was a little bit of a shock, actually," Williams explained to students. "We knew that it would be probably a month or so, honestly. But the extended stay was just a little bit different." Williams said she is having fun in space and is glad she can share the experience with everyone back on Earth. She explained 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," Williams said. "I think I talk to my mom practically every day. Just check in with her and call her and see how she's doing. 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." She said that she doesn't necessarily feel isolated in space because of her busy schedule and her ability to talk to people at home. Astronauts stuck in space The Needham native has been stuck in space with Wilmore for the last seven months after problems with the Starliner concerned NASA and prompted them to keep them up there longer. Their trip was meant to last eight to 10 days originally but has since been delayed multiple times. A SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon went into space with the intention of bringing the astronauts down in February. However, their replacements are aboard a different aircraft, SpaceX Crew-10, which is not expected to launch into space until late March or April. That means they are not able to return to space until they complete a handover period.
