Celebrating Diwali 260 Miles Away from Earth
She further said, “This year, I got a unique opportunity to celebrate Diwali on the ISS, 260 miles above the Earth… Diwali is a time of joy because goodness prevails in the world. Williams also thanked American President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for participating in the Diwali celebrations and recognizing the community’s contributions. The Indian-origin astronaut said that today we are celebrating Diwali with our community and acknowledging the many contributions of our community, and we thank the President and Vice President for this.” This message was especially emotional as it came during a special Diwali celebration at the White House.
Sunita Williams to Return to Earth on February 25
Sunita Williams has been on the ISS with her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore since June. Both of them took their first crewed flight on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5, which reached the space station on June 6. The decision was made to bring the Starliner spacecraft back to Earth without its crew, and the spacecraft successfully returned on September 6, after NASA said in August that bringing Wilmore and Williams back to Earth would be “very risky.” Now NASA has fixed February 25, 2025, as the date for their return to Earth.