Astronauts' return 'high points' of humanity Assam CM

Guwahati, Mar 19 (PTI) Welcoming NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams back to earth, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday termed the journey of them as the 'high points' of humanity.
    After being stranded in space for months, the two US astronauts returned to Earth, completing their journey home to wrap up a saga that started with a failed test flight over nine months ago.

    "Take a bow - this is indeed one of the high points of humanity, a superfine convergence of endurance and scientific advancement. Welcome back #SunitaWilliams," Sarma said in a post on X.
    Williams has an India link. The former US Navy captain, Williams, 59, was born to Gujarati father Deepak Pandya hailing from Mehsana district and Slovenian mother Ursuline Bonnie Pandya, in 1965 in Ohio.

    Assam Education Minister Ranoj Pegu said that the safe return of Wilmore and Williams aboard the SpaceX capsule brings immense joy to each and every person.

    "Their journey reflects human perseverance and scientific excellence," he added.

    The SpaceX capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico, hours after departing the International Space Station. Splashdown occurred off the coast of Tallahassee in the Florida Panhandle, bringing their unplanned odyssey to an end.

    Within an hour, the astronauts were out of their capsule, waving and smiling at the cameras while being hustled away in reclining stretchers for routine medical checks.

    Wilmore and Williams ended up spending 286 days in space, 278 days longer than anticipated when they launched. They circled Earth 4,576 times and travelled 121 million miles (195 million kilometres) by the time of splashdown.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)