Sunita Williams along with Butch Willmore, part of Boeing Starliner spacecraft, have been stranded in space for quite a long time.
Launched on June 5, 2024, the mission was initially planned for 10 days. It was all working fine as the astronauts reached and docked at the ISS or International Space Station the very next day. Unfortunately, the spacecraft faced an unprecedented “helium leaks and thruster issues,” according to NASA press release. This led to an immediate change in plan. Space engineers are working on fixing the issue, while astronauts are utilizing the time for productive space research. In this article, we will discuss about Sunita Williams’ recent focus on plant development and research in zero gravity environment.
What Sunita Williams, stuck in Space for a month, said on her homecoming
— DD News (@DDNewslive) July 11, 2024
Indian-born NASA astronaut Sunita Williams expressed confidence in her return flight from space#SunitaWilliams #NASA #BoeingStarliner pic.twitter.com/SPYJTTp5Pc
(Credit - @DDNewslive X handle)
According to a statement released by NASA, “Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore and are exploring ways to effectively water plants in the weightless environment. The duo took turns throughout the day in the Harmony module testing how root models and plants of various sizes would absorb water in microgravity.”
“The Plant Water Management study looks at techniques such as hydroponics and air circulation to nourish plants growing aboard spacecraft and space habitats”, added US space agency.
You might be wondering how scientists perform experiments flying in the space! Understanding the challenges, the scientists have created an orbiting laboratory inside the football field sized space station. “We’re doing science at 17,500 miles per hour! The International Space Station is a state-of-the-art microgravity laboratory that is unlocking discoveries not possible on Earth, and helping us push farther into deep space,” NASA mentioned in its website.
The Harmony: There is an passageway connecting spacecraft and space laboratory. This is known as Harmony, creating sustainable system providing electric power, air, water, and other essential items. Even, for commercial crew vehicles, it acts as a docking station.
Sunita's Unique Research: Sunita Williams had developed a ‘Plant Water Management hardware’ in the module. She is continuously recording her test results after performing different liquid flowing methods. The idea is to grow plants weightless and soilless space environment. Thus, Sunita Williams “investigated using fluid physics such as surface tension to overcome the lack of gravity when watering and nourishing plants grown in space,” as confirmed by NASA.
“Following her work, Wilmore ran more tests using hydroponics and air circulation techniques to learn how to effectively nourish a variety of plants on spacecraft and space habitats," NASA mentioned.
Astronaut Sunita Williams and environmental studies student Adrien Prouty explore what it's like to conduct a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station. pic.twitter.com/1vAAr4Qy1b
— International Space Station (@Space_Station) May 6, 2022
(Credit - @Space_Station X handle)
Unique Achievements of Sunita Williams: Sunita Williams holds the record for staying the maximum days in space as female astronaut. As of now, she has stayed over 300 days in space. NASA mentioned in their website: “With 50 hours and 40 minutes, she is second on the list of total cumulative spacewalk time by a female astronaut.”
With no return date fixed yet, astronauts are focusing utilizing their time to the fullest in space.
“We're absolutely confident,” said mission commander Wilmore, with Sunita Williams adding, “I have a real good feeling in my heart that the spacecraft will bring us home, no problem,” in their message from space couple of weeks ago.
