NEEDHAM, Mass. — Suni Williams was given a hometown hero’s greeting at Wingate Living in Needham on Wednesday, five months removed from her epic, 286-day journey to space.
The NASA Astronaut was stranded in space for months after her week-long mission on the Boeing Starliner was halted by mechanical issues.
She and fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore splashed down back to Earth in March.
Since then, she’s been acclimating back to life on earth.
“It’s cool to come back home,” said Wilmore, with tears in her eyes. “I think I jogged on every road in this town practically… I just, I know so much about this place.”
Williams spoke in front of dozens on Wednesday afternoon, signing autographs and meeting community members who watched her expedition closely.
She told the crowd she’d do it all again.
Williams continued, “What we’re doing are the next steps, and even though our mission was not as planned, we did take the next steps -- answer more questions, cover more things we need to do, and questions we need to answer for future programs. So, it’s always worth it.”
The astronaut has been enjoying the summer since returning to Earth, but her mind remains on her next expedition.
She finished, “Life doesn’t have to go in a plan. It can take some offshoots every now and then, and it makes you a better person, makes everyone around you a better person to have to think a little differently and think outside the box.”
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