Longtime NASA astronaut Suni Williams introduced her retirement Tuesday — formally making the unexpectedly lengthy Boeing Starliner take a look at flight her remaining foray to orbit as a member of the astronaut corps.
Williams, who has set a number of spaceflight data since becoming a member of the company in 1998, didn’t give perception into the timing of her retirement in a press release issued by the area company on Tuesday.
“Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favorite place to be,” Williams mentioned. “It’s been an incredible honor to have served in the Astronaut Office and have had the opportunity to fly in space three times.”
Williams first traveled to the International Space Station in 2006 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery and returned to orbit in a Russian Soyuz capsule in 2012.
But her newest mission, by which she and fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore set out to take a look at fly Boeing’s new Starliner capsule on its first crewed mission, was maybe her most well-known.
Wilmore and Williams had anticipated to spend a couple of week on the area station throughout the take a look at flight. But the duo finally stayed greater than 9 months due to technical points that cropped up en route with the Starliner automobile — which NASA opted to fly dwelling empty due to security considerations.
Williams and Wilmore garnered worldwide consideration for his or her expertise, although each astronauts reiterated incessantly that they loved their time in orbit and have been well-prepared for his or her unexpectedly lengthy keep.
“I had an amazing 27-year career at NASA, and that is mainly because of all the wonderful love and support I’ve received from my colleagues,” Williams mentioned in a press release. “The International Space Station, the people, the engineering, and the science are truly awe-inspiring and have made the next steps of exploration to the Moon and Mars possible. I hope the foundation we set has made these bold steps a little easier.”
Williams has logged 608 days in area, the second-most cumulative period of time by a NASA astronaut behind Peggy Whitson.
She has additionally accrued 62 hours free-floating in area throughout 9 completely different spacewalks, making her the highest-ranking girl in that class and fourth on the earth.
Williams additionally claimed a number of notable firsts throughout her time in orbit: In 2012, for instance, she turned the primary individual to end a triathlon in area. Williams used a stationary bike, simulated swimming with a weight-lifting machine and ran on a treadmill whereas strapped in by a harness so she wouldn’t float away. (Earlier, in 2007, Williams had additionally turn into the primary individual to run a marathon in area.)
“Over the course of Suni’s impressive career trajectory, she has been a pioneering leader,” Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, mentioned in a press release. “From her indelible contributions and achievements to the space station, to her groundbreaking test flight role during the Boeing Starliner mission, her exceptional dedication to the mission will inspire the future generations of explorers.”
Williams’ exit from the astronaut corps comes months after she and Wilmore returned from the area station, concluding their take a look at flight mission.
Wilmore’s and Williams’ departures from NASA comply with the instance set by Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, the 2 astronauts who piloted the primary crewed take a look at flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule in 2020. That mission, which didn’t contain any main technical hangups or points, marked the final for each Behnken and Hurley, who’ve every since retired.
It’s frequent for astronauts who’ve been with the company for a few years to announce their retirement upon return from a serious milestone, comparable to take a look at piloting a brand new spacecraft.
It’s not clear when the Starliner capsule will fly once more. NASA revealed that it plans to fly the spacecraft’s subsequent mission with out crew members, opting to deal with the mission as one other uncrewed take a look at flight.
The Starliner spacecraft skilled thruster outages and gasoline leaks throughout Williams and Wilmore’s flight, however each astronauts mentioned they’d fly on Starliner once more, given the chance.
“The spacecraft is really capable,” Williams mentioned in a post-flight information convention final 12 months. “There’s a couple things that need to be fixed. Folks are actively working on that. But it is a great spacecraft, and it has a lot of capability that other spacecraft don’t have, and to be a part of that program is an honor.”
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