It's Diwali for Sunita Williams' native village in Gujarat

Wed, 19 March 2025

08:35

People in Gujarat's Jhulasan, the native village of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, celebrated her safe return to Earth on Wednesday by bursting firecrackers.

The celebrations began after the successful splashdown of the Dragon spacecraft, which brought Williams back to Earth along with Crew-9 members Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague, and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov.

Earlier, the NASA astronaut's cousin, Dinesh Rawal, organized a 'Yagna' in Ahmedabad to pray for her safe return.

SpaceX confirmed the splashdown, and NASA astronaut Nick Hague shared that the crew was "grinning ear to ear" after their safe return.

Following the landing, NASA astronaut Nick Hague delivered his first message to mission control. While the audio was somewhat unclear, Hague could be heard saying that the crew was "grinning ear to ear," CNN reported.

NASA commentator Sandra Jones described the landing scene, stating, "There's just breathtaking views of a calm, glass-like ocean."

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