The mother of a NASA astronaut stranded in space for nearly 300 days has finally broken her silence.
Bonnie Pandya admitted ‘it was kind of shocking’ hearing about her daughter Sunita Williams’ extended stay on the International Space Station (ISS), but understood ‘these things happen’ when you are a top astronaut.
Panday said that despite concerns about Williams health on the ISS, her daughter is ‘doing great’ and feels ‘honored’ to spend extra time on the ISS.
‘So how could I feel sad about it or anything?’ Pandya told NewsNation. ‘I’m happy for her.’
‘I know what she does. I have three children, and they all do something different… It’s just a fantastic experience for her and us because she’s doing something that not many people do.’
Williams and her crewmate, Barry Wilmore, launched into space aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule on June 5 for what was supposed to be an eight-day stay on the ISS.
But numerous technical issues with Starliner, including thruster failures and helium leaks, have left them stuck in space stations ever since.
NASA plans to bring Williams and Wilmore home around March 19 or 20, but by then, they will have spent more than nine months in space.
Bonnie Pandya, mother of NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, opened up about what it has been like to spend months without her daughter since she became ‘stuck’ on the ISS
Pandya told NewsNation she speaks to her daughter ‘every couple days.’
‘In fact, I just spoke to her this morning,’ she said.
Williams told her mother she could ‘hardly wait’ to reunite with her family and to spend some time ‘traveling around’ once she finally returns to Earth.
Pandya lives in Falmouth, Massachusetts not far from the Boston suburb where she raised Williams, who now lives in Houston, Texas.
While the Starliner astronauts will not break the record for the most consecutive days spent on the ISS, nine months is an unusually long amount of time to spend in space.
A typical long-duration ISS mission lasts about six months, and studies have shown that living in this harsh environment for that long takes a toll on the human body.
Low gravity causes astronauts to lose bone and muscle, and exposure to extreme levels of space radiation may increase their risk of developing cancer later in life.
Doctors previously raised concerns that Williams’ health may be deteriorating during her extended stay on the ISS, pointing to photos where she appeared ‘gaunt.’
But Pandya said her daughter is happy and healthy.
Doctors previously raised concerns that Williams’ health may be deteriorating during her extended stay on the ISS, pointing to photos where she appeared ‘gaunt’
‘They exercise for two, two-and-a-half hours every day,’ she said. NASA requires ISS astronauts to stick to a rigorous workout routine to combat muscle and bone wasting.
Williams herself has said she has actually gained muscle in space thanks to her exercise regimen, and NASA has repeatedly stated that both Starliner astronauts are healthy and being closely monitored by agency physicians.
But the known health risks associated with this type of mission have led some to question why NASA did not find a way to bring Williams and Wilmore home sooner, including President Donald Trump and SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk.
The announcement of their official homecoming date came just two weeks after SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said President Donald Trump asked him to bring the two ‘stranded’ astronauts home ‘as soon as possible.’
‘Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long,’ Musk added in a post on X, a social media site he owns.
Trump reiterated this in a post on his own social media site, Truth Social, saying: ‘I have just asked Elon Musk and [SpaceX] to “go get” the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration.
‘They have been waiting for many months on [the ISS]. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!’
During a recent joint interview for FOX News, Musk again said that the Starliner astronauts were left on the ISS for ‘political reasons,’ and Trump added that the Biden administration was going to ‘leave them in space.’
In a post on X after the interview, Musk said: ‘SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago. I OFFERED THIS DIRECTLY to the Biden administration and they refused.
‘Return WAS pushed back for political reasons.’
When asked about these recent comments from Musk and Trump, Pandya said: ‘I don’t think it should be politicized.’
‘This is science,’ she added. ‘They’re doing what they normally do, and I don’t think the two astronauts think it’s politicized.
‘It’s what they do. They like doing this and they are honored to be able to go up on a long mission like this and, you know, they feel great about it.’
