Is space exploration worth it? An eight-day jaunt has turned into an eight-month nightmare for astronaut Sunita Williams, who is stranded 254 miles above Earth. Many say her bravery is utterly inspiring.
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The woman risking her life for science
Is space exploration worth it? An eight-day jaunt has turned into an eight-month nightmare for astronaut Sunita Williams, who is stranded 254 miles above Earth. Many say her bravery is utterly inspiring.
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Astronaut Sunita Williams has been stuck aboard the International Space StationA joint project between the US, Russia, Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency. (ISS) for more than five months.
Williams, who left Earth on 5 June, was part of the company Boeing's first attempt at a crewed flight into space after being awarded a multi-billion dollar contract by NasaThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme. to develop commercial space flights for astronauts.
But the Boeing Starliner that she was travelling on experienced multiple problems upon departure. Sunita and her companion Barry Wilmore will have to wait until February 2025 to be delivered safely back to Earth by a SpaceX Dragon ship.
Life is far from luxurious. Williams and Wilmore have been living on freeze-dried pizza, shrimp cocktail, meat and breakfast cereals with powdered milk. Meanwhile, all the water onboard the ISS is recycled from their own sweat and urine.
The International Space Station hurtles at a constant 17,500 miles per hour, orbiting the planet every 93 minutes. Imagine the wonder: the space station sees one sunrise and one sunset every 90 minutes, or 16 times per day.
Like other astronauts, Williams was chosen for the mission for her positivity: her ability to stay calm and optimistic under pressure.
Is space exploration worth it?
Yes! Sunita Williams has given decades of her life to space travel and put her body through extreme conditions to further research.
No! We have so many problems to fix on our own planet, that investing billions in commercial space travel is unwise and offensive.
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Keywords
International Space Station - A joint project between the US, Russia, Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency.
Nasa - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme.
The woman risking her life for science
Emergencies: Williams above has led her team in facing multiple crises in the past few days when a toxic gas emerged from a Russian spacecraft docked on the International Space Station just hours after they had to take urgent evasive action from a huge piece of space junk. Glossary
International Space Station - A joint project between the US, Russia, Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency.
Nasa - The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, responsible for the US space programme.