Sunita Williams wasn’t the kind of kid who wanted to be an Astronaut when she grew up. She wanted to be a veterinarian. But she managed to achieve the former kid’s dream job, anyway.
Williams, 52, has completed two missions to the International Space Station, spending over 11 months orbiting the Earth in total. She’s also noted for her total cumulative spacewalk time, having spent 50 hours and 40 minutes outside the International Space Station. She has continued her career in space on Earth as a member of NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap), a group of veteran astronauts that works with privately held companies like Space X and Boeing to develop spacecraft.
Part of her job is to verify that the companies’ spacecraft can launch, maneuver in orbit and dock to stationary spacecraft like the ISS. NASA announced the CCtCap in 2015 as part of “the Obama Administration’s plan to partner with U.S. industry to transport astronauts to space, create good-paying American jobs and end the nation’s sole reliance on Russia for space travel.”
“This is really different from my old job, you know,” Williams said. When she became an astronaut, the shuttle was already laid out. “It was all documented and out there, and [I] went through classes to understand all the systems,” she said. “The plan was there, and you had to get this, this and this done before you could go fly out in space.”
Continue Reading: A NASA Astronaut Stays In Orbit With SpaceX And Boeing
Williams, 52, has completed two missions to the International Space Station, spending over 11 months orbiting the Earth in total. She’s also noted for her total cumulative spacewalk time, having spent 50 hours and 40 minutes outside the International Space Station. She has continued her career in space on Earth as a member of NASA’s Commercial Crew Transportation Capability (CCtCap), a group of veteran astronauts that works with privately held companies like Space X and Boeing to develop spacecraft.
Part of her job is to verify that the companies’ spacecraft can launch, maneuver in orbit and dock to stationary spacecraft like the ISS. NASA announced the CCtCap in 2015 as part of “the Obama Administration’s plan to partner with U.S. industry to transport astronauts to space, create good-paying American jobs and end the nation’s sole reliance on Russia for space travel.”
“This is really different from my old job, you know,” Williams said. When she became an astronaut, the shuttle was already laid out. “It was all documented and out there, and [I] went through classes to understand all the systems,” she said. “The plan was there, and you had to get this, this and this done before you could go fly out in space.”
Continue Reading: A NASA Astronaut Stays In Orbit With SpaceX And Boeing
Comments
Post a Comment