The Hindu : Front Page : Sunita Williams feels like Mary Poppins in space

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Jan 12, 2007
ePaper

Front Page

Front Page

Sunita Williams feels like Mary Poppins in space

"It's really fun to be here. Floating around is just unbelievable"

Sunita Williams

New Delhi: Almost a month into her space sojourn, Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams seems to be living out a fairy tale, and says she feels like Mary Poppins floating all around.

"It's really fun to be here. Floating around is just unbelievable," is how she described her stay at the International Space Station. She was interacting with Indian schoolchildren via satellite. Answering questions during a teleconference at the American Centre here on Wednesday, the 46-year-old said, "It's fun floating around like Mary Poppins."

Floating in mid-air, her long hair afly in zero-gravity , Ms. Williams was responding to a question on how she was enjoying her space journey and whether she would like to go to space again.

"The biggest impression I get is how gorgeous our planet is. I think about all the wonderful things that are down there and so many places which we can see from here. I think about how many things I want to do when I go back home again," she said.

Ms. Williams said India looked "colourful and really beautiful" from up above. "It is beautiful to see the countryside. There are so many colours."

She added: "We can see the green on the fields, the red in the mountains... and the snow. It is really beautiful." She said the space crew had the luxury of flying over India a number of times.

On sending more Indians to space, she said be it from India or from anywhere else in the world, "I think it is absolutely a great idea. It allows people to work together from all different backgrounds and professions."

To a question on whether her research in space will help fight terrorism, Ms. Williams said: "When you look at the earth from the space, there were no borders... " — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page