Hundreds of people in Needham, Massachusetts, are showing support for one of their own, sending love to NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who has been stuck on the International Space Station for almost six months.
“If she could see through the clouds, she would see all of us waving and cheering and wishing her well,” said Needham Select Board Chair Kevin Keane of Williams. "Her Gilligan’s Island tour has turned into a much longer visit up in space.”
The Needham native has been in space for 171 days, and she'll stay there through the holidays.
“She was supposed to be in space for six days and she has been in space for six months,” a Needham student named Eitan said.
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft launched on June 5. The ship went back to Earth empty due to safety concerns, leaving Williams and her fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore on the International Space Station.
“Sunita Williams grew up in Needham, she went to high school, and the Needham High School mascot was the rockets and of all the alumni, she’s the one who took it really to heart,” Keane explained.
What was supposed to be a week's stay for Williams is now expected to last eight months, so her former classmates, elected officials and admirers came together outside Needham High School to lift her spirits Saturday.
“It’s so nice to have everyone together and to celebrate in community and also send some love and support up to space,” State Sen. Becca Rausch said.
“We drove up here from Connecticut just to be here for this very special event so I hope she feels the love from the community here in Needham,” said Nancy Vergara Barrett, a former classmate of Williams.
Williams and Wilmore are scheduled to return to Earth in February 2025.
