On January 30, 2025, NASA astronaut Sunita 'Suni' Williams achieved a significant milestone by surpassing Peggy Whitson's record for total spacewalking time. Williams was outside the International Space Station (ISS) performing maintenance and collecting samples as part of Expedition 72. This marked her ninth spacewalk, accompanied by astronaut Butch Wilmore.
Elon Musk commented on the delayed return of Williams and Wilmore due to technical issues with their Boeing Starliner capsule. Musk stated that SpaceX was asked to bring them back, criticizing the Biden administration. Former President Donald Trump echoed these sentiments, but the astronauts were never in danger. They are scheduled to return in March 2025 on the Crew 9 mission.
Sunita Williams is an astronaut of Indian-American descent who works for NASA. She is known for spending a lot of time in space and doing spacewalks, which means going outside the spacecraft to work in space.
A spacewalking record refers to the longest time an astronaut has spent walking or working outside a spacecraft in space. Sunita Williams broke this record, meaning she spent more time doing spacewalks than any other astronaut before her.
NASA stands for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. It is the United States government agency responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research.
Peggy Whitson is another famous astronaut who previously held the record for the most time spent on spacewalks. She is known for her long-duration missions in space.
ISS stands for the International Space Station. It is a large spacecraft that orbits Earth, where astronauts from different countries live and work together to conduct scientific research.
Elon Musk is a billionaire entrepreneur who founded companies like SpaceX and Tesla. SpaceX is a company that builds rockets and spacecraft, and Musk often shares his opinions on space-related matters.
The Biden administration refers to the current government of the United States under President Joe Biden. They make decisions about many things, including space missions.
Former President Trump is Donald Trump, who was the President of the United States before Joe Biden. He sometimes comments on current events, including space missions.
The Crew 9 mission is a planned space mission where astronauts will return to Earth. It is part of a series of missions that transport astronauts to and from the International Space Station.
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