NASA astronaut and Massachusetts native Suni Williams, "a trailblazer" in spaceflight, retires after 27 years
NASA astronaut Suni Williams, a Needham, Massachusetts native, has retired from the agency after 27 years of service. Williams completed three missions aboard the International Space Station and set numerous spaceflight records throughout her career.
Last March, Williams and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore returned to earth after being stranded in space for nine months. Williams and Wilmore were supposed to be at the ISS for a week, but because of technical issues, ended up staying for 286 days.
Over her career, Williams completed nine spacewalks, totaling 62 hours and 6 minutes, the most spacewalk time by a woman and fourth-most all-time, according to NASA. She logged 608 days in space, which is second on the list of cumulative time in space by a NASA astronaut.
She was also the first person to run a marathon in space.
"Anyone who knows me knows that space is my absolute favorite place to be," Williams said in a statement. "The International Space Station, the people, the engineering, and the science are truly awe-inspiring and have made the next steps of exploration to the Moon and Mars possible. I hope the foundation we set has made these bold steps a little easier. I am super excited for NASA and its partner agencies as we take these next steps, and I can't wait to watch the agency make history."
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said Williams "has been a trailblazer in human spaceflight" and her achievements will continue to inspire generations.
The Sunita Williams Elementary School in Needham was named after her in 2019. Her flight suit and other NASA artifacts are enshrined at the school in her hometown.
In an interview with WBZ-TV last year, Williams said Needham was a "wonderful place to grow up."