Sunita Williams Says India Looked Amazing From Space

In 1984, when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked Rakesh Sharma how India looked from outer space, he said Saare Jahaan Se Achcha. After four decades, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams had a similar answer at a recent interaction. “Amazing, India is amazing, Every time we went over the Himalayas, Butch Wilmore got incredible pictures, it is just amazing,” said the 59-year-old Indian-born American astronaut. Sunita’s answer reminds Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma’s iconic answer, Saare Jahaan Se Achcha. This is poet Iqbal’s famous lines that translates to better than the whole world.

After being struck for more than 9 months at the International Space Center, Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to the Earth on March 18. During a press conference recently, Sunita responded heart-warmingly to a question about how India looked from space.

“I have described it before like this ripple that happened obviously when the plates collided and then, as it flows down into India, it is many-many colours. I think when you come from the East going into Gujarat and Mumbai, and (you see) the fishing fleet that is off the coast there, it gives you a little bit of a beacon, here we come. All throughout India, I think the impression that I had was this network of lights and from the bigger cities going to the smaller cities, and just incredible to look at night as well as during the day highlighted of course by the Himalayas which is just incredible as the forefront going down into India,” Sunita said.

Although Sunita was born and raised in the United States of America, she has roots in India. Her father, Deepak Pandya, hails from Gujarat’s Mehsana district, and her mother is a Slovene American. She also expressed her willingness to visit India and contribute to the country’s strides in space exploration.

Also Read: Space Research: Black Hole Energy Redefined the Cosmos

Share

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•