Nine months after Needham native astronaut Suni Williams went into space for an eight day mission, she’s back on Earth.
Sunita Williams of Needham, Massachusetts, and her fellow astronauts have thankfully splashed back down to Earth after months in space.
So, what's next for Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were at the International Space Station on an unexpectedly long visit since last June?
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Williams and Wilmore — as well as two other crew members — will now go into a quarantine in Houston, and have several days of medical evaluations.
The crew splashed down off Florida's Gulf Coast Tuesday evening, after a record-breaking mission.
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Williams and Wilmore were only supposed to be in space for eight days, but a malfunctioning Boeing Starliner spacecraft extended their stay for more than nine months.
"We know sometimes it's not going to come down right away, due to whatever," said Bonnie Pandya, Williams' mother. "I'm so relieved, I'm happy she's here, I can hardly wait to see her. It just took a burden off my chest."
Now, the astronauts are finally back on Earth after 150 science experiments, 900 hours of research and three space walks.
It was a big celebration in Williams' hometown of Needham, where friends and former classmates gathered to watch her return.
“It’s been a long journey," a friend of Williams, Diane Durso, said. "It’s been amazing to watch her since all this started. She made so much history. We’re all just so proud of her.”
"Awesome event. I did say to her, it was like a holiday. Yesterday was like a holiday," said her sister, Dina Pandya.
During Williams' nine months in space, the family has found ways to make it not seem so far away.
"We'd ask people to write their funny stories, and send her jokes, and they made a whole newspaper for her," Dina Pandya said. "We did this other thing called 'smooch snap,' where you take a picture of yourself kissing something you love, and then we sent those up to her, and I think that made a big impression on her."
NASA says the astronauts will be getting fresh food soon — surely one of the best parts about returning from space.
Williams' family is proud of the impact she has made around the world.
"I feel like she's brought the world a little closer, and made us all a little happier, and it's been a lot of fun," said Dina Pandya.
