Sunita Williams Witnesses Storm's Transformation into Hurricane Beryl From Space
12 July 2024 11:46 AM IST
Astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore addressing press conference from International Space Station. (Photo: X)
Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), witnessed a storm evolve into a hurricane.
Sunita Williams and astronaut Butch Wilmore shared their experience of watching the transformation in a live press conference from space.
The Indian-American astronaut observed a storm's development from the west coast of Africa, which later intensified into a hurricane that affected the Texas coast.
"The hurricane is quite impressive. I actually took a picture of a storm that was off the west coast of Africa about a week and a half before the hurricane impacted, and I'm about 98 per cent sure that that was the one that became Beryl," said Butch Wilmore.
Sunita Williams said she took the pictures of the eye of the hurricane. "We were able to take pictures of the eye and actually see the definition of the eye. Butch and I were up in the cupola the other day right as it was getting ready to hit the Texas coast and you could see it had dispersed, the clouds had dispersed but it was still very circular and very huge. So, we were praying for our friends down there in Mission Control and all of our family and friends in the Houston area," she said.
Both the astronauts embarked on Boeing Starliner on June 5, which was intended to be a 10-day stay at the ISS, but their return was delayed due to technical glitches. The spacecraft had five helium leaks and thruster malfunctions. NASA has not confirmed any date for their return
The Indian-American astronaut observed a storm's development from the west coast of Africa, which later intensified into a hurricane that affected the Texas coast.
"The hurricane is quite impressive. I actually took a picture of a storm that was off the west coast of Africa about a week and a half before the hurricane impacted, and I'm about 98 per cent sure that that was the one that became Beryl," said Butch Wilmore.
Sunita Williams said she took the pictures of the eye of the hurricane. "We were able to take pictures of the eye and actually see the definition of the eye. Butch and I were up in the cupola the other day right as it was getting ready to hit the Texas coast and you could see it had dispersed, the clouds had dispersed but it was still very circular and very huge. So, we were praying for our friends down there in Mission Control and all of our family and friends in the Houston area," she said.
Both the astronauts embarked on Boeing Starliner on June 5, which was intended to be a 10-day stay at the ISS, but their return was delayed due to technical glitches. The spacecraft had five helium leaks and thruster malfunctions. NASA has not confirmed any date for their return
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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