Record Breaking NASA Astronaut Discusses His Recent Mission
During a live satellite interview Sept. 14 on NASA TV, astronaut and Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams spoke about his recent record-breaking mission aboard the International Space Station.
Williams and Russian crewmates Alexey Ovchinin and Oleg Skripochka, of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, returned to Earth Sept. 6 in Kazakhstan (7:13 a.m. Sept. 7, Kazakhstan time) to wrap up a 172 day mission aboard the station. Williams now has spent 534 days in space, making him first on the all-time NASA astronaut list. During the mission, Williams was instrumental in preparing the station for the future arrival of U.S. commercial crew spacecraft. The first International Docking Adapter was installed during a spacewalk by Williams and fellow NASA astronaut Kate Rubins Aug. 19. Outfitted with a host of sensors and systems, the adapter’s main purpose is to connect spacecraft bringing astronauts to the station in the future. Its first users are expected to be Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft, now in development in partnership with NASA.
