WOODS HOLE – When astronaut Sunita Williams was growing up in Needham, she wanted to be a veterinarian. “It didn’t come true,” she said, and then laughed. “I’m a failure,” she said.
Some failure.
This is the ultimate story of failing forward, all the way to space.
Williams has spent two extended stays aboard the International Space Station, and is preparing for a third trip there aboard one of the new commercial spacecraft being designed by Space X, and by Boeing.
Working for NASA, she speaks of the possibility of a space station being built on the moon or on Mars in the same matter-of-fact way someone working for a Cape Cod developer might speak of their company planning a hotel on Main Street.
Hers is the business of space exploration.
A Connection To Cape Cod
When the R/V Neil Armstrong arrived for the first time in Woods Hole on April 6, Williams was one of the speakers welcoming the new research vessel of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
The R/V Neil Armstrong, arriving in Woods Hole for the first time.
Touching elegantly on the theme of the blue marble, as Earth is often described by astronauts gazing back in wonder, Williams reminded the audience of the connection between space exploration and exploration of the world’s oceans.
“Cape Cod is where I come home to.” – astronaut Sunita Williams
It was a fitting theme for Williams, whose sister works for WHOI. Her sister and her parents live in Falmouth. “Cape Cod is where I come home to,” said Williams, who lives in Houston.
When Williams first moved to Houston, her colleagues at NASA spoke of going to the Cape, and Williams wondered why they were going to Cape Cod. It turns out, they were talking about Cape Canaveral. For Williams, Cape Cod remains in her heart.
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