NASA astronaut Sunita Williams will safely return to Earth on March 19 after being stuck on the International Space Station (ISS) for the past six months, claimed senior NASA scientist Dr. Goutam Chattopadhyay on Friday at ABP Network’s Ideas of India 2025 summit held in Mumbai.
The senior scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and visiting professor at Caltech dismissed conspiracy theories surrounding her delayed return, clarifying that the delay was due to a technical glitch during her ninth spacewalk mission last August.
Speaking against the backdrop of India's growing leadership in space exploration, Dr. Chattopadhyay expressed optimism about India's unmatched potential in the global space sector. He stated, “ISRO and NASA are collaborating on a project right now. ISRO is doing great and executing successful missions.”
He also highlighted the distinction between astronomy and astrology, saying, “Astronomy truly opens up your vision to the universe, and it is a big mystery that we are trying to solve.” Dr. Chattopadhyay made these remarks during the session ‘Adventures in Space – Our Place in the Universe’ at the summit.
Discussing the search for extraterrestrial life, he added, “We search for the unknown with the knowledge of the known. But we don’t even know what kind of life could emerge or where it may exist. That is what we are trying to figure out. The best place to live a happy life in this universe is our Earth. Why should we go live on Mars? We can send you there if you want, but it’s a one-way ticket.”
He further emphasized the possibility of life beyond Earth, stating, “Can life exist outside of Earth? The answer is yes. But we have not yet found life beyond Earth—not even a single cell. However, with 400 billion stars and most having planets orbiting them, the probability of extraterrestrial life is high. Our goal is to find a planet where life is sustainable.”
