NASA astronaut Chris Williams has embarked on a Thanksgiving Day mission to the International Space Station, joining forces with two Russian cosmonauts aboard a Soyuz ferry ship. The crew, led by Commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, successfully launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:27 a.m. Eastern time and climbed away into orbit, setting a course for their destination.
Williams, a medical physicist and former volunteer firefighter, was selected to join NASA's astronaut corps in 2021 after earning a Ph.D. in astrophysics from MIT and serving as a board-certified medical physicist at Harvard Medical School. This mission marks his first spaceflight, while Cosmonauts Sergey Mikaev are also making their maiden voyage.
The Soyuz MS-28 crew is replacing three Russian cosmonauts who will return to Earth on December 9th after an eight-month stay on the ISS. The new arrivals will spend approximately eight months in space, conducting scientific research and experiments before returning home.
In preparation for their time aboard the station, Williams and his crewmates spent several days training with NASA's Crew 11 team, led by Commander Zena Cardman. This includes a welcome video call with mission managers and family members back on Earth, as well as familiarization with the space station's complex systems.
Williams is thrilled to be joining the ISS crew, citing the importance of scientific research in advancing our understanding of the universe. He has spoken about his passion for physics and his experience working in medical imaging, which he believes will serve him well during his time in space.
When asked about his goals for the mission, Williams emphasized the need to apply scientific knowledge and push forward the boundaries of human knowledge. "I've got a lot of different goals," he said, "but I think the biggest one, and the thing I'm most excited about, is to truly be able to put my training into practice and to do a really good job to push forward the science and research that we're doing on the space station."
With his unique blend of scientific expertise and experience as a medical physicist, Williams is poised to make significant contributions to the ISS crew's mission. As they embark on their Thanksgiving Day journey to the International Space Station, the Soyuz MS-28 crew is ready to tackle new challenges and push the frontiers of human knowledge.
Williams, a medical physicist and former volunteer firefighter, was selected to join NASA's astronaut corps in 2021 after earning a Ph.D. in astrophysics from MIT and serving as a board-certified medical physicist at Harvard Medical School. This mission marks his first spaceflight, while Cosmonauts Sergey Mikaev are also making their maiden voyage.
The Soyuz MS-28 crew is replacing three Russian cosmonauts who will return to Earth on December 9th after an eight-month stay on the ISS. The new arrivals will spend approximately eight months in space, conducting scientific research and experiments before returning home.
In preparation for their time aboard the station, Williams and his crewmates spent several days training with NASA's Crew 11 team, led by Commander Zena Cardman. This includes a welcome video call with mission managers and family members back on Earth, as well as familiarization with the space station's complex systems.
Williams is thrilled to be joining the ISS crew, citing the importance of scientific research in advancing our understanding of the universe. He has spoken about his passion for physics and his experience working in medical imaging, which he believes will serve him well during his time in space.
When asked about his goals for the mission, Williams emphasized the need to apply scientific knowledge and push forward the boundaries of human knowledge. "I've got a lot of different goals," he said, "but I think the biggest one, and the thing I'm most excited about, is to truly be able to put my training into practice and to do a really good job to push forward the science and research that we're doing on the space station."
With his unique blend of scientific expertise and experience as a medical physicist, Williams is poised to make significant contributions to the ISS crew's mission. As they embark on their Thanksgiving Day journey to the International Space Station, the Soyuz MS-28 crew is ready to tackle new challenges and push the frontiers of human knowledge.
and I'm kinda low-key obsessed with this mission! as a big fan of science and tech, it's so cool to see someone who's not just an astronaut but also a medical physicist making waves up in space 
. the fact that he gets to apply his knowledge from Harvard Medical School to conduct research on the ISS is literally the coolest thing ever 
. I'm rooting for Chris and the whole Soyuz MS-28 crew - can't wait to see what groundbreaking discoveries they'll make during their 8-month stay up there! 
. As a medical physicist, he must be super stoked to apply his knowledge to real-life experiments in space 
. I'm all about advancing our understanding of the universe, and this mission is definitely gonna bring us closer to that goal 
NASA astronaut Chris Williams just blasting off into space on Thanksgiving Day with his Russian cosmonaut friends! I mean, what's next? A Christmas Eve lunar landing? 
So they're launching on a super busy day like Thanksgiving 
. They must have a whole new idea of how to enjoy some turkey and stuffing... maybe with zero gravity 
. What kind of experiments are Chris and his crew going to run while they're up there? Are we gonna learn anything new about space that'll blow our minds? 
it's like something out of a movie. but at the same time, I'm also kinda disappointed that NASA's astronaut corps is still pretty male-dominated 
like, can u imagine being able to see the whole earth from space?!? it's like, wow... and now that he's on the iss he gets to do all these awesome experiments with cosmonauts sergey mikaev and sergey kud-sverchkov 
also, how much is this whole thing gonna cost us taxpayers again? 
got a phd in astrophysics from mit and works as a medical physicist at harvard... that's some serious brain power 
The fact that he's a medical physicist with experience working in medical imaging is gonna be super useful on the ISS. Can't wait to see all the cool experiments they're gonna run and the new discoveries they'll make 
. And what's the point of replacing three Russian cosmonauts who are already up there? Can't they just stay up there instead of sending more people? It's like, what's the hurry? 
can't they just talk about something else for once? Like, what's really going on with the platform we're using to access this info? I swear if I have to scroll through one more welcome video call from mission managers and family members back on Earth I'm gonna lose it 
. And don't even get me started on how outdated the training videos are 
at least make them update the graphics or something. Meanwhile, Chris Williams is up there doing his thing and I'm stuck here complaining about the state of our online forums 
Williams is all about pushin' boundaries & advancin' our understanding of the universe 
! Can't wait 2 see what he & his crewmates come up w/ in space 
It's cool that Chris Williams is joinin' the ISS crew, he sounds like a total genius with his medical physics and all. But I'm wonderin' what it's gonna be like for him and his Russian cosmonaut friends up there 
Does they get to watch Thanksgiving dinner on TV or somethin'? 
I mean, I remember when Neil Armstrong went to the moon, that was like the ultimate achievement, man 
. Now it's all about doin' science and research... but still, it's pretty cool! 
. It's always some random morning, like 4:27 am, and they're blasting off into space... what's up with that?! Can't they just have a regular ol' lunchtime launch like everyone else? 