Canadian astronaut Dave Williams' wife was thrilled when she saw space shuttle Endeavour touch down in a picture-perfect landing, she told CTV's Canada AM on Wednesday.
"We were standing right beside the runway so for me that was pretty exciting and it just comes in really quickly," Fraser said. "(We) held our breath just until the wheels touched down and actually knew they were coming back,"
It had been thirteen days since her husband and the other five members of the crew blasted off into space. During the mission, Williams set a Canadian record for the three spacewalks he performed during the mission.
However, the mission was not without its concerns. The shuttle returned early in part because of concerns due to Hurricane Dean. NASA officials had initially feared that the Hurricane could affect the mission. While it was later determined that Dean would not affect the shuttle as Endeavour would be at an altitude too high to be affected on its re-entry, officials decided to stick to the earlier schedule anyway.
Additionally, concern over a gouge that was found on the underside of the shuttle meant NASA officials had to decide whether or not repairs needed to be made. The eventual decision not to repair the gouge was one Fraser was comfortable with, as she felt that NASA would ultimately make a good decision.
"I think that if the spacewalk had been entertained to do that it would not have been without risks, so I was relieved in that respect that they had made the decision," Fraser said.
Fraser was reunited with Williams after he had completed medical tests after the shuttle's successful landing. The couple sat down along with their children for a family dinner where Williams excitedly shared stories about the mission.
"(The children) were missing him," Fraser said. "Thirteen days is a long time and although we were glued to the television and they saw it and we were trying to share all the details of what he was doing, they were ready for him to come back."
Now that the mission is over, Williams will be tending to some down-to-earth responsibilities
""The first thing on the plate is our son's 13th birthday on the 23rd, so we're going to celebrate that and get the kids off to school on Monday," Fraser said.
"We'll work around his schedule," Fraser said. "But the first thing on the plate is our son's 13th birthday on the 23rd, so we're going to celebrate that and get the kids off to school on Monday," Fraser said.
