Barlow Planetarium. PC: Fox 11 Online
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — A renowned NASA astronaut is no longer able to attend a special event Friday in Green Bay due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Sunita “Suni” Williams was scheduled to be the keynote speaker at the Women’s Inspiration Dinner, hosted by Emplify Health by Bellin as part of their Bellin Women’s Half Marathon & 5K festivities. However, she cannot make the trip as a result of the shutdown, officials announced Thursday.
“Williams has expressed her deep disappointment about this turn of events, but as an employee of the federal government, she is unable to perform official functions while the government is shut down,” a Facebook post reads.
Organizers will instead share a personalized video introduction from Williams at the dinner, followed by a 20-minute exclusive mission video that details her career as a female astronaut. Emplify Health by Bellin says it will offer a live virtual Q&A with Williams once the shutdown ends.
While this year’s dinner will look different than we had planned, we are still looking forward to a deeply meaningful celebration for our participants and guests. Our runners make this event what it is, and we can’t wait to celebrate the coming of race day with all of you, our FIERCE and fearless athletes.
Williams has logged the most spacewalk time of any female astronaut and once ran the Boston Marathon virtually on an International Space Station treadmill while orbiting Earth.
She gained even more notoriety when a routine space mission that was supposed to last eight days went awry, causing Williams and fellow NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore to become stranded aboard the ISS for more than nine-and-a-half months. The pair returned to Earth safely in March.
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