Introduction
Sunita Lyn Williams, Born on September 19, 1965 is an American astronaut and former officer in the United States Navy. In terms of spacewalk duration (50 hours, 40 minutes), she holds the record with seven spacewalks. Williams participated in International Space Station Expeditions 14 and 15. She was a flight engineer on Expedition 32 in 2012 and the expedition's leader on Expedition 33.
Early life
Sunita Lyn Williams is a native of Needham, Massachusetts, and was born in Euclid, Ohio. Her parents, Bonnie Pandya and Deepak Pandya, are originally from Slovenia and Mumbai, India, respectively. Dina Annad and Jay Thomas are her two siblings. Williams has brought emblems of her two cultures into space, representing her Slovenian and Indian ancestry with pride. She completed her master's degree in science at Florida Institute of Technology in 1995 after graduating from Needham High School in 1983, the United States Naval Academy in 1987, and Needham High School in 1983.
Military career
When Sunita Lyn Williams enlisted in the US Navy in May 1987, he was an ensign. In July 1989, she completed her training and received her designations as a Naval Aviator and a Basic Diving Officer. She took part in operations like Operation Provide Comfort and Operation Desert Shield while she was in the military. Williams also contributed to the 1992 Hurricane Andrew relief effort. She worked as an instructor and received additional training at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. While serving on the USS Saipan in 1998, she was chosen by NASA to be a member of the astronaut program. Williams accrued almost 3,000 flying hours in a variety of aircraft types throughout her tenure in the Navy.
Career in NASA
STS-116
On December 9, 2006, Space Shuttle Discovery was launched, carrying Williams along on the Expedition 14 crew's mission to the International Space Station (ISS). As the Russian crew rotated, she moved to Expedition 15 by April 2007.
Expeditions 14 and 15
Marathon in space
Sunita Williams ran the first marathon in space on April 16, 2007, finishing the course in four hours and twenty-four minutes. Throughout the race, her crewmates gave her encouragement and oranges. Mission Control sent Williams with updates on her sister and fellow astronaut's marathon running when they were back on Earth. In 2008, she took part in the Boston Marathon once more.
Expeditions 32 and 33
On July 15, 2012, Williams launched as part of Expedition 32/33 to the International Space Station. She became the second woman to serve as ISS commander during her four-month mission. She finished the first space triathlon in September 2012. Following a procedural delay, Williams made her way down to Earth on November 19, 2012, touching down in Arkalyk, Kazakhstan.
Commercial Crew program
NASA chose Williams to be one of the first astronauts for American commercial spaceflights in July 2015. She received crew vehicle training from SpaceX and Boeing. She flew on the maiden mission flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner, CTS-1, to the International Space Station in August 2018. Williams became the first woman to go on the first crewed flight of an orbiting spaceship when NASA later confirmed that she would be a member of the two-person crew for the Starliner Crewed Flight Test.
Spacewalks
Sunita Williams had done seven spacewalks, clocking up at fifty hours and forty minutes, as of August 2012. She and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide fixed the malfunctioning Main Bus Switching Unit-1 and put a thermal cover on Pressurized Mating Adapter-2 (PMA-2) during US EVA-18 on August 30, 2012.
Personal life
Starita Williams is a renowned astronaut who lives in a suburban area of Houston, Texas, with her husband Michael J. Williams. Early in their careers, both of them piloted helicopters. In 2012, Williams said that she would like to adopt a daughter from Ahmedabad. Transported holy books to the International Space Station and is a practicing Hindu. She was honored for her achievements in Slovenia and India with honors. The naming of a Needham elementary school in 2017. She spoke to overseas students virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic. Williams is a member of the Experimental Test Pilots Society as well.