NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is currently staying at the International Space Station along with Barry Wilmore since June 6. Due to technical issues with Boeing Starliner spacecraft, looks like Williams will celebrate her birthday in space for the second time in her life. Williams will turn 59 years old on September 19.
Williams was born on September 19, 1965 in Euclid, Ohio to Dr. Deepak and Bonnie Pandya. She attended Needham High School, Needham, Massachusetts, 1983 and pursued Bachelor of Science in Physical Science, U.S. Naval Academy in 1987. She further completed Master of Science in Engineering Management, Florida Institute of Technology, 1995.
Sunita Williams embarked on her first extended spaceflight during Expedition 14/15, which spanned from December 9, 2006, to June 22, 2007. As a member of the Expedition 14 crew, Williams served as a Flight Engineer, contributing to the ongoing scientific research and maintenance activities aboard the ISS.
Williams undertook her second extended spaceflight during Expedition 32/33, which lasted from July 14 to November 18, 2012. During her four-month stay aboard the ISS, she conducted a variety of scientific experiments and exploration activities. This was the first time she celebrated her birthday in space.
One time, during her space mission, she carried a copy of Bhagavat Gita, samosas and a figure of Lord Ganesha.
Williams and Wilmore are set to return to Earth in February 2025 in SpaceX’s Dragon Crew space capsule. This time around, she will be in space for 8 months. Notably, Williams has spent a cumulative total of 322 days in space. The faulty spacecraft, Starliner, recently made its way back to Earth empty.
In case of emergency, NASA states, “The International Space Station crew and ground teams have completed the configuration of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft supporting Crew-8 to now serve as the emergency return spacecraft for Butch and Suni, if needed, until NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission arrives following its launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24.”