NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is one of the most popular female astronauts in India after Kalpana Chawla. Williams is set to celebrate her 59th birthday today in space at the International Space Station, where she is stuck since June 5 alongside astronaut Butch Wilmore and more crew members of Expedition 71. Notably, this is not the first time she is celebrating her birthday in space. The first time was when she undertook her second extended spaceflight during Expedition 32/33, which lasted from July 14 to November 18, 2012.
Sunita Williams' India Connection
Sunita Williams was born on September 19, 1965, in Euclid, Ohio, to Bonnie Pandya and Deepak Pandya. Williams has strong Indian roots through her father, Dr Deepak Pandya, who hails from Gujarat, India. She has visited India several times, including her ancestral village of Jhulasan, Gujarat.
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.
Her career took off at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, where she enrolled in 1983. After being commissioned as an ensign in 1987, Williams completed intensive combat helicopter training.
She went on to serve in key missions, including flying during the Persian Gulf War, enforcing no-fly zones over Kurdish regions of Iraq, and contributing to Hurricane Andrew relief efforts in Miami.
Williams was selected as a NASA astronaut in June 1998 and began her training which included orientation, scientific briefings, shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) systems, and survival techniques. After completing her training, she worked with the Russian Space Agency and supported the first Expedition Crew.
Williams later contributed to the Robotics branch, focusing on the ISS Robotic Arm and the Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator. As part of NASA’s NEEMO2 mission, she spent nine days underwater in the Aquarius habitat. After her first spaceflight, she served as Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office.
In an interview, she stated, “In 2003, I was selected for a long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). I flew up on the space shuttle Discovery and stayed at the ISS for six months, during which we did four spacewalks as part of the station's construction.”
Williams went on to become a Flight Engineer for Expedition 32 and the ISS Commander for Expedition 33. Across her two missions, she spent a total of 322 days in space. With 50 hours and 40 minutes of spacewalks, she ranks second among female astronauts for total spacewalk time.
Currently, Williams is the pilot of Boeing’s Crew Flight Test mission aboard the Starliner spacecraft, marking her third mission to the ISS and the first crewed flight for the Starliner.