Nine months in space and Sunita Williams returns, earning even greater respect and admiration for her professional yet grounded approach and rising roster of accomplishments.
By Nichola Marie
The world wholeheartedly celebrated the return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to earth after spending an unprecedented 278 days in orbit. But, as warm welcomes go, it’s tough to beat that of a beloved furbaby… Amidst the flood of happiness that greeted Williams, the video that shows her showering hugs and kisses on her ecstatic Labrador Retrievers Gunner and Gorby in the yard of her house, is perhaps the fuzziest. “I got to come back home and see my dogs, who are waiting for me, so that was pretty special,” shared Williams. Coming home is made of such priceless moments.
“Just Doing My Job”
Williams’ and Wilmore’s extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) was due to a malfunction with the Boeing Starliner’s thruster, which initially delayed their return to Earth. NASA officials soon decided to keep them in orbit for an additional few months rather than risk returning with an untested spacecraft. After a 10-day planned trip that stretched to a nine-month stay, the duo returned to Earth, aboard Musk-owned SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft on March 18, 2025.
Williams, a true trooper, along with Wilmore, has dismissed claims of being “stuck” or “marooned” – adding that they were never in danger and remained confident in NASA’s protocols. Pointing out that she was largely unaware of the political discussions while in space, and focused instead on her responsibilities aboard the ISS, Williams said, “You sort of get maybe a little bit tunnelvisioned… you do your job type of thing, right and so you’re not really aware of what else is going on down there.” She added, “I hate to say that maybe the world doesn’t revolve around us, but we revolve around the world. I think we were just really focused on what we were doing and trying to be part of the team.” Despite the uncertainties and toll taken by their extended stay in space, both remained productive, contributing to experiments and spacewalks aboard the ISS. They have now commenced a 45-day rehabilitation programme to readjust to Earth’s gravity and regain strength and mobility.
Praise For India
Williams has long held a special place in India’s heart, her father having hailed from Mehsana in the state of Gujarat. Now she once again expresses her deep admiration for the country, describing it as “amazing” when viewed from space. Speaking about the experience of seeing India from the International Space Station, she shared, “Every time we went over the Himalayas, and I’ll tell you, Butch got some incredible pictures. Just amazing… When you come from the east, going into Gujarat and Mumbai, the fishing fleet off the coast gives you a little beacon that here we come. And all throughout India, it’s just like this network of lights from bigger cities flowing into smaller cities. Just incredible to look at, at night as well as during the day.”
She also hinted at the possibility of visiting India soon, saying, “I hope, and I think for sure, I’m gonna be going back to my father’s home country. I look forward to visiting with people and sharing the excitement about India’s presence in space.”
Expressing enthusiasm for India’s growing role in space exploration, she alluded to the upcoming Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), which will include Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla as the mission pilot. Dubbing Shukla India’s own “hometown hero” who will be able to talk about how wonderful ISS is from his perspective, she added that she hopes to meet up at some point in time. “And we can share our experiences with as many people in India as possible, because it’s a great country, another wonderful democracy that’s trying to put its foot in the space countries, and we’d love to be part of that and help them along,” she said.
Path To Glory
Williams’ father Deepak Pandya came to the US in 1958 where he did his internship and residency training in Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, while her mother Ursuline Bonnie Pandya (née Zalokar) is a Slovene-American. Born in Euclid, Ohio, in 1965, and residing in Massachusetts, Williams earned a Bachelor of Science degree in physical science from the United States Naval Academy in 1987, following it up with a Master of Science degree in engineering management from Florida Institute of Technology in 1995. Entering the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, in 1983, she was made an ensign in 1987 and reported for aviator training at the Naval Aviation Training Command. Beginning combat helicopter training in July 1989, she went on to fly in helicopter support squadrons during the preparations for the Persian Gulf War and the establishment of no-fly zones over Kurdish areas of Iraq, as well as in relief missions during Hurricane Andrew in 1992 in Miami. Becoming a naval test pilot in 1993, she later became a test pilot instructor. Her formidable record saw her flying more than 30 different aircraft and logging 2,770-plus flight hours. Selected for the gruelling astronaut programme, she was stationed aboard the USS Saipan. Entering astronaut training in 1998, Williams travelled to Moscow, where she received training in robotics and other ISS operational technologies while working with the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) and with crews preparing for expeditions to the ISS.
Rising Higher
Flying aboard the Discovery space shuttle on the STS-116 mission to the ISS on December 9, 2006, she served as a flight engineer for expeditions 14 and 15. Williams made four spacewalks during her stay at the space station. She totalled more than 29 hours outside the spacecraft, spending more than 195 days in space. Both of these were records she set for women in space. Incidentally, while in space, she also participated in the Boston Marathon, running 42.2km on the station’s treadmill! In July 2012, she flew to the ISS again, as part of the crew of Soyuz TMA-05M. A flight engineer on Expedition 32, on September 16, she became Commander of Expedition 33. She made three more spacewalks, which totalled more than 21 hours. Her sporting spirit was evident yet again as she completed a triathlon in space, using a treadmill, a stationary bicycle, and a weightlifting machine to simulate the swimming portion of the race. Returning to Earth in November after spending nearly 127 days in space, her two spaceflights combined totalled more than 321 days. Williams became one of the four astronauts selected in 2015 to make the first test flights in NASA’s commercial crew programme. This new project involves two new private crewed spacecraft, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Boeing’s CST100 Starliner, taking astronauts and supplies to the ISS. In 2022, Williams was chosen for the first crewed test Starliner flight to the ISS, as pilot alongside commander Barry Wilmore, launching in June 2024. On her ninth spacewalk, Williams broke the record for the total amount of time a female astronaut has spent in space, previously held by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. Williams now ranks fourth on NASA’s all-time list, with a total of 62 hours and six minutes of spacewalk time. Her 286-day stay on the ISS brought Williams’ total time in space to 608 days, the second most of any NASA astronaut after Peggy Whitson, who has spent 675 days in space.
Magic Of Space
It had taken just one flight for Williams to be hooked for life. Describing a space flight launch to CNT, she shared, “When the engines start up, you think, ‘Holy moly, we’re really going’. Just eight minutes later, you’re in space… All of a sudden your arms start floating. I took my helmet off and it floated away…” Describing the first time she saw space as “awesome”, she details, “There is a distinct layer between the Earth and the universe; which is extremely black. Slowly, the entire universe starts to look 3D, like you can fly through it rather than this sphere of blackness overhead. And when you’re above the atmosphere, there isn’t water vapour in the air to make things foggy. There are windows at the top of the space shuttle and about 10 minutes into the flight, my Commander said, ‘Suni come here’. I fly up to the flight deck — you don’t have to use the ladder, it’s incredible — and I look out and am amazed. You can see the curvature of the Earth. The moon is amazing, shaded by hundreds of complex greys, whites, and blacks. The stars are crystal clear and you can see that some are closer than others.”
Inspirational Figure
Williams has received numerous awards and honours throughout her career. These include the Navy Commendation Medal and the NASA Spaceflight Medal, as well as India’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, for her contributions to space exploration. More importantly, Williams’ inspiring achievements and life story serve as a motivation for young people and students, especially girls, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Like she said in an interview back in 2008, “Don’t let anyone ever tell you, ‘You can’t do it’. That’s the biggest thing…” Further, she is a symbol of empowerment for her courage, resilience, and capacity to break barriers.
Source Of Support
Williams’ husband, Michael J Williams, a federal marshal in Texas, is known to be the wind beneath her wings. Both of them had backgrounds in flying helicopters before embarking on their respective careers. When not at work, the couple, who have been married for more than 20 years, enjoy hanging out with their dogs, working out, working on houses, cars, and airplanes, as well as hiking and camping. Even as insecurity grew during Williams’ extended stay in space, her family refused to give in to negativity, with her husband pointing out that space is her happy place, and her mother adding, “They like doing this and they are honoured to be able to go up on a long mission like this and, you know, they feel great about it,” she said in the interview. “She’s doing what she loves. So how could I feel sad about it or anything? I’m happy for her.” Champion material is clearly in Williams’ DNA.
