Indian American astronaut returns to earth after 9 months in space

NASA

Suni Williams spent 286 days at the International Space Station.

Astronaut Suni Williams was expecting to stay at the International Space Station only a few days. Nine months later the Indian American is back on solid ground along with fellow NASA astronauts Nick Hague, Butch Wilmore and cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 completed the agency’s ninth commercial crew rotation mission to the International Space Station on Tuesday, splashing down safely in a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft off the coast of Tallahassee, Florida, in the Gulf of America.

The four returned to Earth Tuesday (March 18) at 5:57 p.m. EDT. Teams aboard SpaceX recovery vessels retrieved the spacecraft and its crew off the coast of Florida.  After returning to shore, the crew will fly to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and reunite with their families.

“We are thrilled to have Suni, Butch, Nick, and Aleksandr home after their months-long mission conducting vital science, technology demonstrations, and maintenance aboard the International Space Station,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “Through preparation, ingenuity, and dedication, we achieve great things together for the benefit of humanity, pushing the boundaries of what is possible from low Earth orbit to the Moon and Mars.”

Williams and Wilmore were selected for the first crewed test flight on Boeing's Starliner and were only supposed to stay at the ISS for 10 days, but when NASA discovered several helium leaks in the spacecraft, NASA decided not to risk the astronauts' lives and sent the vehicle back empty.

Williams was born in Euclid, Ohio, the daughter of Dr. Deepak and Bonnie Pandya. Her father is from Gujarat, India. He studied medicine in the US where he eventualljoined the Euclid department of anatomy at Case Western Reserve University. Her mother, whose maiden name was Bonnie Zalokar, grew up in Northeast Ohio and is of Slovenian descent.

The family moved to Boston in 1966, where her father was able to find work. They lived in Needham, Massachusetts, which Williams said she considers to be her hometown, according to the Times of India. 

NASA

Suni Williams was noted for her hair floating free in the weightless environment.

She graduated from high school there and obtained an undergraduate degree from Annapolis, the US Naval Academy. After graduating as an ensign, she became a Navy test pilot. She also holds a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Florida Institute of Technology.

During her unexpected nine-month space mission, she joined the other astronauts in  conducting experiments in the weightless environment. 

On her 59th birthday on Sept. 19, Williams was able to enjoy Kaju Katli, a popular Indian sweet, sent to her by her sister-in-law via an unmanned supply rocket.

Besides her latest sting in space, Williams was part of two earlier missions. Williams has logged 608 days in space over her three flights, and performed three space walks. She now holds the record for total spacewalking time by a female astronaut, with 62 hours and 6 minutes outside of station, and is fourth on the all-time spacewalk duration list.

The astronauts will undergo a 45-day recovery period as they adjust to Earth's gravity, before returning to their normal duties and reunite with their families.

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