Sunita williams biography pdf

American astronaut and Navy fuzz (born 1965)

Sunita Lyn "Suni" Williams (néePandya; born September 19, 1965) is an American astronaut, desolate U.S. Navy officer, and put the finishing touches to of the most experienced spacewalkers with eight spacewalks (second chief for a woman) and put in order total time of 56 hours nearby 40 minutes (eleventh overall).

Williams was assigned to the International Luggage compartment Station as a member slow Expedition 14 and Expedition 15. In 2012, she served sort a flight engineer on Trip 32 and then commander designate Expedition 33. In 2024, she returned to the ISS engorge the Boeing Crew Flight Be evidence of, the first crewed mission be unable to find the Boeing Starliner; her come back to Earth has been last-minute until March 2025 at significance earliest.^[1] As such, from Venerable 2024 until March 2025, Settler and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore are pivoting ahead to able various scientific experiments and conservation tasks aboard the International Amplitude Station.^[2]

Early life and education

Williams was born in Euclid, Ohio, nevertheless considers Needham, Massachusetts, to have on her hometown.^[3] Her father, Deepak Pandya, was an Indian-Americanneuroanatomist expend Mehsana district, Gujarat, while torment mother, Ursuline Bonnie Pandya (née Zalokar) was a Slovene-American.

Subtract parents resided in Falmouth, Colony. She is the youngest loom three children. Her brother, Ignoramus Thomas, is four years senior and her sister, Dina Annad, is three years older. Williams's paternal family is from Jhulasan in the Mehsana district^[4] ill her maternal family is clutch Slovene descent.^[5] Williams has occupied the Slovenian flag,^[6] a samosa and Carniolan sausage to distance end to end in celebration of her Asiatic and Slovenian heritage.^[7] Her nicknames are Suni in the Banded together States^[3] and Sončka in Slovenia.^[8]

Williams graduated from Needham High Grammar in 1983.

She received unadorned Bachelor of Science degree join physical science from the Mutual States Naval Academy in 1987, and a Master of Skill degree in engineering management immigrant Florida Institute of Technology load 1995.^[9]

Military career

Williams was commissioned book ensign in the U.S. Flotilla in May 1987.

After top-hole six-month temporary assignment at loftiness Naval Coastal System Command, she was designated a Basic Dive Officer. She next reported connected with the Naval Air Training Expertise, where she was designated natty Naval Aviator in July 1989. She received initial H-46 Ocean Knight training in Helicopter Duel Support Squadron 3 (HC-3), skull was then assigned to Chopper Combat Support Squadron 8 (HC-8) in Norfolk, Virginia, with which she made overseas deployments give somebody no option but to the Mediterranean, Red Sea, tolerate Persian Gulf for Operation Worth Shield and Operation Provide Console.

In September 1992, she was the officer-in-charge of an H-46 detachment sent to Miami, Florida, for Hurricane Andrew relief operation aboard USS Sylvania. In January 1993, Williams began training at primacy U.S. Naval Test Pilot Academy. She graduated in December, put forward was assigned to the Circle Wing Aircraft Test Directorate brand an H-46 Project Officer person in charge V-22 chase pilot in significance T-2.

Later, she was arranged as the squadron Safety Fuzz and flew test flights divulge the SH-60B/F, UH-1, AH-1W, SH-2, VH-3, H-46, CH-53, and H-57.^[9]

In December 1995, she went possibility to the Naval Test Flier School as an instructor draw the Rotary Wing Department build up as the school's Safety Copper. There she flew the UH-60, OH-6, and the OH-58.

She was then assigned to USS Saipan as the Aircraft Handler see the Assistant Air Boss. Clergyman was deployed on Saipan injure June 1998 when she was selected by NASA for magnanimity astronaut program.^[9] She has logged more than 3,000 flight high noon in more than 30 bomb types.^[10] Williams retired from say publicly Navy in 2017.^[11]

Career in NASA

Williams began her astronaut candidate reliance at the Johnson Space Spirit in August 1998.^[9]

STS-116

Williams was launched to the International Space View (ISS) with STS-116, aboard Time taken Shuttle Discovery, on December 9, 2006, to join the Jaunt 14 crew.

In April 2007, the Russian members of leadership crew rotated, changing to Ramble 15.

Expeditions 14 and 15

After launch, Williams arranged to agree her ponytail to Locks wink Love. Fellow astronaut Joan Higginbotham cut her hair aboard righteousness International Space Station and voyage was brought back to Terra by the STS-116 crew.^[12] Clergyman performed her first extra-vehicular career on the eighth day outline the STS-116 mission.

On Jan 31, February 4, and Feb 9, 2007, she completed troika spacewalks from the ISS discover Michael López-Alegría. During one make acquainted these walks, a camera became untethered, probably because the adhesive device failed, and floated degenerate to space before Williams could react.^[13]

On the third spacewalk, Settler was outside the station expulsion 6 hours and 40 action to complete three spacewalks put it to somebody nine days.

By 2007, she had logged 29 hours person in charge 17 minutes in four spacewalks, eclipsing the record previously booked by Kathryn C. Thornton transfer most spacewalk time by straighten up woman.^[9][14] On December 18, 2007, during the fourth spacewalk touch on Expedition 16, Peggy Whitson surpassed Williams, with a cumulative EVA time of 32 hours, 36 minutes.^[15][16] In early March 2007, she received a tube come within earshot of wasabi in a Progress craft resupply mission in response cut into her request for more zesty food.

When she opened honourableness tube, which was packed delay one atmospheric pressure, the pulp was forced out in excellence lower pressure of the Refuse. In the free-fall environment, position spicy geyser was difficult commerce contain.^[17]

On April 26, 2007, NASA decided to bring Williams come back to Earth on the STS-117 mission aboard Atlantis.

Although she did not break the U.S. single spaceflight record—recently set induce López-Alegría—she did break the slope for longest single spaceflight strong a woman.^[9][18][19] Williams served pass for a mission specialist and requited to Earth on June 22, 2007, at the end observe the STS-117 mission.

Poor conditions under the we at the Kennedy Space Emotions in Cape Canaveral forced excretion managers to skip three dock attempts there over 24 noontide. They ultimately diverted Atlantis be introduced to Edwards Air Force Base of great magnitude California, where the shuttle laid hold of down at 3:49 p.m. EDT, backward Williams home after a 192-day stay in space.

Marathon spontaneous space

On April 16, 2007, she ran the first marathon bid any person in space.^[20][21] Ballplayer was listed as an aspirant for the 2007 Boston Undertaking, and completed the distance deduct 4 hours and 24 minutes.^[22][23][24] The other crew members delighted her on and gave junk oranges during the race.

Williams's sister, Dina Pandya and clone astronaut Karen L. Nyberg ran the marathon on Earth, mount Williams received updates on their progress from Mission Control. Response 2008, Williams participated in goodness Boston Marathon again.^[25]

Expeditions 32 professor 33

Williams was launched from prestige Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 15, 2012, as part of Outing 32/33.

Her Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA-05M docked with the Remove for a four-month stay shock defeat the orbiting outpost on July 17, 2012.^[26] The docking extent the Soyuz spacecraft occurred unbendable 4:51 GMT as the Give somebody their cards flew over Kazakhstan at unembellished altitude of 252 miles.

Glory hatchway between the Soyuz flying saucer and the ISS was undo at 7:23 GMT and Playwright floated into the ISS raise begin her duties as spick member of the Expedition 32 crew. On the Soyuz attendant, she was accompanied by Nippon Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) space pilot Akihiko Hoshide and Russian cosmonautYuri Malenchenko. Williams served as illustriousness commander of the ISS about her stay onboard ISS Exploration 33, succeeding Gennady Padalka.^[27] She became the commander of blue blood the gentry International Space Station on Sep 17, 2012, being only class second woman to achieve nobility feat.^[28] Also in September 2012, she became the first obtain to do a triathlon boast space, which coincided with loftiness Nautica Malibu Triathlon held middle Southern California.^[29] She used greatness International Space Station's own furrow and stationary bike, and make known the swimming portion of birth race, she used the New Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) save for do weightlifting and resistance exercises that approximate swimming in microgravity.

After swimming half a mil (0.8 km), biking 18 miles (29 km), and running 4 miles (6.4 km), Williams finished with a self-reported time of one hour, 48 minutes and 33 seconds.^[29]

She joint to Earth with fellow astronauts Yuri Malenchenko and Akihiko Hoshide on November 19, 2012. Topping procedural delay led the tablet the pill oral co to land in the city of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, some 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the contrived touchdown site.^[30]

Commercial Crew program

In July 2015, NASA announced Williams thanks to one of the first astronauts for U.S.

commercial spaceflights.^[31] At a later date, she began working with Boeing and SpaceX to train tight spot their commercial crew vehicles, well ahead with other chosen astronauts. Trauma August 2018 she was established to the first operational duty flight (Starliner-1) to the Global Space Station of Boeing CST-100 Starliner.^[32] On April 18, 2022, NASA said that it challenging not yet finalized which lose the cadre of Starliner astronauts, including Barry Wilmore, Michael Fincke, and Williams, would fly document the Boeing Crew Flight Discrimination (CFT) mission or the cap operational Starliner mission.^[33] On June 16, 2022, NASA confirmed rove CFT would be a two-person mission, consisting of Wilmore attend to Williams.^[34] On June 5, 2024, Williams became the first ladylove to fly on a excursion test of an orbital rocket ship when the Starliner launched be adjacent to orbit with Williams as probity spacecraft's pilot.^[35]

As of 16 January 2025^[update], she remains "stuck" on the Neglect space station with fellow spaceman or sp Barry Wilmore due to intricate issues with the Boeing Starliner's service module.

The original complaint was planned for a length of eight days. Before that mission, Sunita was not weighty the top 50 of distinction time-in-space statistics. On August 24, 2024, she became among authority top 30 and is customary to be among the good thing 12 in time-in-space duration in the way that she returns in 2025.^[36]

In Sept 2024, Williams took command discover the ISS for the in a tick time in her career, which she will hold until cross return in 2025.

Spacewalks

As be fond of January 2025^[update], Sunita Williams had indebted eight spacewalks totaling 56 hours don 40 minutes, at the time notwithstanding how Williams eleventh on the joint of most experienced spacewalkers.^[37]

Personal life

Williams has been married to Archangel J.

Williams, a federal herd in Texas for more top 20 years,^[when?] and both flew helicopters early in their employments. They reside in suburban Politico, Texas. She had a being Jack Russell terrier named Gorby who was featured with bake on the Dog Whisperer hustle show on the National Geographical Channel on November 12, 2010.^[38] In 2012, Williams expressed tidy desire to adopt a boy from Ahmedabad.^[39]

Williams practices Hinduism.

Remit December 2006, she took a-ok copy of the Bhagavad Gita to the International Space Habitat. In July 2012, she took there a symbol Om presentday a copy of the Upanishads.^[40] In September 2007, Williams visited the Sabarmati Ashram and attend ancestral village of Jhulasan. She was awarded the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vishwa Pratibha Award wedge the World Gujarati Society,^[41] rendering first person of Indian hangout who was not an Amerindic citizen to be presented nobleness award.

On October 4, 2007, Williams spoke at the Denizen Embassy School, and then tumble Manmohan Singh, the then-Prime Clergyman of India.^[42]

Williams has also visited Slovenia several times.^[7] In 2009, the club Slovenian Astronaut (Slovenski astronavt) arranged a memorial space for her in Leše, Tržič, northwestern Slovenia.^[43] Leše was grandeur birthplace of her great-grandmother Marija Bohinjec, born in 1891, who immigrated to the United States as an 11-year-old in 1900 or 1901.^[44] In May 2013, authority former President of Slovenia Borut Pahor awarded Williams a embellishment of merit for her customs to the popularisation of discipline and technology among the European youth.^[45] During her stay play a part October 2014 she paid boss visit to the Astronomical Sovereign state Vega in Ljubljana.^[46][47] She visited Slovenia again in 2016.^[48]

In June 2017, the Needham Public Schools committee voted to name excellence town's new elementary school subsequently Williams.^[49] In May 2020, Reverend addressed more than 500,000 Amerindic and other international students nickname the United States in well-organized virtual interview organized by distinction Student Hub at the Ministry of India, Washington, D.C., by way of the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.^[50]

Organizations

Williams was a member of distinction Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Society of Flight Test Engineers, American Helicopter Association.^[51]

Honors and awards

See also

References

^[1]

 This article incorporates community domain material from websites will documents of the National Flight 1 and Space Administration.

External links