Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is now the commander of the International Space Station. She was in space on an eight-day mission, which had to be extended to more than eight months because the Boeing Starliner spacecraft she was traveling in had technical glitches.
NASA has announced that Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko handed over command of the space station to Sunita Williams in a ceremony held on the space station.
Kononenko is completing a one-year mission aboard the station and is one of three astronauts, along with Tracy C. Dyson and Nikolai Chub, who are scheduled to return to Earth.
Williams is working in the Microgravity Laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions.
This is the second time Sunita Williams is commanding the ISS. The last time she commanded was 12 years ago. As the commander of the International Space Station, her main responsibility will be to maintain security on the space station.
Speaking at the formal handover ceremony, Sunita Williams said, “This Expedition 71 has taught all of us a lot, the ability to adapt, you adopted Butch and me, even though it wasn’t part of the plan, you welcomed us like family.”
Oleg Kononenko formally handed over a golden key to Sunita Williams – a part used in the docking port of the Soyuz spacecraft. An excited Sunita Williams was seen turning the key and playing with it in the near-zero gravity environment of the ISS. In total, she has spent 431 days in space and is likely to return to Earth on a SpaceX Crew Dragon in February.
Earlier this month, Sunita Williams shared her thoughts on the unexpected delay and called the International Space Station her “happy place.” She said adjusting to life in space hasn’t been difficult for her because of her previous experience — this is her third stay in space.
The International Space Station is like a small city in space that has been flying for 25 years. The ISS weighs 419 tons and cost more than $150 billion. It is the size of a football field – about 109 meters long. Astronauts in its orbit see 16 sunrises every day.
On June 6, after reaching the International Space Station, Sunita Williams hugged the crew members. She said, “Thank you very much to the family and friends who lived this moment for so long. I think you are happy that we are no longer with you and we have another family here which is great.”
Sunita Williams, daughter of Dr. Deepak Pandya and Bonnie Pandya, is also a trained Navy pilot. She is also a marathon runner and ran a marathon while on the International Space Station.
Indian cuisine enthusiast Sunita Williams will eat fish curry during her space journey, NASA has confirmed. During her previous flights, she enjoyed samosas in space.
Before her flight, Sunita Williams had told NDTV that she would carry an idol of Lord Ganesha with her as it symbolises good luck for her.
