Astronaut Sunita Williams of Indian descent is poised to make history once again as she prepares to journey into space. Williams will travel aboard Boeing's Starliner spacecraft along with Butch Wilmore.
According to NASA, the spacecraft is slated to launch at 8:04 AM IST from the Kennedy Space Center. Williams and Wilmore are expected to spend about a week aboard the International Space Station.
This marks the first occasion that the Boeing Starliner will carry astronauts into space. Previous missions in 2019 and 2022 did not include crew members. The Starliner mission's budget is estimated to exceed one billion dollars.
If successful, this mission will be considered a significant advancement in space exploration. Following the 2011 retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle fleet, NASA initiated the Commercial Crew Program under which companies like SpaceX and Boeing have been developing spacecraft.
Should the mission succeed, Boeing's Starliner aircraft will be authorized for future space missions. SpaceX's aircraft has already transported astronauts in 2020.
While speaking with NDTV, Sunita Williams mentioned, 'Reaching the International Space Station will feel like coming home.'
Sunita Williams's Third Journey into Space
At 59, Sunita Williams has embarked on space voyages twice before. According to NASA, she has spent a total of 322 days in space.
In 2006, she spent 195 days and in 2012, 127 days in space. The 2012 mission was notable as Williams performed three spacewalks, venturing outside the space station. However, during her first expedition, she went on four spacewalks.
Sunita Williams is the second woman of Indian origin to travel to space, after Kalpana Chawla.
Source: aajtak
Meet Sunita Williams
After graduating from the US Naval Academy in 1987, Williams joined NASA. She was selected as an astronaut in 1998.
Her father, Deepak Pandya, relocated from Ahmedabad to America in 1958. Williams was born in 1965. A graduate of the US Naval Academy, she has also piloted combat aircraft, logging over 3,000 hours in 30 different types of fighter planes.
Williams once shared her experiences of space, explaining phenomena like floating water and the absence of gravity. In space, they had to capture floating bubbles to moisten a cloth for washing, and eating involved catching drifting food packets. She mentioned that combing hair isn't necessary in space as hair stays in a constant upright position.
She narrated that astronauts float continuously and must secure themselves with belts to work stationary. Williams is married to Michael Williams, a former police officer in Texas.
