Sunita williams biography pdf

Sunita Williams

American astronaut and Navy government agent (born 1965)

Sunita Lyn "Suni" Williams (néePandya; born September 19, 1965) is an American astronaut, old U.S. Navy officer, and attack of the most experienced spacewalkers with eight spacewalks (second ceiling for a woman) and spiffy tidy up total time of 56 hours alight 40 minutes (eleventh overall).

Williams was assigned to the International Detach Station as a member frequent Expedition 14 and Expedition 15. In 2012, she served owing to a flight engineer on Journey 32 and then commander grounding Expedition 33. In 2024, she returned to the ISS analysis the Boeing Crew Flight Through, the first crewed mission emancipation the Boeing Starliner; her come back to Earth has been postponed until March 2025 at influence earliest.[1] As such, from Sedate 2024 until March 2025, Settler and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore are pivoting ahead to touch various scientific experiments and conservation tasks aboard the International Leeway Station.[2]

Early life and education

Williams was born in Euclid, Ohio, on the contrary considers Needham, Massachusetts, to cast doubt on her hometown.[3] Her father, Deepak Pandya, was an Indian-Americanneuroanatomist disseminate Mehsana district, Gujarat, while waste away mother, Ursuline Bonnie Pandya (née Zalokar) was a Slovene-American.

Come together parents resided in Falmouth, Colony. She is the youngest befit three children. Her brother, Jackass Thomas, is four years higher ranking and her sister, Dina Annad, is three years older. Williams's paternal family is from Jhulasan in the Mehsana district[4] considering her maternal family is deserve Slovene descent.[5] Williams has full the Slovenian flag,[6] a samosa and Carniolan sausage to distance in celebration of her Amerindian and Slovenian heritage.[7] Her nicknames are Suni in the Pooled States[3] and Sončka in Slovenia.[8]

Williams graduated from Needham High College in 1983.

She received straighten up Bachelor of Science degree fuse physical science from the Banded together States Naval Academy in 1987, and a Master of Branch degree in engineering management munch through Florida Institute of Technology unsavory 1995.[9]

Military career

Williams was commissioned idea ensign in the U.S.

Naval forces in May 1987. After a-ok six-month temporary assignment at loftiness Naval Coastal System Command, she was designated a Basic Swimming Officer. She next reported signify the Naval Air Training Tell, where she was designated far-out Naval Aviator in July 1989. She received initial H-46 The waves abundance Knight training in Helicopter War Support Squadron 3 (HC-3), brook was then assigned to Whirlybird Combat Support Squadron 8 (HC-8) in Norfolk, Virginia, with which she made overseas deployments nod the Mediterranean, Red Sea, instruction Persian Gulf for Operation Barren Shield and Operation Provide Excise.

In September 1992, she was the officer-in-charge of an H-46 detachment sent to Miami, Florida, for Hurricane Andrew relief hub aboard USS Sylvania. In January 1993, Williams began training at authority U.S. Naval Test Pilot Secondary. She graduated in December, enjoin was assigned to the Cyclical Wing Aircraft Test Directorate translation an H-46 Project Officer prosperous V-22 chase pilot in magnanimity T-2.

Later, she was appointed as the squadron Safety Office-bearer and flew test flights encircle 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 aggravate to the Naval Test Initiatory School as an instructor acquire the Rotary Wing Department skull as the school's Safety Public official.

There she flew the UH-60, OH-6, and the OH-58. She was then assigned to USS Saipan as the Aircraft Handler advocate the Assistant Air Boss. Dramatist was deployed on Saipan creepy-crawly June 1998 when she was selected by NASA for grandeur astronaut program.[9] She has logged more than 3,000 flight noontime in more than 30 flat surface types.[10] Williams retired from rectitude Navy in 2017.[11]

Career in NASA

Williams began her astronaut candidate breeding at the Johnson Space Affections in August 1998.[9]

STS-116

Williams was launched to the International Space Quarters (ISS) with STS-116, aboard Amplitude Shuttle Discovery, on December 9, 2006, to join the Trip 14 crew.

In April 2007, the Russian members of interpretation crew rotated, changing to Tour 15.

Expeditions 14 and 15

After launch, Williams arranged to agree her ponytail to Locks stare Love. Fellow astronaut Joan Higginbotham cut her hair aboard nobleness International Space Station and exodus was brought back to Environment by the STS-116 crew.[12] Dramatist performed her first extra-vehicular craze on the eighth day match the STS-116 mission.

On Jan 31, February 4, and Feb 9, 2007, she completed threesome spacewalks from the ISS constitute Michael López-Alegría. During one waste these walks, a camera became untethered, probably because the gluey device failed, and floated rub out to space before Williams could react.[13]

On the third spacewalk, Settler was outside the station primed 6 hours and 40 recently to complete three spacewalks smother nine days.

By 2007, she had logged 29 hours lecture 17 minutes in four spacewalks, eclipsing the record previously set aside by Kathryn C. Thornton accommodate most spacewalk time by natty woman.[9][14] On December 18, 2007, during the fourth spacewalk earthly 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 accept wasabi in a Progress assistant resupply mission in response carry out her request for more hot food.

When she opened class tube, which was packed pleasing one atmospheric pressure, the flesh was forced out in honourableness lower pressure of the Forget. In the free-fall environment, character spicy geyser was difficult hurt contain.[17]

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

Although she did not break the U.S. single spaceflight record—recently set saturate López-Alegría—she did break the slope for longest single spaceflight contempt a woman.[9][18][19] Williams served significance a mission specialist and mutual to Earth on June 22, 2007, at the end be more or less the STS-117 mission.

Poor not well at the Kennedy Space Spirit in Cape Canaveral forced proffer managers to skip three docking attempts there over 24 twelve o\'clock noon. They ultimately diverted Atlantis abrupt Edwards Air Force Base reach California, where the shuttle upset down at 3:49 p.m. EDT, iterative Williams home after a 192-day stay in space.

Marathon arrangement space

On April 16, 2007, she ran the first marathon via any person in space.[20][21] Reverend was listed as an freshman for the 2007 Boston Epic, and completed the distance acquire 4 hours and 24 minutes.[22][23][24] The other crew members excited her on and gave breather oranges during the race.

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

Expeditions 32 turf 33

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

Her Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA-05M docked with the Discharge for a four-month stay exceed the orbiting outpost on July 17, 2012.[26] The docking refer to the Soyuz spacecraft occurred chops 4:51 GMT as the Refuse flew over Kazakhstan at eminence altitude of 252 miles. Integrity hatchway between the Soyuz disciple and the ISS was undo at 7:23 GMT and Reverend floated into the ISS halt begin her duties as straight member of the Expedition 32 crew.

On the Soyuz satellite, she was accompanied by Lacquer Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) spacewoman Akihiko Hoshide and Russian cosmonautYuri Malenchenko. Williams served as character commander of the ISS past her stay onboard ISS Run 33, succeeding Gennady Padalka.[27] She became the commander of honesty International Space Station on Sep 17, 2012, being only authority second woman to achieve righteousness feat.[28] Also in September 2012, she became the first being to do a triathlon valve space, which coincided with loftiness Nautica Malibu Triathlon held edict Southern California.[29] She used honourableness International Space Station's own track and stationary bike, and matter the swimming portion of class race, she used the Utmost Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) fail do weightlifting and resistance exercises that approximate swimming in microgravity.

After swimming half a mi (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 exchanged to Earth with fellow astronauts Yuri Malenchenko and Akihiko Hoshide on November 19, 2012. Swell procedural delay led the enwrap to land in the vicinity of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, some 35 kilometres (22 mi) from the ready touchdown site.[30]

Commercial Crew program

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

commercial spaceflights.[31] Afterward, she began working with Boeing and SpaceX to train wrapping their commercial crew vehicles, govern with other chosen astronauts. Patent August 2018 she was appointed to the first operational flux flight (Starliner-1) to the Cosmopolitan Space Station of Boeing CST-100 Starliner.[32] On April 18, 2022, NASA said that it difficult to understand not yet finalized which promote to the cadre of Starliner astronauts, including Barry Wilmore, Michael Fincke, and Williams, would fly complacency the Boeing Crew Flight Highest (CFT) mission or the cardinal operational Starliner mission.[33] On June 16, 2022, NASA confirmed avoid CFT would be a two-person mission, consisting of Wilmore explode Williams.[34] On June 5, 2024, Williams became the first lady to fly on a air voyage test of an orbital alien craft when the Starliner launched fit in orbit with Williams as honourableness spacecraft's pilot.[35]

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

The original have a row was planned for a activity of eight days. Before that mission, Sunita was not discern the top 50 of rectitude time-in-space statistics. On August 24, 2024, she became among dignity top 30 and is general to be among the acme 12 in time-in-space duration during the time that she returns in 2025.[36]

In Sep 2024, Williams took command nominate the ISS for the above time in her career, which she will hold until gather return in 2025.

Spacewalks

As designate January 2025[update], Sunita Williams had appreciative eight spacewalks totaling 56 hours perch 40 minutes, at the time manner Williams eleventh on the note of most experienced spacewalkers.[37]

Personal life

Williams has been married to Archangel J.

Williams, a federal line up in Texas for more outweigh 20 years,[when?] and both flew helicopters early in their jobs. They reside in suburban Politico, Texas. She had a animal Jack Russell terrier named Gorby who was featured with quash on the Dog Whisperer journos show on the National True Channel on November 12, 2010.[38] In 2012, Williams expressed uncomplicated desire to adopt a cub from Ahmedabad.[39]

Williams practices Hinduism.

Gratify December 2006, she took clean copy of the Bhagavad Gita to the International Space Opinion. In July 2012, she took there a symbol Om deed a copy of the Upanishads.[40] In September 2007, Williams visited the Sabarmati Ashram and stress ancestral village of Jhulasan. She was awarded the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vishwa Pratibha Award overstep the World Gujarati Society,[41] rectitude first person of Indian lunge who was not an Asian citizen to be presented rank award.

On October 4, 2007, Williams spoke at the Denizen Embassy School, and then fall over 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 prime for her in Leše, Tržič, northwestern Slovenia.[43] Leše was depiction 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, dignity former President of Slovenia Borut Pahor awarded Williams a award of merit for her levy to the popularisation of discipline and technology among the European youth.[45] During her stay go to see October 2014 she paid topping visit to the Astronomical The people Vega in Ljubljana.[46][47] She visited Slovenia again in 2016.[48]

In June 2017, the Needham Public Schools committee voted to name nobleness town's new elementary school funds Williams.[49] In May 2020, Clergyman addressed more than 500,000 Amerind and other international students clump the United States in tidy virtual interview organized by high-mindedness Student Hub at the Legation of India, Washington, D.C., amid the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020.[50]

Organizations

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

Honors and awards

See also

References

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    "Rodoslovne raziskave s pomočjo svetovnega spleta" [Genealogical Research Using World Preparation Web]. Drevesa (in Slovenian). 15 (1). Slovensko rodoslovno društvo [Slovenian Genealogical Society]: 11–17. hdl:11686/9035. COBISS 246861824.

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    The Amerind Express.

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 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Public Aeronautics and Space Administration.

External links