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The Sunita Williams Story: A Journey among the Stars

Sunita Williams is a retired U.S. Navy officer and an American astronaut. In September 2024, NASA decided to launch SpaceX Crew 9 from Earth with Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore to the ISS. The Crew 9 astronauts were scheduled to return to Earth in February 2025 in their Dragon spacecraft, but due to technical issues, the Starliner returned empty in September 2024. More than nine months passed. They finally returned to Earth on March 18, 2025, after spending 286 days in space. This 286-day stay brought Williams' total time in space to 608 days. This made Williams the second-longest NASA astronaut, behind Peggy Whitson's record of 675 days in space.

Table of Contents:

• Early & Personal Life
• Career and Professional Life
• Achievements and Records

• Early & personal life:

Sunita Lynn Williams (née Pandya) was born on September 19, 1965, in Euclid, Ohio, United States. But she considers Needham, Massachusetts, to be her birthplace. Her father, Dr. Deepak Pandya, was an Indian-American neuroanatomist from Gujarat, India, and her mother, Ursuline Bonnie Pandya, was a Slovenian American. Sunita is therefore of Indian and Slovenian descent. She is the youngest of three siblings. Williams completed her schooling at Needham High School in Massachusetts. Sunita then enrolled at the United States Naval Academy and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in physical science in 1987. In 1995, she earned a master’s degree in engineering management from the Florida Institute of Technology.

She later married Michael J. Williams, a former police officer. Sunita is an accomplished swimmer and athlete. Her love of outdoor sports is evident in her active participation in the physical challenges of space.

• Career and Professional Life:

Military Career

In May 1987, Sunita Williams was commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. She then served a six-month temporary assignment to Naval Coastal Systems Command and was designated a Basic Diving Officer. In July 1989, she was commissioned a naval aviator. She received initial H-46 Sea Knight training at Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 3 (HC-3). She was then assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 8 (HC-8) in Norfolk, Virginia. She was the officer-in-charge of an H-46 detachment deployed to Miami, Florida, during the Hurricane Andrew relief operation aboard the USS Sylvania in September 1992. In January 1993, Williams began training at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and graduated in December. He then served as the H-46 Project Officer in the Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Directorate and as a V-22 Chase Pilot at T-2. He later served as Squadron Safety Officer and conducted test flights on the SH-60B/F, UH-1, AH-1W, SH-2, VH-3, H-46, CH-53, and H-57. In December 1995, he returned to the Naval Test Pilot School as an instructor and school safety officer in the Rotary Wing Division, flying the UH-60, OH-6, and OH-58. He also served as an aircraft handler and assistant air boss on the USS Saipan. In June 1998, he was selected by NASA for the astronaut program. Williams retired from the Navy in 2017.

In NASA

Sunita Williams was selected as a NASA astronaut in August 1998 and trained at the Johnson Space Center. She began her journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on December 9, 2006, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-116. On April 16, 2007, she became the first person to run the Boston Marathon. She then broke the record for women by completing four spacewalks in excess of 29 hours. On June 22, 2007, she returned to Earth on STS-117 after 192 days in space, setting a new record for the longest spaceflight by a woman. Then, on September 17, 2012, she became the second woman in history to command the ISS for Expedition 33. She was also the first person to complete a triathlon in space. In 2015, she was assigned to Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial spacecraft program and, on June 5, 2024, became the first woman to conduct an orbital test flight on the Starliner-1 mission. Due to a technical malfunction, she remained on the ISS for nine months and returned safely to Earth on March 18, 2025, aboard SpaceX Crew-9. She holds the record for the most spacewalks by a woman, spending a total of 62 hours and 6 minutes on nine spacewalks. She ranks fourth overall in cumulative EVA time.

• Achievements and Records:

Records

• She held the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman.
• The first woman to run a marathon in space.
• The second woman to command the ISS.
• Seven spacewalks, with a total of 50 hours and 40 minutes of extravehicular activity.

Awards

• Legion of Merit.
• Defense Superior Service Medal.
• Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
• Navy Commendation Medal.
• Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (2011).
• NASA Spaceflight Medal.
• Padma Bhushan (2008).
• Honorary Doctorate (2013).
• Golden Order for Merits (2013).
• Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vishwa Pratibha.
• She was included on the BBC's 100 Women list (2024).

Sunita Williams has flown more than 30 different aircraft in her military career. She has logged over 3,000 hours of flight time. Williams participated in Expedition 14. She was also a flight engineer on Expedition 15 and Expedition 32 and served as commander of Expedition 33 on the International Space Station. After being selected for the astronaut program, she was stationed on the USS Saipan. The Indian-origin astronaut became the first woman to conduct a test flight of a spacecraft in orbit during the 2024 Boeing Crew Flight Test. Her stay on the ISS was cut short. She returned safely to Earth after her inspiring mission on the ISS. Today, she sets a benchmark for the entire world for this feat. She is one of the most experienced astronauts in the world. Her nine spaceflights are the second most by a woman, and their total duration is 62 hours and 6 minutes, the longest by a woman and the fourth overall.