NEW DELHI, India — Calling the present era a defining moment for science and discovery, Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams said it is “a very exciting time in human space exploration,” reflecting on her career and recent experiences in orbit during a talk at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi.
Williams, who recently announced her retirement after a 27-year career at NASA, was speaking about her space missions and the lessons learned from her most recent assignment, which saw her remain aboard the International Space Station for nine months.
“It is a very exciting time in human space exploration. Every new project has its ups and downs, but each one teaches us something and prepares us better for what comes next,” Williams said.
Highlighting the complexity of space missions, she noted that solutions are not always elaborate. “We often work with multiple systems and redundancies, but sometimes the solution is not very complicated; it can be something simple if you are willing to observe carefully,” she said.
Williams flew on three space missions in 2006, 2012, and 2024. Her third and longest mission began in June 2024, when she and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore became the first crew to travel aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Originally planned as an eight-day test flight, the mission extended to nine months, with the pair joining Expeditions 71 and 72 before returning safely to Earth in March 2025.
Describing life in orbit, Williams asked the audience to imagine a world without gravity. “When you take gravity away, you start to understand the nuances of how materials, medicine, and even human behaviour change. That understanding helps us learn more about ourselves and the universe,” she said.
Williams has completed nine spacewalks totaling 62 hours and six minutes, the most by any female astronaut and the fourth highest total in NASA’s history. She was also the first person to run a marathon in space.
During the interaction, she spoke about the influence of her childhood experiences and shared lighter moments from her time aboard the space station, including the role of food in building camaraderie among astronauts.
“Opening a package full of Indian food in space was incredible. What made it special was sharing it with my crewmates. Food has a way of bringing people together, even in orbit,” she said.
Reflecting on viewing Earth from space, Williams described the powerful shift in perspective astronauts experience. “Looking at Earth from above gives you the ‘overview effect.’ You realise we are all living on one planet, deeply connected, and boundaries start to feel meaningless,” she added. (Source: IANS)
