Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams has been aboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2022, conducting over 900 hours of research through various experiments. At 59, she has spent over 600 days in space across three missions, making her the female astronaut with the most spacewalk time—62 hours and nine minutes. Initially on an eight-day mission, her stay was extended due to technical issues, with Williams eventually becoming the ISS Commander. Her work includes maintaining the ISS, conducting experiments on plant growth and microbial processes, and promoting outreach activities. She is set to return to Earth soon.
New Delhi:
Sunita Williams (Suni), the NASA astronaut of Indian descent, has gained the nickname of the “stranded astronaut” due to her extended presence in space since June of last year, where she has conducted remarkable experiments and engaged in over 900 hours of research.
With more than 600 days in space, across three separate missions, the 59-year-old has also accomplished an impressive 62 hours and nine minutes of spacewalks, making her the woman astronaut with the most time spent in this activity.
Ms. Williams and fellow astronaut Barry (Butch) Wilmore have been residing at the International Space Station (ISS) for several months. They embarked on their journey aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5 of the previous year, arriving at the ISS on June 6 for what was initially scheduled as an eight-day mission but extended thereafter.
Throughout their stay, they faced various challenges including delays, threats from space debris, helium leaks, and technical issues with the Starliner spacecraft.
Ms. Williams is expected to return to Earth in the upcoming weeks.
So, what has Ms. Williams been up to while orbiting the Earth at nearly 400 kilometers above?
During her ascent to the ISS, the astronaut piloted the Boeing Starliner, which she played a key role in developing, a project that cost NASA 4.2 billion dollars. Together with Mr. Wilmore, she witnessed the Starliner safely depart from the ISS and land back on Earth on September 7, marking her as the first woman astronaut to test a space capsule.
At the ISS, she took part in extensive maintenance and cleaning of the football field-sized space station. Along with her colleague, she replaced many outdated instruments and sent a considerable amount of waste back to Earth.
According to NASA, Ms. Williams, Mr. Wilmore, and fellow astronaut Nick Hague “completed over 900 hours of research involving more than 150 unique scientific experiments and technology demonstrations during their time aboard the orbiting laboratory.”
As her stay extended from weeks to months, this experienced astronaut was promoted to the prestigious role of ISS Commander, a significant honor that entrusted her with the safety and security of the ISS, the most expensive engineering project ever undertaken. It has been continuously occupied by humans for the last 25 years.
To maintain her physical fitness in the near-zero gravity environment, Ms. Williams integrated rigorous weight training into her daily routine. Despite swirling rumors about her health, she clarified that her weight remained unchanged since her arrival at the ISS. Her “wild hair” also drew considerable attention, with US President Donald Trump commenting: “I see the woman with the wild hair, good, solid head of hair she’s got. There’s no kidding, there’s no games with her hair.”
The astronaut has completed lengthy spacewalks, also known as extra vehicular activities (EVA), amassing a total of 62 hours and nine minutes. During her most recent spacewalk on January 30, Ms. Williams dedicated five hours and 26 minutes to enhance the ISS, following a previous six-hour EVA on January 16.
She has also conducted tests and experiments on her own physiology to better understand the body’s reactions in space, including running a marathon during an earlier mission.
In her outreach efforts, Ms. Williams sent Diwali, Christmas, and New Year greetings to people on Earth and hosted a session with students from a school named in her honor. She even conveyed good luck wishes to participants of the 2024 Paris Olympics from space.
Among her other activities, the astronaut engaged in gardening by watering lettuce plants and studying their growth, a project that NASA states could “illustrate how less-than-ideal conditions impact plant development and assist scientists in creating systems to produce safe and nutritious food for future space missions.”
Ms. Williams also conducted experiments related to water recovery at the ISS using what NASA describes as packed bed reactors, which are systems that “pack” materials like pellets or beads inside a structure to enhance interaction between liquids and gases flowing through it.
She installed equipment for the Packed Bed Reactor Experiment: Water Recovery Series (PBRE-WRS) investigation to analyze how gravity influences these systems onboard the ISS. The findings may lead to better designs for water recovery, thermal management, fuel cells, and other applications.
While Mr. Wilmore examined the exterior of the ISS for signs of life within the space station, Ms. Williams conducted experiments with various microbes. According to NASA, she worked with bacteria and yeast samples for the Rhodium Biomanufacturing 03 project, which is part of ongoing research into how microgravity affects bio-manufacturing processes involving engineered bacteria and yeast aboard the ISS.
NASA reports that microgravity results in alterations to microbial cell growth, structure, and metabolic activity, impacting bio-manufacturing processes. This investigation could elucidate these effects and advance the use of microbes for producing food, pharmaceuticals, and other products in space, ultimately cutting costs for launching supplies from Earth.
Additionally, Ms. Williams conducted the BioNutrients investigation, demonstrating technology to generate nutrients during lengthy space missions using engineered microbes like yeast. Since long-term food storage can lead to a loss of vitamins and nutrients, this technology may provide a means to create on-demand supplements. She prepared specially designed growth packets for the investigation aboard the ISS.
Upon her return to Earth, Ms. Williams will achieve another record, having flown in four distinct space capsules: Space Shuttle, Soyuz, Boeing Starliner, and SpaceX Crew Dragon.
Interestingly, during her extensive stay at the ISS, significant political shifts occurred in the US, and she found herself inadvertently caught in the political divide between Democrats and Republicans. However, she chose not to engage in the discourse, maintaining her focus on her mission as an astronaut.