Sunita Williams

Sunita Williams is an American astronaut and United States Navy officer. She holds multiple records for female space travelers, including most spacewalk time. Williams has completed two long-duration missions aboard the International Space Station and is slated to command the first crewed flight of the Boeing Starliner.

Early life and education

Born in Euclid, Ohio, she is of Slovenian-American and Indian-American descent. Williams graduated from Needham High School in Massachusetts before attending the United States Naval Academy, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Science. She later received a Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology. Her military training included designation as a Naval Aviator and later as a test pilot at the United States Naval Test Pilot School.

NASA career

Selected as a mission specialist by NASA in 1998, she completed initial training at the Johnson Space Center. Williams served in various support roles, including as a Cape Canaveral Space Force Station spacecraft communicator, or CAPCOM, for Expedition 9 and Expedition 10. She was also heavily involved in the development of the Orion spacecraft and served as deputy chief of the Astronaut Office. Her assignments have positioned her for a key role in NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Spaceflight experience

Her first spaceflight was aboard Space Shuttle *Discovery* on STS-116 in December 2006, which docked with the International Space Station. Williams joined Expedition 14, later transitioning to Expedition 15, setting a then-record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman. During this mission, she completed four spacewalks, totaling over 29 hours outside the station. Her second long-duration mission began with the launch of Soyuz TMA-05M in July 2012, serving as a flight engineer for Expedition 32 and later as commander of Expedition 33. On this flight, she performed three more spacewalks, bringing her cumulative extravehicular activity time to over 50 hours, a female record at the time. She returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-05M after 127 days in space.

Awards and honors

Williams has received numerous accolades, including the Navy Commendation Medal and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal. NASA has awarded her the NASA Space Flight Medal and the NASA Distinguished Service Medal. She was also inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2020. Her contributions have been recognized by institutions like the National Space Society and the Explorers Club.

Personal life

She is married to Michael J. Williams, a federal police officer. An avid marathon runner, she famously ran the Boston Marathon on a station treadmill during her first ISS mission. Williams is also a certified divemaster and enjoys triathlons, snowboarding, and bow hunting. She has been an inspirational figure for her outreach work, particularly in promoting STEM education for young women.

Category:American astronauts Category:United States Naval Academy alumni Category:NASA astronauts