NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams safely returned to Earth on Tuesday (March 19), landing with a soft splashdown off Florida’s coast aboard a SpaceX capsule. Their return marked the end of an unexpected nine-month mission, initially planned as a week-long stay on the International Space Station (ISS).
The mission, originally designed to test Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, took an unforeseen turn after technical failures rendered the vehicle unfit for the return journey. What began as a brief demonstration flight evolved into an extended stay in space, drawing global attention and fueling political debates over NASA’s contingency planning and Starliner’s reliability.
Sunita Williams’ Family Background
Sunita Williams’ father, Deepak Pandya, hails from Jhulasan, Gujarat. After completing his Intermediate Science (I.S.) at Gujarat University in 1953, he earned an M.D. in 1957 before moving to the United States to pursue further medical training.
In 1964, he joined Case Western Reserve University’s Department of Anatomy as a postdoctoral fellow and later worked at various hospitals and research institutions across the country. Pandya met Ursuline Bonnie Zalokar, a Slovenian-American, after arriving in the US in 1957, and the two eventually married.
Last month, Zalokar spoke publicly about her daughter’s extended stay at the ISS in an interview with NewsNation. She expressed pride in Sunita’s dedication to space missions, stating:
“It’s what they do. They like doing this and they are honoured to be able to go up on a long mission like this and, you know, they feel great about it,” she said in the interview. “She’s doing what she loves. So how could I feel sad about it or anything? I’m happy for her.”
Sunita Williams’ Husband
Sunita Williams is married to Michael J. Williams, a federal marshal in Texas. Both she and her husband have a background in flying helicopters before transitioning into their respective careers. The couple has been married for 20 years and has no children.
In an August 2024 interview with The Wall Street Journal, Michael Williams shared that for Sunita, space is her “happy place.”
All about Sunits Williams’ childhood, career and achievements
Former US Navy captain and NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, 59, had a natural inclination toward science from a young age, her childhood dream was to become a veterinary doctor. However, a visit to the US Naval Academy, where her brother Jay was enrolled, inspired her to pursue a career as a naval officer instead.
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 1998, Williams trained extensively at the Johnson Space Center and collaborated with the Russian Space Agency in Moscow, working on Russia’s contributions to the International Space Station (ISS).
She embarked on her first space mission on December 9, 2006, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, joining ISS Expeditions 14 and 15 for a 195-day stay in orbit. Williams returned to the ISS on July 17, 2012, aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft for another four-month mission, before returning to Earth on November 19, 2012.
On April 16, 2007, she completed the Boston Marathon on a treadmill aboard the ISS in 4 hours and 24 minutes to become the first person to run a marathon in space. During her 2012 mission, she became the second woman to lead the ISS, overseeing operations, conducting experiments, and even completing a triathlon in orbit. She captured an unforgettable image during a spacewalk, appearing to “touch” the Sun.
Sunita Williams’ India visit
Williams has visited India multiple times, including in 2007 and 2013, following her space missions. In 2008, she was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honors.
Proud of her multicultural heritage, Williams has carried symbols of her ancestry to space, including samosas, a Slovenian flag, and a Ganesha idol on her missions.