Team Blitz India
NEW DELHl: NASA’s Indian-origin astronaut Sunita‘Suni’ Williams has safely reached the International Space Station (ISS), her third visit to the orbiting platform. She created history by being the first woman to fly on the first mission of a new human-rated spacecraft. She will also enjoy her favourite fish curry in space.
This time she flew on a brand new spacecraft, the Boeing Starliner, which she helped design and piloted.
On reaching the ISS, she had a little dance partyand hugged the seven other crew members. “A big thanks to family and friends who lived this [moment] for a long time. I think you are glad we are not with you anymore and we have another family up here which is just awesome,” said SunitaWilliams, who has been to the ISS twice, traveling once on a shuttle and then aboard a Russian Soyuz vessel.
Speaking before her space sojourn, SunitaWilliams, 59, said she is a bit nervous but has ‘no jitters’ of flying in a new spacecraft and once she reaches the International Space Station it will be like going back home.
On earlier flights, she gorged on samosas. NASA has confirmed to NDTV that Suni is not taking samosas on this mission. Her love for Indian cuisine comes from her parental lineage.
SunitaWilliams, a Navy-trained pilot, has already spent a total of 322 days in space. She held the record for total cumulative spacewalk time by a woman astronaut but that has since been overtaken by Peggy Whitson with 10 spacewalks.
Before her flight, SunitaWilliams told NDTV that she will carry a statue of Lord Ganesh with her on the commercial crew flight as it was her good luck charm. She added she was more spiritual than religious and was happy to have Lord Ganesh with her in outer space.
Earlier, she carried copies of the Bhagwad Gita to space. She also said she loved samosas.
