Sunita Williams homecoming: Which school did NASA’s ‘star-astronaut’ graduate from? Know all about her academic journey
Sunita Williams may have landed on Earth, but her happiness is over the moon. And why not? After all, she is finally back after after a nine-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
Sunita, who’s ancestral village is in Gujarat’s Mehsana district, was born on September 19, 1965, in Ohio, United States. Interestingly, her father, originally from Jhulasan, had migrated to the United States in 1957, news agency PTI reported.
Sunita Williams Return LIVE Updates: Sunita Williams Made Us All Proud, Says Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri posted on X, “Even when she was thousands of miles away for more than nine months on ISS, she was close to our hearts. 140 billion Indians joined the world in praying for her safe return. Young people around the world drew immense inspiration from the fortitude and perseverance with which she kept her chin up and continued with her good work for the betterment of humankind despite being personally stuck in an unpredictable situation.”
Who is Sunita Williams? Is she Indian?
Known for her record-breaking accomplishments, Sunita Williams was born in Euclid, Ohio, to Mumbai Indian-American neuroanatomist Deepak Pandya and Slovene-American Ursuline Bonnie (Zalokar) Pandya.
As per NASA, She considers Needham, Massachusetts to be her hometown. Suni and her husband Michael enjoy hanging out with their dogs, working out, working on houses, working on cars, working on airplanes, hiking and camping.
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Suni Williams
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 Williams in 2018
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| Born |
Sunita Lyn Pandya
September 19, 1965 Euclid, Ohio, U.S.
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| Other names | Sonika, Sončka, Sunita Pandya Williams |
| Education | United States Naval Academy (BS) Florida Institute of Technology (MS) |
| Spouse | Michael J. Williams |
| Father | Deepak Pandya |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | ISS Commander (twice), Captain, USN |
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Time in space
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608 days, 20 minutes |
| Selection | NASA Group 17 (1998) |
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Total EVAs
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9 |
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Total EVA time
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62 hours, 6 minutes |
| Missions | |
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Mission insignia
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45-day rehab programme at Johnson Space Centre
After their initial medical checkups, Williams and her fellow astronauts will be flown to Nasa’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. There, they will spend several days undergoing rehabilitation programmes designed to help them readjust to life on Earth.
Specialists from the Astronaut Strength, Conditioning, and Rehabilitation (ASCR) team will oversee their recovery and will help them with their reconditioning, reports NDTV.
Rehabilitation begins immediately upon landing and continues for 45 days, with two-hour sessions every day, seven days a week.
