Sunita Williams

The visit by the star astronaut  Sunita Williams to India has created a stir among the school children, particularly in the state of Gujarat.  The period is just like celebration of the Science Week in the gracious presence of the great astronaut. Her visit to various venues, mingling around with kids and saying encouraging things to them, especially to the girl students made a great difference in science education, especially in space science awareness and future ambitions. 

Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams, who set the record for the longest stay in space by a woman, arrived in Ahmedabad on 20th September 2007 (Thursday) morning on a week-long visit to India. On 27th September 2007 morning, Sunita left for Hyderabad to attend the concluding session of the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC). From Hyderabad, she proceeded to New Delhi on 29th September 2007 on her way back to NASA, USA. 

"I am very happy to arrive in Gujarat and was looking forward to this visit for a long time",  Williams told the well-wishers during her arrival at Ahmedabad airport. 

In her schedule visit, the astronaut has been engaging with school children, attending few professional organizations in addition to the family programmes.

Girls have been the focus of Sunita’s visit for the last one week. “When I sit in a helicopter, the helicopter does not know whether I am a man or a woman. The space suit I wear does not know whether I am a girl or a boy. Why should you allow the society to limit you by the virtue of the gender bias? Limitations are only your mind,” she told a gathering of girls in Kadi town.
An emotional Sunita Williams said, "I am overwhelmed by the love and support of people and eagerness of the children to meet me and interact with me" .

Not for a single moment, the astronaut shows any signs of discomfort or unhappiness in her face. All the time she met people and delivered interactive talks, she had a warm smile and kem chho on her lips. That 's what we call a true Indian idol.

Record of the records:
The astronaut started her space journey on the Space Mission STS 117. She was launched on the space shuttle mission aboard the shuttle Discovery on 10th December 2006 and spent a record 195 days onboard International Space Station (ISS). She also has to her credit a record of four space walks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes. She returned on Earth on 22nd June 2007 on space shuttle Atlantis.

She also has against her name the first marathon by an astronaut in orbit lasting four hours and 24 minutes.

Williams, who studied engineering management at Florida's Institute of Technology, received her commission as an ensign in the United States in 1987 and has served as helicopter pilot and naval test pilot. She has put in over 2770 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.

She was selected by National Agency of Space Administration (NASA) for astronaut training in 1998.

First Interaction: Earth has no boundaries
The first interactive meeting was at Gandhi Ashram on 20th September 2007 with a large number of school students from Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar.

With a heart winning smile, the astronauts told the children, boundaries are all in our minds, but from my space shuttle, I saw no boundaries on our earth.

India is beautiful:
While the International Space Shuttle revolves round the globe and passes through India, She was thrilled to see the scenic sight of this country. According to her, India is beautiful. It is red, green and purple in colour when you look it from the up. She was excited to saw the lush green field, glaciers and mountains.

Protect our environment:
Telling the tale of her space voyage to the young kids, Sunita didi described that the distance of the International Space Station from the earth is only 400 km away. This was not a long distance on the earth; it can easily cover within four hours in time. But this much height in the space and its environment is very important and helpful for all of us.

"From space shuttle, you can clearly see the blue line dividing atmosphere and space. It is this line that protects us, we should take care of it, let us keep planet earth beautiful",  advised Sunita Williams to school children.

Recalling the philosophy of the father of nation, Sunita told the audience that Mahatma Gandhi told about this many years before, even without going into the space",  she said.

Grateful to the native land:
The second day earth journey of Sunita Williams was her father's native village Jhulasan in Mehsana district. The proud villagers as well as the local school children gathered at large and offered their heartfelt welcome and greetings to the world achiever.

In humble reply, Sunita Williams expressed her gratitude to the villagers and gave sisterly advice to the school children. She said," I am getting older my dear, soon my place will be replaced by you all".

In another interaction with school children at Sarva Kadi Vidyalay campus in Mehsana, Sunita talked on her space experience. Each of her words echoed with clapping of more than 15,000 students. Latter on the astronauts also had another interactive session at Gandhinagar.

Power of Science:
According Space Astronaut Sunita Williams, every aim is achievable. If you have a dream, then you will find out a way to achieve it, advice Sunita to a packed audience at Kadi School in Gandhinagar.

From sound waves to cells, from inclined planes to hurricanes, the power of science is great and it can bring all progress and prosperity for the nations.

Come and break my record:
In a programme organized by Rajasthan Sewa Samiti at Tagore Hall on 22nd September 2007 where about 1000 school children, their teachers and the scientists from premier institutes in Ahmedabad were present, Space woman Sunita Williams exhorted school children to become astronauts and break her record.

Speaking to children, she said, If NASA and Indian Space agencies work jointly in the field of space science and research, it will be great step.

"I will be happy if someone from India surpasses my record. It is a challenge for the young audience and I believe you all have the potential to surpass my feat", she urged.

Value of basic sciences
On the same evening, the space woman also addressed the students and faculties of Gujarat University in its open-air theatre. In her address to the university students, Sunita Williams emphasized the value of basic science education which is the key in making the complex astronomical science and space odyssey possible.

"In so many different fields, we have physics, chemistry and basic science that make space craft and lay down ways and means of how to fly in the space", she said.

Opportunity for young students:
In the packed audience of school children, scientists from the premier institutions, Sunita Williams offered a trail inside the space station inside the Tagore Hall in Ahmedabad. In a comprehensive multimedia presentation, she explained the young students about her space exploration, scientific experiments and the future prospective of this work.

She advised the students to see the dreams of this unimaginative field and explore the same with a sound scientific and engineering career.

During the session the astronauts goes on explaining the questions of the school children. The curious children goes on asking about how she prepared her space career, what are the medical fitness and how long the training of an astronauts. Students also conscious about the ever increasing debris in the space orbit and the escape of the space station.

How the astronauts perform their daily routine work, what about their oxygen-carbon dioxide intake and recycling, cleanness of the space station and the experience of space walk are the most FAQs of the school children.
Children's imaginative space:
The city based Rajasthan School students gave a guided tour to the Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams on 24th September 2007. After a short walk-through the student's imaginative space designs, the astronaut says, "it's wonderful concepts; I can see the potential future astronaut and space scientists among all of them".

The visit and interaction of Sunita Williams has created a stir and urge among the thousands of young children, who gathered the venue since early morning. The candid presence and enthusiastic interaction has showed so many dreams among the youngsters, who are looking up to explore the space beyond the moon and mars.

The space exhibition at the school campus aimed at inculcating the spirit of space science among the school children and to make them aware of the boundless space and its frontier research areas.

Students have come with wonderful thoughts and ideas about the outer space and they have prepared beautiful models on future space station, space colony, innovative energy system, and the possible human settlement in the space.

The students displayed their imaginative space science exhibition on six sub-themes like (i) space exploration; opportunities and challenges, (ii) matter, energy and time in orbit, (iii) conditions in space, (iv) plant, animals and micro-organisms (v) human beings in space and (v) preparing for un-imagined space.

I' m optimistic, so you can
In a question about strength of the Sunita Williams, she said, I think I am an optimistic. You can look at the glass half empty or half full, but I think you have to always look at the brighter side.

She urged the youth to keep their minds open to new ideas and new opportunities. “Sometimes, life throws open doors that you are afraid of or uncomfortable to venture through, but if you keep your mind open to exploring all options, you might find yourself living dreams that you never dreamt of,” she advised.

Space: touching humanity
The space woman has really made a remarkable awareness about the space science among thousands of young minds. Each of her interaction ignites the minds of the youngsters and motivating them to dream for a cause of science. 

The 58th IAC in India was organized in coincidence with the 50th anniversary the launch of Russia's Sputnik spacecraft that heralded the space era worldwide. Leading space scientists and policymakers attended the congress and discussed on the theme "Touching humanity: space for improving quality life".

The 58th IAC 2007 included many plenary sessions and technical sessions covering key topics on space science and exploration, earth observation, and applications and operations. Sunita Williams also interacted with 50 selected young students of undergraduate, graduate and law disciplines who were selected previously by ISRO with rigorous tests at national level.

True Indian Idol
After the concluding session of IAC 2007, Sunita Williams left for New Delhi and had meetings with the Prime Minister and the UPA Chairperson along with several interactive sessions with school children to share her experience as a space traveler.

Sunita Williams is an icon for todays youth and has made the world and India proud. Life of Sunita Williams is a fine example of how one can work with distinction on forefront of knowledge and technology with sheer dedication, courage and perseverance.

Let the mission and vision of Sunita Williams drives us on our quest for excellence, inspire us to push our potential to the furthest limits and to make our state and nation stand tall and proud in the world.