Atlast, Sunita returned to earth in Atlantis..after days of uncertainity and bad weather...Thousands prayed to god for a safe return. Everybody was fearful about what happened to Kalpana Chawla some time back.
This time also, the space shuttle got damage in the heat resistant outer tiles. But, this time NASA didn't attempt for a chance. The damage was corrected before the return journey. Then, the computer system (Russian made), which was supplying the oxygen to the astronauts, stopped functioning. It was a serious problem. Normally, when such a problem comes, rebooting of the system would resolve the issue. But, this time it didn't help. Engineers in Houston and Moscow worked around the clock to come up with a fix. It took some 2 days to fix this damage.
Finally, Sunita and her team (pilot Lee Archambault and mission specialists Patrick Forrester, James Reilly, Steven Swanson and Danny Olivas) started their journey back to home. This time around, it was the turn of bad weather to delay their come back. And finally, today shortly before 1.00 pm (US time), they successfully landed at the Edwards Air Force Base (Mojave Desert) in California (earlier they planned for Kennedy Space Station Cape Canaveral.)
Now, Sunita Williams holds the record for stay in Space by any woman (195 days). She also set the world record for a female astronaut on spacewalks, totalling 29 hours and 17 minutes. She also proved that, she can not only walk, but run too, in space. During the Boston Marathon, she completed her race in a tread mill.
After the landing, 41-year-old Sunita was chosen Person of the Week by the ABC Television Network.
We, the Indians can celebrate this moment as she is an Indo-American.
About Sunita Williams...
Sunita Lyn Williams, born on September 19, 1965 in Ohio . A NASA astronaut, she is the second woman of Indian origin after the late Kalpana Chawla to go into space after being selected by NASA.
Married to Michael J. Williams, her family roots go back to Gujarat from her father's side. She carried a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a small statue of Ganesha and some samosas into space. She completed her Masters in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Her stint with NASA started in 1998. She flew into space on Space Shuttle mission STS-116, aboard the shuttle Discovery, on 10 December 2006.
This time also, the space shuttle got damage in the heat resistant outer tiles. But, this time NASA didn't attempt for a chance. The damage was corrected before the return journey. Then, the computer system (Russian made), which was supplying the oxygen to the astronauts, stopped functioning. It was a serious problem. Normally, when such a problem comes, rebooting of the system would resolve the issue. But, this time it didn't help. Engineers in Houston and Moscow worked around the clock to come up with a fix. It took some 2 days to fix this damage.
Finally, Sunita and her team (pilot Lee Archambault and mission specialists Patrick Forrester, James Reilly, Steven Swanson and Danny Olivas) started their journey back to home. This time around, it was the turn of bad weather to delay their come back. And finally, today shortly before 1.00 pm (US time), they successfully landed at the Edwards Air Force Base (Mojave Desert) in California (earlier they planned for Kennedy Space Station Cape Canaveral.)
Now, Sunita Williams holds the record for stay in Space by any woman (195 days). She also set the world record for a female astronaut on spacewalks, totalling 29 hours and 17 minutes. She also proved that, she can not only walk, but run too, in space. During the Boston Marathon, she completed her race in a tread mill.
After the landing, 41-year-old Sunita was chosen Person of the Week by the ABC Television Network.
We, the Indians can celebrate this moment as she is an Indo-American.
About Sunita Williams...
Sunita Lyn Williams, born on September 19, 1965 in Ohio . A NASA astronaut, she is the second woman of Indian origin after the late Kalpana Chawla to go into space after being selected by NASA.
Married to Michael J. Williams, her family roots go back to Gujarat from her father's side. She carried a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a small statue of Ganesha and some samosas into space. She completed her Masters in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Her stint with NASA started in 1998. She flew into space on Space Shuttle mission STS-116, aboard the shuttle Discovery, on 10 December 2006.
