Collect information about the space mission undertaken by Sunita Williams
Sunita Williams, a Needham native, has ventured far beyond Massachusetts as an astronaut aboard the International Space Station. She was the captain of the space station from 2012 to 2014, and she has logged 322 days in orbit. She has also spent more than 50 hours alone on space treks.
Sunita Williams, an astronaut, poses for a portrait in this NASA photo from 2004. (NASA via Associated Press)
She appears in the new documentary “The Mars Generation,” which follows a new generation of youngsters who are ready to go to Mars in the twenty-first century.
On Sunday at 5 p.m., “The Mars Generation” will be shown at the Woods Hole Film Festival. On Sunday at 2 p.m., Williams will participate in a panel discussion on science and narrative.
Guests
Sunita Williams is a former commander of the International Space Station and an American astronaut. @Astro Suni is her Twitter handle.
Highlights from the Interview
On her way to achieving her dream of becoming an astronaut
It was a little bit of luck, a lot of persistence, and a little bit of chance. I wanted to be a veterinarian and attend Boston University. It didn’t turn out that way, and I ended up entering the Navy on my older brother’s advice. It was fantastic, and I didn’t understand it at the time, but it created several opportunity for leadership and followership collaboration. And that paved the way for me to become a test pilot and a helicopter pilot. It was the last nail in the coffin for me to believe that anything is possible. And when I arrived to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, I realised that I, like anybody else, could accomplish what those people were doing if they had the chance.
During her stint as a commander aboard the International Space Station, she says:
It was fantastic. It’s a massive responsibility. But, like in the film “The Martian,” you must take things one step at a time. You don’t look at the large issue as a whole since it’s daunting, in my opinion. So you simply take each day as it comes, meet the individuals who will be meeting with you, for you, and for whom you will be working, and do your hardest to perform the best job you can. It’s all about collaboration, and that’s what space flight is all about.
On what it’s like to stroll through space
When there’s just your visor between you and the outside, not-so-nice region of space where there’s no air to breathe — a vacuum that’s both hot and cold — it’s a bit unsettling. That’s rather frightening. However, you must take things one step at a time. When you’re out on a space walk, you have a lot on your mind, and that might be overwhelming. “I’ve got to get this exam done, and this test done,” you say. But you can’t help but pause now and then to take in your surroundings and watch the world go by — and then continue on your way “Oh my goodness! But, oh well, just keep working, keep working, keep working.” It’s a great perspective, a fantastic location to work, and the result of a massive team of people working together to make it work for the astronauts who are just doing their jobs.
What her experience in space has taught her about the obstacles that future Mars explorers will face
You’re away from home, and you miss your family and friends, as well as your dog, as I did. You do, however, have the opportunity to phone home and video conference on weekends. We’re near to Earth, and when we converse, there’s just about a half-second of delay. However, there will be a significant wait if you take that voyage to Mars. You won’t be able to have such spontaneous discussions. You’ll need to know how to repair problems without having to phone home and ask for help. So that team will face a variety of problems, and they must be aware that they will be gone for an extended period of time. I expected to be gone for at least 6 months, if not longer. [Those travelling to Mars] should be aware that they may be gone for up to a year and a half. You won’t be able to text your friends and family as you are used to doing here. It’ll take some time to get that dialogue flowing back and forth.
Collect information about the space mission undertaken by sunita williams
Sunita Williams has completed the following space missions: In December 2006, NASA sent Sunita Williams to the International Space Station (ISS) for Expedition 14 of Iss. She was also a member of Expedition 15 in April 2007. These voyages had many goals, including: (a) Continuing to assemble the ISS using assembly spacewalks.
(b) Reconfigure the cooling system (c) Remove and discard the water covering the ISS’s critical components.
She did four spacewalks in minutes outside the space station during these excursions. She was launched to the International Space Station in 2012 during Expeditions 32 and 33. During Expedition 33, she was the second woman to serve as Commander of the International Space Station. Operating a robot based on the Earth from space was one of the experiments carried out during Expedition 33.
She also took on the role of time. She finished the running, bicycling, and swimming portions of the traithlon in 1 hour 48 minutes and 33 seconds, using various workout gadgets from the ISs.
Sunita is now ranked eighth among the most experienced spacewalkers.