NAME: Sunita L. Williams (Commander, USN)
NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born September 19, 1965 in Euclid, Ohio, but considers Needham, Massachusetts to be her hometown. Married to Michael J. Williams.

Although they have no children, Labrador retrievers and a crazy Jack Russell Terrier named Gorby have added their share of excitement to their lives. Recreational interests include running, swimming, biking, triathlons, windsurfing, snowboarding and bow hunting. Her parents, Dr. Deepak and Mrs. Bonnie Pandya, reside in Falmouth, Massachusetts.

EDUCATION: Needham High School, Needham, Massachusetts, 1983. B.S., Physical Science, U.S. Naval Academy, 1987.
M.S., Engineering Management, Florida Institute of Technology, 1995.

ORGANIZATIONS: Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Society of Flight Test Engineers, American Helicopter Association.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded Navy Commendation Medal (2), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Humanitarian Service Medal and various other service awards.

EXPERIENCE: Williams received her commission as an Ensign in the United States Navy from the United States Naval Academy in May 1987.

After a six-month temporary assignment at the Naval Coastal System Command, she received her designation as a Basic Diving Officer and then reported to Naval Aviation Training Command. She was designated a Naval Aviator in July 1989. She then reported to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 3 for initial H46, Seaknight, training.

Upon completion of this training, she was assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 8 in Norfolk, Virginia, and made overseas deployments to the Mediterranean, Red Sea and the Persian Gulf in support of Desert Shield and Operation Provide Comfort.

In September 1992 she was the Officer-in-Charge of an H-46 detachment sent to Miami, Florida for Hurricane Andrew Relief Operations onboard USS Sylvania. Williams was selected for United States Naval Test Pilot School and began the course in January 1993.

After graduation in December 1993, she was assigned to the Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Directorate as an H-46 Project Officer, and V-22 Chase Pilot in the T-2. While there she was also assigned as the squadron Safety Officer and flew test flights in the SH-60B/F, UH-1, AH-1W, SH-2, VH-3, H-46, CH-53 and the H-57.

In December 1995, she went back to the Naval Test Pilot School as an Instructor in the Rotary Wing Department and the school's Safety Officer. There she flew the UH-60, OH-6 and the OH-58. From there she was assigned to the USS Saipan (LHA-2), Norfolk, Virginia, as the Aircraft Handler and the Assistant Air Boss. Williams was deployed onboard USS Saipan when she was selected for the astronaut program.

She has logged over 2770 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in June 1998, she reported for training in August 1998.

Astronaut Candidate Training included orientation briefings and tours, numerous scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training and ground school to prepare for T-38 flight training, as well as learning water and wilderness survival techniques.

Following a period of training and evaluation, Williams worked in Moscow with the Russian Federal Space Agency on the Russian contribution to the International Space Station and with the first Expedition crew to the ISS.

Following the return of Expedition 1, Williams has worked within the Robotics branch on the ISS Robotic Arm and the follow on Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator. As a NEEMO 2 crewmember she lived underwater in the Aquarius habitat for 9 days. She is currently assigned to the Expedition-14 crew. She will join Expedition 14 in progress, to serve as a flight engineer, after traveling to the International Space Station with the crew aboard STS-116.

Complete Space Shuttle Mission Coverage
Complete ISS Expedition 14 Mission Coverage

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I am new

Her mother is of Slovanian descent? I am shocked!!! I am right in my arguement. Just because her father is from India does not mean that Indians (mainly Gujjus) have to go out of their way and pamper her. Including our PM Dr. Singh (forget him; Sonia Gandhi decides which colour pagadi he has to wear).

DIO

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Originally posted by puttoo

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Originally posted by desi in ottawa

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" If she is so proud of her Indian heritage why doesn't she return to India and be an Indian - then every Indian would have the right to celebrate - but before that ???? Hard to understand "

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Sure this piece of advice is coming from someone who is himself living in North America.........You dont have to return to India to be proud of your heritage ......

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Fido.

Just curios. Did the Slovanians celebrate her trip? NO? why not? Why Indians (mainly Gujjus) have to celebrate and not Slovanians? Its not fair.

DIO

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Originally posted by Fido

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Originally posted by puttoo

And if she were so concerned about India - at some point in time she would have shown those concerns - why suddenly develop all the affinity and participate in some functions which Indians are also bloating over - its true a sneeze in the US comes on the front page in Indian Dailies and India does not figure anywhere in the US daily news - what an irony or as I have already said smacking of colonial era .

Thanks to the poster who has posted her complete bio data .

How can you compare here to Rakesh Sharma ???? Whereas the former was from the IAF and an Indian citizen the latter is neither . I still don't understand why are Indians gloating in on a person who has shunned India .

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Fido my comparison with Rakesh Sharma was in terms of fame ...... after the intial euporia about RS he was also pushed to the back burner just as Sunita Willams would be after sometime ..... it is but natural .... but for now for a community or a nation to be celebrate her, i see nothing wrong in that. But again it is always a personal feeling, ,my response to DIO was in the context that he though the gujjus had lost it to welcome her.
Regarding her bio what has not been mentioned was that when she went to space she took a " ganesha" with her. Now you tell me did Rakesh Sharma the famous Indian, you are so proud of , did he take anything that we symoloize as sacred or even Indian. In India we raised a hoha when it was suggested that the kids should be singing vande matram in the morning assembly. But she took the Ganesha cause that mattered to her .... not to show to anyone ...... my friend it is not by birth you have to judge a person ..... but by a person acts / deeds .... Karma
As for news from America being front page news in India , it not colonial fever .... it is being in synch with things ...... you like it or not India's growth has been because we were in synch with the americans.
You have mentioned she shunned India ..... what makes you think like that ..... is it that she visited after 9 years ....... ask people on this formun, does their visiting after a long time indicate their shunning the country.
Both you & DIO need to grow up ...... be indian ... we talk about "Vasudev Kutumb" .... understand the meaning of that ....