Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams is now commander of the International Space Station. She was in space on an eight-day mission that had to be extended to over eight months because the Boeing Starliner spacecraft she travelled in faced technical glitches.
NASA has announced that Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko handed over the command of the space station to Sunita Williams at a ceremony onboard the space station.
Kononenko is completing a year-long mission on the station and is among three astronauts, along with Tracy C Dyson and Nikolai Chub, who are set to return to Earth.
Williams has been working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions.
This is the second time Sunita Williams is taking command of the ISS. She last took charge 12 years back. As commander of the International Space Station, her key responsibility will be to maintain safety onboard the space station.
Speaking at the formal handover event, Sunita Williams said. "This Expedition 71 has taught all of us a lot, the ability to adapt, you adopted Butch and me even though that was not part of the plan, you welcomed us as family."
Oleg Kononenko formally handed over a golden key to Sunita Williams -- a part used in the Soyuz spacecraft's docking port. An elated Sunita Williams was seen swirling and playing with the key in the near zero gravity environment of the ISS. In all, she has spent 431 days in space and is likely to return to Earth on the SpaceX Crew Dragon in February.
Earlier this month, Sunita Williams shared her thoughts on the unexpected delay and described the International Space Station as her "happy place". She mentioned how life in space has not been a difficult adjustment due to her previous experience -- this is her third sojourn into space.
The International Space Station is like a mini-city in space that has been flying for 25 years. The ISS weighs 419 tonnes, and costs over $150 billion. It is the size of a football field -- about 109 metres long. Astronauts see 16 sunrises daily in its orbit.
On June 6, after she reached the International Space Station, Sunita Williams hugged the crew members. "A big thanks to family and friends who lived this [moment] for a long time. I think you are glad we are not with you anymore and we have another family up here which is just awesome," she said.
Born to Dr Deepak Pandya and Bonnie Pandya, 59-year-old Sunita Williams is also a Navy-trained pilot. She is also a marathon runner and ran one while on the International Space Station.
A lover of Indian cuisine, Sunita Williams will have fish curry during her space flight, NASA has confirmed. During her earlier flights, she has enjoyed samosas in space.
Before her flight, Sunita Williams had told NDTV that she would carry an idol of Lord Ganesh with her as it was her good luck charm.
