Sunita Williams Family and Education: Indian Father, Slovenian Mother, and More!

One of the most popular names floating around the internet right now is Sunita Williams. The NASA astronaut, who was on a space journey for more than 9 months, is finally making her return to the Earth alongside fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore. Their return is scheduled for Tuesday at 05:57 PM EDT (03:27 AM IST Wednesday, 19th March). Let's look to understand more about the NASA astronaut, her Indian-origin roots, and her formal education.

Sunita Williams Family: Indian Father and Ukrainian Mother

The NASA astronaut was born in Euclid, Ohio, but she considers Needham, Massachusetts, to be her hometown. Sunita's father, Deepak Pandya, was a neuroanatomist from the Mehasana district, Gujarat, while her mother was a Slovene-American. Her name is Ursuline Bonnie Pandya. Both her parents lived in Massachusetts, and that's why Sunita has a special connection with the place. Sunita is the youngest of the three children.

The NASA astronaut has always embraced her mixed heritage with an open heart. Her nicknames are Suni in the United States and Sončka in Slovenia. Sunita has completed her Bachelor of Science degree at the United States Naval Academy, where she met her husband Michael J. Williams, and also completed her master's from Florida Institute of Technology in 1995.

Sunita Williams' Space Journey

Sunita Williams made her first trip to space on December 9, 2006, which continued till June 22, 2007. During her first space expedition, Mrs. Williams served as flight engineer, and she also created a record for females with 4 spacewalks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes.

Her second space mission began on July 14, 2012, and lasted till November 18th of the same year. This time, Sunita improved on her spacewalks and created yet another record by spending a total of 50 hours and 40 minutes (the highest for a female astronaut till then).

The inspiring astronaut has also received multiple accolades from India as well. She was conferred with the Padma Bhushan, an honorary doctorate from the Gujarat Technological University, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Vishwa Pratibha award.