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New Delhi, Jan 21 (IANS) It is a very exciting time in human space exploration, said Indian-origin NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams, who has announced retirement after an extraordinary 27-year career.

Williams said this while delivering a talk at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi on space experiences and her recent space mission, where she was stuck in the orbital lab for nine months.

“It is a very exciting time in human space exploration. Every new project has its ups and downs, but each one teaches us something and prepares us better for what comes next,” said Williams.

“We often work with multiple systems and redundancies, but sometimes the solution is not very complicated; it can be something simple if you are willing to observe carefully,” said the Indian-origin astronaut while throwing light on the complexity of space missions.

Williams was part of three space missions -- 2006, 2012, and 2024. The third and the longest mission began in June 2024, when she and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore became the first to fly to space aboard Boeing’s faulty Starliner spacecraft.

While the mission was originally planned for just eight days, it extended to nine months. The duo joined Expeditions 71 and 72 before returning safely to Earth in March 2025.

Asking the audience to imagine zero gravity, the Ohio-born astronaut said, “When you take gravity away, you start to understand the nuances of how materials, medicine, and even human behaviour change. That understanding helps us learn more about ourselves and the universe.”

Williams has completed nine spacewalks, totalling 62 hours and 6 minutes, the most for any female astronaut, and fourth on NASA's all-time list. She was also the first person to run a marathon in space.

At the event, she also spoke of how childhood experiences shaped her, and the beauty of Indian food in uniting people even in space.

“Opening a package full of Indian food in space was incredible. What made it special was sharing it with my crewmates. Food has a way of bringing people together, even in orbit,” Williams said.

“Looking at Earth from above gives you the ‘overview effect.’ You realise we are all living on one planet, deeply connected, and boundaries start to feel meaningless,” she added.

--IANS

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