Embarking on a space expedition and successfully executing the out-of-planet stint is truly a challenging experience. However, venturing into a space mission not once but for the third time deserves a moment of its own. Walking the same path was none other than Indian-origin astronaut Sunita Williams. Although she previously went on two intergalactic missions, her quest to reach the skies made the 58-year-old undertake the journey for another time. But before she could take on the outer space voyage on May 7, Sunita Williams’ 3rd mission to space was called off due to a technical glitch.
In an interview with NDTV, Sunita Williams recently shared that she is a spiritual person. The astronaut also revealed about carrying a ‘lucky charm’ with her during her journey — an idol of Lord Ganesha. Williams was supposed to lift off from the Kennedy Space Centre on Merritt Island in Central Florida around 8 am in her swanky spacecraft — Boeing Starliner to reach the International Space Station (ISS). She was slated to be accompanied by her colleague Barry Wilmore.
The astronaut confirmed carrying a Ganesh idol on her third space mission, launched by the US space agency NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. Williams added that since Ganesh was her ‘good luck charm’, she planned on taking the statue on the commercial crew flight. On her previous two space outings, she took the Bhagavad Gita.
In the most recent development of the space operation, the launch of the Boeing Starliner has been postponed owing to a technical glitch. According to NASA, the Atlas V rocket launch was canceled ninety minutes prior to its takeoff. The suspension was caused by an off-nominal problem on an oxygen relief valve. Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore who were supposed to pilot the Starliner to the ISS have safely departed the spacecraft. No new date for the launch has been announced yet. If the launch was a success, Williams would have been the only woman to fly on the first crewed mission of a new space shuttle.
On December 9, 2006, Sunita Williams embarked on her first mission to space, which ended on June 22, 2007. She completed four spacewalks during her time aboard, setting a world record. Her total spacewalk time was 29 hours and 17 minutes. She started her second voyage on July 14 and ended it on November 18, 2012.
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