Hi-tech conferences often witness low-tech problems. So also at the press conference on the concluding day of the international astronautical congress in Hyderabad. Sunita Williams was to address the packed hall and the mike was not working!

As one of the volunteers bounded to the dais, his legs hit the podium edge. “Oops, that hurts, doesn’t it?” asked Sunita, adding, “Up there it wouldn’t! It’s because of gravity.”

She should know, having spent the longest time in near-zero gravity that a woman astronaut had spent— over six months. She began her 195-days in space record setting flight on December 9, 2006 and returned home on June 23, 2007. She also became the record-holder for longest space walks by a woman with over 29 hours.

Sunita Williams was five-years-old when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. “I remember watching the landing in our black and white television at home. I grew up watching TV shows on space but never seriously thought of being an astronaut. I loved animals and wanted to be a vet. I also loved swimming and wanted to be a diver. But ended up in the naval academy!”

And that was quite an ordeal, because she had to cut her long hair. “I just didn’t like that!” said Sunita speaking at the congress. “My grades were just ok, nothing great and I finally went to flying school. There were limited opportunities for women and I ended up flying helicopters instead of planes. Maybe it was the circumstances or my performance. Anyway I did make it to jet test flying school. Still I didn’t think I had a chance of becoming an astronaut when it turned out that helicopter flying was an advantage!”

So saying, she told the young audience at the venue, mostly children, that “if you want to do something, just go ahead and do it. The only person saying ‘no’ to you is you!”

Sharing her experiences on board the ISS and during the space walks for repair works, Sunita gave a virtual picture of life in space using some video shots of her stay. Since the ISS is at a height of about 340 kms above earth’s surface, there is no full view of the earth from there. However, during the shuttle’s flight, one can see the planet in full and Sunita’s reaction was, she said, “It is round, just as Columbus said!”

It goes without saying that Sunita was inspired by explorers, not so much by science fiction. “When we were over the Strait of Magellan, I was amazed to see the number of fjords and islands. How did Magellan navigate around that, was what I wondered,” she said. It is the same spirit of exploration which she believes is one of the foremost requirements in an astronaut or space-farer. “It would be exciting to put down foot on another planet.”

Life in space
Describing her stay on the ISS, she said that it was fun. And the pictures prove that. Floating through the length of the station made up of many modules held together, her hair-raising pictures can make any gravity-bound earthling envious! Water or any fluid, on escaping the container, takes the natural spherical bubble configuration. Catching up with the bubbles would simply mean a little bit of effortless flying around.

There is no effort to do anything as here there is no gravity against which one has to work. But make no mistake, gravity has its uses for the human body. You don’t need to be strapped up for sleep on earth. You don’t need to rigorously do exercises to make sure your muscles stay in working condition. Or to make sure your bones do not deteriorate away in rapid osteoporosis as they do in space!

“There were many incredible moments in space, many ‘bungee moments’ when I had to tell myself that things are different here. Like when on a space walk, I had to ‘climb’ a high point of the ISS. I was scared I would fall off! It took me some time to tell myself that there is no ‘falling’ in space. When you take a packet of food, you automatically try to drop the stuff into your mouth. Does not happen there!” said Sunita.

What is most spectacular in the view from the ISS are the colours, she said. “The green of the fields, the white of the Himalayan snow caps, the craters…”

There is no feeling of isolation on board the ISS, Sunita affirms. “There is the work to be done, the maintenance work, the exercises, the experiments. We are in constant touch with ground control centres situated over many nations. We even have e-mail service for some time, though not the Net.”

The thermal conditioning system had to be reconfigured as also a much-urgent computer resetting. Some new solar arrays were added to the space station and that required space walks or “going out of the door”. Trash had to be jettisoned away in a manner that it would not pose danger to the ISS during its orbit. Swabbing samples for bacteria on crew members and on samples, checking water samples, blood tests to be taken, etc were some of the jobs done during Sunita’s ‘summer vacation’.

On way back to earth, Sunita was happy and looking forward to seeing her dog. But, she was already missing the ISS which had been home. “It is a great place and it makes you feel you are a part of the world, not of any country. Like my good friend Kalpana Chawla, an amazing individual, used to say, in space you become a citizen of the universe.”

The power above...
Does she believe in God? “Well, I do believe there is something up there guiding us, whether it is just my optimism or belief in something else I don’t know,” said Sunita, who says she is a spiritual person. She reads from the Bhagavad Gita and keeps the idol of a ‘fat Ganesh’ who she believes brings happiness and fortune.

As to what Sunita does when not in space, “Space-connected work takes a lot of time but otherwise I do a lot of camping, sports, outdoor activities, swimming, etc. And spend time with my dog.” Sunita loves samosas and is overwhelmed by the attention she has received in India, but hopes that, “it will mean more people are introduced to the wonderful world of space exploration.”

 In the true spirit of an explorer, Sunita believes mankind must explore other worlds. “Our planet is only so big and we keep adding people to it. We need to look beyond,” she feels, but is as clear that our own planet needs to be protected from exploitation and dangers of climate change, etc.