Jhulasan's daughter

There are billions of people in the world. Amongst them, just a handful of them are famous while the rest follow a quotidian life finding comfort in their milieu. The numbers do the talking as it prove how cumbersome it is for someone to be a household name across the globe. With a lifetime of commitment to her space odyssey and a legendary career, Indian origin Sunita Williams has become a courageous symbol of dedication to the entire world.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon 9 spacecraft, carrying Sunita Williams, who completed 286 days on the space station, and her crewmates Butch Wilmore, Nick Hague and Alexander Gorbunov, reached the Gulf of America in the Atlantic Ocean by 3:27 am IST on Wednesday.

They have been transferred to NASA's Houston centre for special tests. The ordeal and trauma that both Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, trapped on the space station for nine months, went through would have been inexplicable. The repeated missions to bring the duo failed multiple times evoking the worst fear among billions including experts in Washington DC, USA. The first visuals of Sunita coming out from the dragon capsule saw the veteran astronaut gracing a smile, an odd countenance for someone trapped in a claustrophobic settlement for nine months fighting death.

Sunita and Butch Wilmore arrived at the space station on June 5, 2024. The trip was supposed to last a week. However, a helium leak and a crisis in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft prolonged it for a scary nine months. Jhulasan village in Gujarat is also gearing up to celebrate Sunita's return. Sunita's father, Dr Deepak Pandya, was born in this village in Mehsana district. He migrated to the US in 1957.

Sunita had arrived in Jhulasan after her record-breaking first space flight in 2007. At the reception given by the villagers that day, Sunita said, "Even though I have American citizenship, I am still Jhulasan’s daughter."

Before joining NASA, she was a fighter jet test pilot, one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. Prime Minister Modi has invited Sunita Williams to India for a special reception. The return of Sunita Williams to this earth will give humanity even more reason to be proud of its scientific achievements. Despite the uncertainty, Sunita not even once lost her courage or grit. It is a life lesson to billions across the world.

“ When we look in the darkest corners of space, we feel there exists something we don’t know. I want to inspire young folks to explore more” said Sunita.