New Delhi, Jan 21 (PTI) Former US astronaut Sunita Williams on Wednesday told students at IIT-Delhi that a solution can be something simple if one is willing to observe carefully.
Delivering a talk here,
Williams reflected on the current phase of human spaceflight, remarking that "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."
Speaking about the complexity of space missions, she explained that astronauts 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."
Asking the audience to imagine zero gravity, she 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."
The talk, "The Making of an Astronaut: Sunita Williams' Story," was followed by a fireside chat in which she spoke about her childhood.
Speaking of how childhood experiences shaped her, she said, "When you work as a team towards a common objective, you stop thinking only about individual success and start thinking about how the entire team can be better."
Sharing a memory from her missions, Williams recalled that opening a package full of Indian food in space was "incredible". What made it special was sharing it with the crewmates, she said, adding, "food has a way of bringing people together, even in orbit."
She also said that looking at Earth from above gives one an "overview effect" and "you realise we are all living on one planet, deeply connected, and boundaries start to feel meaningless." PTI GJS NAB AMJ
AMJ
