The Hindu Business Line : Ganesha, Gita, samosa for Sunita Williams in space

The colours of India from up in the outer space appear simply spectacular. The Himalayas appear dark green as one passes over, recounted the Indian origin astronaut, Ms Sunita Williams, giving a touch of India to her 195 day space odyssey.

Expressing her willingness to return to space if given a chance again, Ms Sunita said she would not mind joining India’s future mission to the Moon, in response to queries at the 58th International Astronautical Congress.

One of the highpoints of the global meet, which attracted a galaxy of space scientists and industry, Ms Sunita Williams played to the ear of the large gathering when she said “Lord Ganesha, the Gita and the Indian delicacy samosa, kept her going in the tough zero gravity environment”.

Manned moon mission

Admitting that she did not know much about India’ s plans for a manned mission to the Moon, she said “I believe it does not matter whether it is a man or woman, human being going is important”.

Memorable moment

Asked about a memorable, heart skipping moment in space, the NASA astronaut said, “When I had to climb the highest point in the International Space Station (ISS), it took a while to convince myself that I would not fall enroute. In space you don’t fall, you just float”.

Proud human

Was she very proud that as a woman, a girl she could reach such dizzy heights, Ms Sunita Williams said “Borders should not determine your life. Does the helicopter you fly know whether you are a male or female or for that matter a spacecraft. The bottomline is that a human can do all these”.

Space voyages

Did you feel isolated and will this feeling make human travel to planets like Mars difficult and dangerous? In space I never had this feeling of isolation, there are crew members, we are connected to ground station and have email access, the astronaut said in response to questions by newspersons and delegates.

What are the requirements for becoming an astronaut? High physical endurance and sound scientific knowledge. Start early in life to maintain a good health, because it is the only limiting factor to become one, she advised the large gathering of youngsters.

Space colonies

Are Space colonies in the offing? I don’t have the magic crystal ball. But look at the mirror and ask yourself if we are doing enough to save our own planet. However, lots of exploration needs to be done before we move to colonising the moon or other planets, she said.

On a philosophical plane, what were your feelings about earth from outer space? Ms Sunita Williams said “I realised it is a borderless world. I wish more people could go out there and experience it. It will remove the prejudices that of country, religion etc. and make the world a better place. Gandhiji realised this even without going into space”.

Did the problems encountered by the Shuttle scare her and whether the scientific experiments carried out useful? Ms Sunita Williams said “Problems, in fact help the scientific world the better understand the harsh environment and how to tackle them. We were confident because thousands of experts were dedicated to make it a success.”

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