If you are familiar with the NASA space program, you are no doubt familiar with the name Suni Williams. As a veteran astronaut and retired U.S. Navy officer, Williams has spent decades breaking barriers in both aviation and spaceflight.
But how did she get here? What drives her passion for space exploration, and what lies ahead in her journey among the stars? Let’s try to find out.
Who is Suni Williams?
Sunita Lyn “Suni” Williams, born on September 19, 1965, in Euclid, Ohio, is a distinguished American astronaut and retired U.S. Navy officer. She currently holds the record for the second most spacewalks by a woman, with a total of nine extravehicular activities (EVAs) accumulating 62 hours and 6 minutes.
Education
Williams graduated from Needham High School in 1983 and earned a Bachelor of Science in Physical Science from the United States Naval Academy in 1987. In 1995, she got her Master of Science in Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology.
Navy
After graduating from the Naval Academy in 1987, she became a Naval Aviator in 1989. During her time in that role, she flew helicopter support missions during the Persian Gulf War, participated in humanitarian relief efforts after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and became a test pilot before being selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1998. However, despite becoming a member of NASA, she remained an active-duty officer in the Navy until her official retirement in 2017 at the rank of Captain.
Suni Williams joined NASA in 1998 as part of Astronaut Group 17, a class known as the “Penguins,” and went on to play a critical role in human spaceflight. Her first spaceflight was in 2006 when she spent 195 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for 195 days, setting a women’s record for longest continuous spaceflight at the time. She also conducted four spacewalks and ran the Boston Marathon from space with the help of a treadmill onboard the ISS.
How new technologies are shaping the future of space exploration
In 2012, Suni became the second woman to command the ISS during Expedition 33 and conducted three more spacewalks. After retiring from active spaceflight duty, Williams was one of the first astronauts that NASA selected for their Commercial Crew Program, which partners with private companies to develop new spacecraft and became one of the first test pilots for Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, which finally launched on June 5, 2024. Unfortunately, technical difficulties with the Boeing Starliner prevented her return to Earth, forcing her into an extended stay on the ISS until SpaceX is able to ready their Crew Dragon to bring her and fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore home, hopefully in late March.
Suni Williams continues to be an advocate for space exploration and STEM education. As part of the Starliner mission, she is helping shape the future of commercial human spaceflight.