Introduction

The Longest Ten Days

Sunita Williams did not set out to break records during her latest mission; she set out to test a new spacecraft. What was originally intended as a ten-day test flight transformed into a 286-day odyssey when the Boeing Starliner experienced thruster failures. Rather than seeing this as a catastrophe, Sunita viewed it as a reset of her expectations, a chance to continue the work she loves in a place she considers a second home. This is the story of how a girl who struggled with school exams became a commander of the International Space Station, proving that even when you are "stuck" 250 miles above Earth, you can still find ways to move forward.

What does it feel like when the quiet of space is suddenly broken by an emergency alarm?

Summary

The Humanity in the Stars

The most significant takeaway for Sunita Williams was not a technical discovery, but a realization about human goodness. While the news portrayed her as "stuck" or "stranded," she was overwhelmed by messages of support from people of all nationalities and religions who were praying for her safety. She concludes that humans are fundamentally kind and that much of our conflict on Earth is a distraction from our shared connection. Sunita insists she is not extraordinary, but simply someone who refused to take "no" for an answer, encouraging the next generation to realize that they, too, have the potential to reach for the stars.

The Midnight Safe Haven

In the middle of the night, silence on the space station is often a comfort, but one night it was shattered by a warning that a satellite below had exploded, creating a dangerous debris field. Sunita and her crewmates were forced into a "safe haven" procedure, retreating to their respective return vehicles in case the station was hit. In a moment that was both surreal and deeply human, the crew members met near the bathroom for a final check-in, sharing...

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One Bite at a Time

When the Starliner thrusters began to fail, Sunita and her co-pilot Butch Wilmore were faced with a chaotic and unpredictable situation. Instead of panicking about the distance from home, Sunita utilised a technique called compartmentalisation, which she learned during her time as a military pilot. She describes problem-solving using the philosophy of "The Martian": you cannot tackle a giant crisis all at once, so you take one little bite at a time. By focusing only on the immediate goal of...

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The Girl with the Wet Hair

Growing up in a multicultural Indian-Slovenian family, Sunita often felt like she stood out for the wrong reasons. She and her sister were the swimmers who arrived at school with wet hair and long Indian braids, feeling the discomfort of not quite blending in with their peers. Sunita is remarkably open about her insecurities, admitting that she struggled with academics in college and often doubted her ability to pass pilot check-rides or master complex robotic arms,,. However, she learned that...

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A World Without Borders

From 250 miles up, national borders vanish into a singular, glowing map of human connection. Sunita observed city lights across various countries that looked like interconnected nerve centres, regardless of which territory they belonged to. During the day, she marveled at the massive wrinkles of the Himalayas, which appeared like giant folds where the Earth’s tectonic plates had bumped into each other millions of years ago. Even the oceans were alive with the lights of fishing boats on different coasts,...

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Garlic, Dust, and Floating Tears

Life on the space station is a sensory experience unlike any on Earth. There is a constant background noise of pumps, fans, and the creaks and moans of metal expanding as it is heated by the sun,. Space smells like the people inside it and the food they eat; for Sunita, this meant the comforting scent of garlic and Indian food. Gravity’s absence changes everything, even emotions: when Sunita cried because she missed her dog, her tears did not fall...

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In Memory of Pioneers

Sunita’s path to the stars was influenced heavily by her friend and role model, Kalpana Chawla. Following the Columbia tragedy, Sunita felt a deepened desire to explore more, believing that the best way to honour those who were lost was to press harder and continue their work. She views launch day not with a fear of death, but with the focused energy of a football player heading into a match, ready to take on the responsibility of the mission. To...

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The Smell of Sage and a Simple Sandwich

Returning to Earth is a physical shock to the neurovestibular system, which essentially shuts down in space because it is not needed for balance. Upon landing, Sunita felt nauseous for nearly 24 hours as her inner ear relearned how to process gravity. Despite the physical toll, the return was a celebration of the senses: the smell of dirt and sage in the California desert and the luxury of feeling water fall during a real shower. Her first meal was a...

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