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Sunita Williams family: All about her parents and husband Michael
Sunita Williams' father, Deepak Pandya, is from Gujarat, and her mother, Ursuline Bonnie Zalokar, is Slovenian-American. She is married to Michael J. Williams.
NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore are set to return to Earth on Wednesday after an extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The pair arrived at the ISS in June 2024 on what was initially planned as a brief, days-long mission to test Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft during its first crewed flight. However, the spacecraft encountered propulsion issues, which rendered it unfit for the return journey. As a result, the Starliner returned empty, leaving the astronauts stranded at the ISS.
On Tuesday, both astronauts undocked from the ISS at 10:35 am IST and began their 17-hour journey back to Earth. They are travelling aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, which is expected to splash down off the coast of Florida at around 3:27 am IST on Wednesday.
Also Read: Sunita Williams' homecoming: Why NASA astronauts' return was delayed for months
Sunita Williams' Family:
Sunita Williams' father, Deepak Pandya, hails from Jhulasan, Gujarat. After completing his Intermediate Science (I.S.) in 1953 at Gujarat University, he earned his M.D. in 1957. He then moved to the United States, where he completed his internship and residency in Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1964, Pandya joined the Department of Anatomy at Case Western Reserve University as a postdoctoral fellow and went on to work at various hospitals and research centres across the country.
Pandya met Slovenian-American Ursuline Bonnie Zalokar when he arrived in the U.S. in 1957, and the two married shortly after.
Last month, Zalokar spoke publicly about her daughter’s extended stay at the ISS. In an interview with NewsNation, she explained how Sunita and her fellow astronauts felt privileged to undertake such a long mission
"It's what they do. They like doing this and they are honoured to be able to go up on a long mission like this and, you know, they feel great about it,” she said in the interview. “She's doing what she loves. So how could I feel sad about it or anything? I'm happy for her.”
Also Read: What will happen after Sunita Williams lands on Earth? Details here
Sunita Williams' Husband -
Sunita Williams is married to Michael J. Williams, a federal marshal in Texas. Both of them had backgrounds in flying helicopters before embarking on their respective careers. The couple has been married for 20 years and has no children.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal in August 2024, Michael Williams shared that for Sunita, space is “her happy place."
