Sunita Williams Dances Aboard International Space Station After Arrival on NASA’s Boeing Capsule

Sunita Williams Dances Aboard International Space Station After Arrival on NASA’s Boeing Capsule

Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams brought cheer to the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday, arriving on the Boeing Starliner capsule and promptly dancing in celebration after making history as the first woman of Indian descent to command a spacecraft.

The 52-year-old Williams, a veteran of two previous space missions, danced to the Bollywood song “Jai Ho” by music composer A.R. Rahman as she floated in the zero-gravity environment of the ISS. The song became popular after its inclusion in the 2008 film “Slumdog Millionaire,” which won eight Oscars.

Williams, who is also the second woman to command the space station, shared a video of her dance on Twitter, saying, “Bollywood music makes everything better, even dancing in microgravity!”

The Starliner capsule, developed by Boeing in partnership with NASA, successfully docked with the ISS on Wednesday, after a six-month delay due to software issues. Williams and her crewmates, Josh Cassada and Andrey Fedyaev of Russia, spent the day setting up their new home.

The arrival of Williams and her crewmates brings the total number of people on the ISS to 11. The crew is tasked with conducting scientific experiments, repairing equipment, and continuing to build the space station’s infrastructure.

Williams’s dance celebration was a reminder of the joy and wonder that comes with space exploration. It also highlighted the increasing diversity of those who are venturing into space.

Keywords:

Sunita Williams
International Space Station
Boeing Starliner
Bollywood song “Jai Ho”
First woman of Indian descent to command a spacecraft
Second woman to command the ISS
NASA
Zero-gravity environment
Space exploration
Diversity in space