Sunita Williams was born on September 19, 1965 in Euclid, Ohio. But  she considers Needham, Massachusetts to be her hometown. Her parents, Dr. Deepak and Mrs. Bonnie Pandya are  Indians, from Gujarat state. Now they are citizens of USA and are  residing at Falmouth, Massachusetts. Sunita became Williams from Pandya by marrying to Michael J. Williams. Although they have no children, a Labrador retrievers and a crazy Jack Russell Terrier named Gorby have added their share of excitement to their lives. Her recreational interests include running, swimming, biking, triathlons, wind surfing, snow boarding and bow hunting.

EDUCATION:- After  completing schooling from  Needham High School, Needham, Massachusetts in 1983, she did B.S, Physical Science, U.S. Naval Academy, 1987. Then she completed M.S., Engineering Management, Florida Institute of Technology, 1995. 

EXPERIENCE: Williams received her commission as an Ensign in the United States Navy from the United States Naval Academy in May 1987. After a six-month temporary assignment at the Naval Coastal System Command, she received her designation as a Basic Diving Officer and then reported to Naval Aviation Training Command. She was designated a Naval Aviator in July 1989. She then reported to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 3 for initial H46, Sea night, training. Upon completion of this training, she was assigned to Helicopter Combat Support Squadron 8 in Norfolk, Virginia, and made overseas deployments to the Mediterranean, Red Sea and the Persian Gulf in support of Desert Shield and Operation Provide Comfort. In September 1992 she was the Officer-in-Charge of an H-46 detachment sent to Miami, Florida for Hurricane Andrew Relief Operations onboard USS Sylvania. Williams was selected for United States Naval Test Pilot School and began the course in January 1993.  In December 1993, she was assigned to the Rotary Wing Aircraft Test Directorate as an H-46 Project Officer, and V-22 Chase Pilot in the T-2. While there she was also assigned as the squadron Safety Officer and flew test flights in the SH-60B/F, UH-1, AH-1W, SH-2, VH-3, H-46, CH-53 and the H-57. In December 1995, she went back to the Naval Test Pilot School as an Instructor in the Rotary Wing Department and the school’s Safety Officer. There she flew the UH-60, OH-6 and the OH-58. From there she was assigned to the USS Saipan (LHA-2), Norfolk, Virginia, as the Aircraft Handler and the Assistant Air Boss. Williams was deployed onboard USS Saipan when she was selected for the astronaut programme. She has logged over 2770 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE:- Selected by NASA in June 1998, she reported for training in August 1998. As an astronaut candidate her training included orientation briefings and tours, numerous scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training and ground school to prepare for T-38 flight training, as well as learning water and wilderness survival techniques. Following a period of training and evaluation, Williams worked in Moscow with the Russian Space Agency on the Russian contribution to the International Space Station (ISS) and with the first Expedition Crew to the ISS. Following the return of Expedition-1, Williams worked within the Robotics branch on the ISS Robotic Arm and the follow on Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator. As a NEEM O2 crew member she lived underwater in the Aquarius habitat for 9 days. Sunita Williams served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station. She launched with the crew of STS-116 on December 9, 2006, docking with the station on December 11, 2006. As a member of the Expedition-14 crew Sunita Williams established a world record for females with four space walks totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes of EVA. She concluded her tour of duty as a member of the Expedition-15 crew returning to Earth with the STS-117 crew to a safe landing at Edwards Air Force Base on June 22, 2007. She has logged a total of 195 days in space.                                                            Space shuttle Atlantis finally landed at the Eswards Air Force Base in California on 22 June 2007 bringing Sunita Williams and her six fellow astronauts safely back home. Sunita was launched abroad the space shuttle Discovery on December 10 ,  2006 to join the crew of the International Space Station ( ISS) , orbiting the Earth at an altitude of 350 kilometers. Her journey lasted 195 days , the longest space flight for any woman. With her four excursions spreading over 29 hours and 17 minutes, she became the most experienced woman space walker. On 16 April , 2007 Sunita ran the first marathon by an astronaut in orbit. She finished the Boston Marathon in four hours and twenty four minutes that she ran tied down to treadmill while orbiting in the ISS . Incidentally , American astronaut Clayton  Anderson launched on Discovery replaced her as the new flight engineer on the ISS.