Scientists salute Sunita’s feat

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The 39th scientific assembly of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR-2012), the world’s largest interdisciplinary forum on space science that is currently under way at the Infosys campus here, has saluted the distinctive accomplishments of Indian-American NASA astronaut Sunita Williams on Sunday after she took off for her second space voyage from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Ms. Williams has set off on a new space journey to the International Space Station (ISS) on a Russian Soyuz craft along with two other flight engineers Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. On reaching the ISS, she will take over as commander of Expedition 33.

Mr. Deviprasad Karnik, Director, Publications and Public Relations, Isro, told DC that the atmosphere was jubilant.

“There are around 2,500 space scientists attending COSPAR and all were happy with the successful takeoff of the Soyuz. Particularly, the Indian, Russian, American and Japanese scientists were proud and keenly taking updates of the space mission. They exchanged pleasantries and were seen involved in spirited discussion on the Expedition 33.”

Isro chief Dr. K. Radhakrishnan said: “We are proud that an Indian woman is on such a remarkable journey. Space station is a platform on which international community is coming together.

Building a space station, conducting experiments and living there for long time are all challenges. A series of experiments are slated to be conducted from the space station till 2020 and we are all looking forward to it” Born in Euclid, Ohio, and raised in Massachusetts to an Indian-American father from Gujarat and a Slovenian mother, the 46-year-old Ms. Williams will better her personal record for the longest sojourn in space for a female astronaut. She has already spent 195 days at ISS in 2006-2007.

On Sunday, an interdisciplinary lecture on ‘The New Face of the Moon’ was chaired by Mr. Jitendra Nath Goswami, Director, Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad.