WASHINGTON: After her return to earth Sunita Williams, for the first time shared her experience to the media on Friday. 

She said, “I was excited to cover the Boston Marathon in space.” She ran a total of 26 and half mile in space to prove the fact that physical fitness was an important factor for an astronaut. NASA has been doing fantastic work for the last 40 years, she added. 

An excited Sunita said, “The first thing I did was have a pizza, now I plan to go to the beach this weekend.” 

After landing, she felt a little different in the first 48 hours. 

Sunita became the second woman of Indian origin after Kalpana Chawla to blast off on a space mission and spend six months at the International Space Station where US shuttle Discovery left on completion of a 12-day repair job. 

However, stormy weather in the vicinity of the Kennedy Space Centre forced NASA mangers to abandon the first landing opportunity of space shuttle Atlantis returning to earth after a 13-day mission. 

Thunderstorms within 55 kilometres and clouds within 8,000 feet of the landing strip at Kennedy Space Center forced mission managers to skip the first landing opportunity to touchdown in Cape Canaveral, Florida. 

Attempting to land so close to rain or clouds would violate flight rules, NASA had said. 

While the image of Sunita Williams smiling and floating will stay etched in the minds of Indians across the country.
 

Sunita Williams

New Delhi: It’s a small step for Indian American astronaut Sunita Williams and a giant leap for women all over the world. Williams who spacewalked, ran a marathon and ‘hung’ around in space for a record breaking six months is now all set to return to Earth.
When the Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down safely today, one of its passengers was the record-setting female astronaut Sunita Williams. During the mission, she managed to set a new endurance record for women -- logging 194 days in orbit after six months on the International Space Station -- and still took time out for charity.
In December she had her long hair cut so she could donate her locks to help those who have lost their hair while fighting an illness.

Long hair is not very practical in space anyway, where she also set the world record for a female astronaut on spacewalks, totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes.
Williams, 41, proved she could not only walk in space but run. When her sister Dina Pandya ran the Boston Marathon April 16, Williams ran her own marathon in space using a treadmill suspended by gyroscopes to minimize any impact of pounding feet on the space station.
"I was thinking about her. If she's going through this, I can do it," Pandya said. 
Despite her success in space, Williams said she didn't immediately get her dream job in flight. 
"I tell little girls about the story. I started flight school when 'Top Gun' came out, so of course everybody wanted to fly jets," she told ABC News earlier in the week. "That was the cool thing to do, and I put that down as my first choice but got helicopters." 
But she said in the end it worked out. "You just sort of take what you get," she said. "Maybe you don't get the first thing that you want. If you are good at what you do and you try hard, some things sort of fall into place," she said. 
After flying helicopters for the Navy during the first Gulf War, Commander Sunita Williams was selected to train as an astronaut. 

Praying for a Safe Return
As the Atlantis finished its 14-day trip, Williams had an international cheering squad awaiting her safe return.
Williams has a Slovenian mother and an Indian father who had hundreds of people praying in India. "In my hometown, for seven days everyone is praying," her father, Deepak Pandya, said. 
During the mission, she managed to set a new endurance record for women -- logging 194 days in orbit after six months on the International Space Station -- and still took time out for charity.
In December she had her long hair cut so she could donate her locks to help those who have lost their hair while fighting an illness.
Long hair is not very practical in space anyway, where she also set the world record for a female astronaut on spacewalks, totaling 29 hours and 17 minutes.
Williams, 41, proved she could not only walk in space but run. When her sister Dina Pandya ran the Boston Marathon April 16, Williams ran her own marathon in space using a treadmill suspended by gyroscopes to minimize any impact of pounding feet on the space station.
"I was thinking about her. If she's going through this, I can do it," Pandya said. 
Despite her success in space, Williams said she didn't immediately get her dream job in flight. 
"I tell little girls about the story. I started flight school when 'Top Gun' came out, so of course everybody wanted to fly jets," she told ABC News earlier in the week. "That was the cool thing to do, and I put that down as my first choice but got helicopters." 
But she said in the end it worked out. "You just sort of take what you get," she said. "Maybe you don't get the first thing that you want. If you are good at what you do and you try hard, some things sort of fall into place," she said. 
After flying helicopters for the Navy during the first Gulf War, Commander Sunita Williams was selected to train as an astronaut. 
Praying for a Safe Return
As the Atlantis finished its 14-day trip, Williams had an international cheering squad awaiting her safe return.
Williams has a Slovenian mother and an Indian father who had hundreds of people praying in India. "In my hometown, for seven days everyone is praying," her father, Deepak Pandya, said. 

"I'd send her pictures almost daily of what he's doing," Pandya said.
Now, Williams is gearing up to take care of him, and said, "I should be able to take him for a walk on the beach by Sunday morning, I think." 
"The dog is a naughty little terrier … but she loves him," her father added.
Her family caught a glimpse of Williams this week, when the shuttle and International Space Station did a flyby over Earth. 
"I've been trying to see this for so many months now," her sister said.
When the shuttle was seen in the night sky, Pandya exclaimed "Woooh, there she is!" and pointed the space craft out to Williams' beloved pet. "Gorby, Look! Sunni is right there right above us."
Now that she's back on the ground, Williams' dreams don't end. What she really wants to do next is fly to the moon.
"I think all of us have that in the back of our mind," she said. "All of us have seen the Apollo guys walk on the moon and think, 'Wow, that would be neat, and we'd love to do it.'" 
And if she does, it won't surprise us. Now, as she heads home to Needham, Massachussets to her waiting family and her dog, India joins the world in praying for a safe landing for Atlantis. And with a little help from her Ganesha, the Bhagvad Gita she took with her and the weather, Sunita will be back on earth soon.