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NASA Astronaut Sunita Williams, who spent 286 days in space, brought her cultural heritage with her, including the Bhagavad Gita and a Ganesh idol.
After 27 years with NASA, astronaut Sunita Williams retired on 17 December 2025. NASA officially announced her retirement on 21 January 2026.
During her long career, she completed three missions aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and created several records in human spaceflight. Williams became one of NASA’s most respected astronauts.
Sunita Williams is known for proudly carrying her cultural identity into space. Her father is Indian, and her mother is Slovenian. She has often spoken about valuing both backgrounds.
While serving on Expedition 32/33 in 2012, she sent a Diwali greeting from space, celebrating the festival of lights with people on Earth.
Selected as an astronaut in 1998, Williams spent 322 days in space and completed seven spacewalks. She once held the record for the longest spacewalk time by a woman.
Sunita, fondly called Suni in the US, also flew on the first crewed Starliner mission. She carried the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishad and samosas to space.
“I really appreciate my Indian heritage and was glad I could bring part of it with me to space,” Williams said during a 2013 news conference at the National Science Centre in Delhi.
Then, she spoke about her favourite Hindu god, Ganesh.
“Ganesh has always been in my house. Everywhere I’ve lived, I’ve had Ganesh. So, he had to come with me to space, of course. And Indian food… You can never get enough of Indian food. I was so excited to come here to know that I’d be eating Indian food. I had to make sure I had some samosas in space with me,” she said.
“Bhagavad Gita…and this last time I brought a small copy, an interpretation of the Upanishad with me. I also brought, along with the Bhagavad Gita, the Odyssey. I thought that was also quite appropriate to be in space and have those types of things to reflect and read about,” she added.
Viral video
The 2013 video went viral after she had safely returned to Earth on 18 March 2025 after spending 286 days in space. Her mission, originally scheduled to last only eight days, was extended to over nine months.
The viral video came with false claims that Sunita Williams credited the Bhagavad Gita and the Ganesh idol for her safe return.
During an earlier interview with NDTV, she was asked if she prayed to Ganesh while in space.
“I’m more of a spiritual person. I just know He’s there with me, guiding,” she said.
English (US) ·