Sunita Williams turns 59: Here’s how NASA astronaut celebrated birthday in Space

Celebrating one's birthday in a unique and memorable way is a dream of every individual, and if it is celebrated in space, and that too no other than in the International Space Station (ISS) can be only in a dream. Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams celebrated her 59th birthday on Thursday, (September 19, 2024) on the International Space Station (ISS). It was her second birthday on ISS, after the first during her 2012 mission.

Unlike traditional festivities of cakes and candles, Williams—who has been stuck in space since June 6—spent her birthday attending a conference with flight directors, discussing future mission objectives and scientific research in the orbiting lab.

According to reports, Williams, currently part of the Boeing Crew Flight Test mission, focused her efforts on maintaining the ISS’s life support systems.

The reports say, during the day the Indian-origin astronaut, along with Don Pettit, first replaced the filters in the ISS’s waste and hygiene compartment, dubbed the space bathroom, then discussed with flight directors at NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston about the mission objectives and future tasks.

The birthday of Indian-origin astronaut was celebrated by fans in India. Indian music company Saregama organized a special birthday surprise featuring renowned singers like Sonu Nigam, Shaan, and Neeti Mohan performing on classic birthday song “Bar Bar Din Ye Aaye.”

Taking to Instagram, Saregama shared: "Come on India let's sing #HappyBirthdaySunita along with India's biggest icons and send our collective wishes to Astronaut Sunita Williams up in space. Use #HappyBirthdaySunita to post your videos and Tag @saregama_official".

It is important to note that it is Williams’ third flight to space, after the first in 2006 and the second in 2012. According to NASA, "Sunita has spent a cumulative total of 322 days in space", and she is the second woman astronaut with the highest number of spacewalks.