Williams gets record for longest spaceflight by woman
She now holds honor previously held by Shannon Lucid
By MARK CARREAU
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
U.S. astronaut Sunita "Suni" Williams, a resident of the international space station since December, claimed the world record for the longest spaceflight by a woman early today, an honor the previous record holder was only too happy to relinquish.
Shortly before 1 a.m. CDT, Williams surpassed the previous record of 188 days, four hours, established by fellow NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid aboard Russia's former Mir space station in 1996.
"I feel like a lot of this was just sort of being in the right place at the right time. It just sort of happened," Williams told interviewers recently.
"I'm just happy to be part of history that provides a steppingstone for the next generation of explorers and women to come up here and do that. To me, it's no big deal."
Williams, 41, will return to Earth aboard the shuttle Atlantis, which docked with the station this week to deliver a new solar power module. Atlantis should land Thursday or Friday, pushing her record to between 193 and 195 days.
"She's done just an absolutely wonderful job," Lucid, who has worked in Misson Control during Williams' flight, said in an interview this week. "I think it's really great because it shows that the space program is getting more mature when you have more and more people stay in space for longer periods of time."
In late April, Mike Lopez-Alegria concluded a 215-day journey to the station, setting a U.S. spaceflight endurance record. The world's mark, 438 days, was set by Russian Valeri Polyakov in 1994-95.
During her stay, Williams participated in four spacewalks that overhauled the station's cooling system; joined in science experiments; and in April gained notice worldwide for "running" in the Boston Marathon on a treadmill in orbit.
The key to happiness in space, Lucid said, is no different than on Earth — staying busy and getting along with the people around you.
"You have to live one day at a time, so that you are not counting down the days," said the former record holder. "It all depends on your mind-set."
Williams joined NASA's astronaut corps in 1998 as a U.S. Navy aviator and test pilot.
This spaceflight is her first, and because of various shuttle launch delays, it looked for a while as though her trip would last well beyond next week.
Williams often said she was prepared to stay aboard the station as long as NASA wished.
"My biggest desire is to go for a walk on the beach," said Williams, who grew up in Needham, Mass. "I grew up near the beach in New England, and I love going to the beach. In Houston, I go pretty much every Sunday and take my dog for a walk there."
In her official NASA biography, she lists Gorby, her Jack Russell terrier, along with her husband, Michael, her parents and sister as those closest to her.
In a recent e-mail, Lucid offered her colleague some advice about the final days of her marathon mission.
"I said, 'Enjoy your last few days because all too soon you will be back to bills, dirty dishes and laundry,' " said Lucid.
mark.carreau@chron.com
Sunita Williams


United States astronaut , currently on board the International Space Station, has today broken the record for the longest unbroken space flight by a woman. At 5:47 a.m. UTC Williams passed the previous record of 188 days and four hours set by  in 1996.

This is not the only record Williams has broken. Earlier this year she set a record of 29 hours and 17 minutes for time spent by a woman on space walks. 

In April 2007, Williams received much attention when she took part in the Boston Marathon on a treadmill whilst in orbit.