‘Crew becomes your family’: Sunita Williams opens up on 286 day space mission

Retired NASA astronaut Sunita Williams spoke about the emotional realities of long-duration space missions, saying her 286-day stay in orbit did not leave her feeling lonely despite being far from family and Earth.

Speaking on a podcast with entrepreneur Raj Chamani, Williams said astronauts are rarely alone in space, and often develop deep bonds with their crewmates. “I don’t know anything about being alone. There were always people around you. Family wasn’t there, but the people you end up living with in the space are like family,” she said.

Williams explained that astronauts make a conscious effort to stay in touch with loved ones back home, especially during major holidays. She recalled celebrating occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas aboard the International Space Station, when astronauts are given time off to talk to family members via video calls.

Familiar traditions help maintain a sense of connection to the land, she said. Astronauts even watch events like the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on a screen in orbit, reliving small but meaningful rituals from home.

Video calls often turn into virtual tours of the space station, giving families a glimpse into daily life in microgravity. “It’s fun to see your crewmates at the dinner table and have them wave to your family,” Williams said.

According to Williams, advances in video conferencing technology — especially after its widespread adoption during the COVID-19 pandemic — have made staying connected easier for astronauts. She said she reconnected with many of her relatives during her mission, including family members in India and throughout the United States, which helped reduce emotional distance from home.

Williams admitted that moments of longing arise, especially after conversations with loved ones. “When you hang up, you wish you were there doing those things,” she said. However, she added that the experience of being in space often puts those feelings into perspective. “Go to the window and see how beautiful it is,” she said.

Reflecting on her time in orbit, Williams said she doesn’t remember having particularly lonely nights. “Not really,” she said, adding with a smile that she misses her dogs while in space.

She also stressed the importance of mindset during long-duration assignments. Comparing spaceflights to previous deployments at sea, Williams said astronauts start each day without knowing what they might see outside the window — whether it’s a sunrise, thunderstorms, or the Earth’s illumination at night.

She suggested that this sense of wonder helps astronauts stay grounded even as they orbit hundreds of kilometers above the planet.