Growing lettuce, setting 62-hr spacewalk record: What NASA astronaut Sunita Williams did in space during ISS stay

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, along with Butch Wilmore and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, is preparing to come back to Earth after spending several months in space.

Williams has been stranded on the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024. During her stay there, she conducted various experiments and scientific research and performed spacewalks and gardening.

Space Gardening

Williams spearheading a groundbreaking agricultural experiment cultivating romaine lettuce in microgravity.

According to NASA, this innovative research, part of the Plant Habitat-07 project, could revolutionise farming techniques for both space exploration and Earth’s water-scarce regions.

She initiated the experiment by collecting baseline water samples from the Advanced Plant Habitat’s distribution reservoir and installing the Plant Habitat-07 science carrier, a chamber where the lettuce is grown.

The research investigates how varying water levels influence plant growth in space.

Spacewalks

Sunita Williams ventured outside the space station for a spacewalk on January 16, 2025, for the first time since arriving on board in June last year.

On January 30, she logged 62 hours and 6 minutes of spacewalking, surpassing the record for the most time spent in the vacuum of space by a woman.

Also Read: From 10 days to 9 months: A look at NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore’s extended ISS stay

Williams and Wilmore’s spacewalk started at 7:43 am Eastern Time (ET) and ended at 1:09 pm ET, lasting 5 hours and 26 minutes. It was the ninth spacewalk for Williams and the fifth for Wilmore.

In a post on social media platform X, NASA said: "NASA astronaut Sunita WIlliams just surpassed former astronaut Peggy Whitson's total spacewalking time of 60 hours and 21 minutes."

The astronaut has conducted many spacewalks during her previous stays aboard the ISS.

Making microbes

As part of a study investigating how microgravity influences the production processes involving engineered bacteria and yeast on the ISS, Sunita Williams performed research involving bacteria and yeast for Rhodium Biomanufacturing 03.

Recently, US President Donald Trump said that he has authorised Elon Musk to bring back American astronauts - Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore.

Trump had said: "We love you (astronauts), and we're coming up to get you, and you shouldn't have been up there so long. The most incompetent President in our history has allowed that to happen to you, but this President won't let that happen. We're going to get them out. We're coming up to get you. I've authorized Elon, because, you know, they've been left up there. I hope they like each other. But they've been -- maybe they'll love each other. I don't know. They've been left up there."