Sunita Williams wishes India Happy Independence from space

watch video: Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams displayed the tricolour on board the International Space Station and wished Indians on the eve of their 66th Independence Day. “I wish India a very happy Independence Day for 15 August India is a wonderful country and I am very proud to be a part of India,” she said in her message. “Of course, you know that I am half Indian. My father is from Gujarat. So, I am familiar with culture and customs of India. I am so proud to a part of this (Independence Day) celebration,” Williams said displaying India’s national flag. [caption id=“attachment_418670” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Associated Press[/caption] Williams, 46, along with Yuri Malenchenko of Russia and Japan’s Akihiko Hoshide left for the ISS aboard a Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA-05M on 15 July from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Williams, who was a flight engineer on the station Expedition 32 crew, became commander of Expedition 33 after reaching the space station. She was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1998. She was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and then joined Expedition 15. She holds the record of the longest spaceflight (195 days) for female space travellers.