Ever wondered what life in space actually feels like, where gravity disappears and everything floats? In this episode of Figuring Out, host Raj Shamani speaks with retired United States Navy captain and former NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, who was recently in India as a keynote speaker at the Kerala Literature Festival. Williams offers a clear, unsensational account of everyday life aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and much more.
Life inside ISS
Shamani frames the conversation around her routine, asking Williams how it feels to eat, live, and manage daily chores in space. She describes the International Space Station (ISS) as a deeply human environment. Even in orbit, she notes with humour, “Everybody farts — though efficient ventilation ensures smells do not linger, but we’re all people at the end of the day. The space station smells like us.” What initially feels mechanical and unfamiliar gradually becomes lived-in and comforting, shaped by human presence.
Raj Shamani in conversation with former NASA astronaut Sunita Williams. Pic courtesy/Youtube
Williams also speaks in detail about sound, an aspect of space rarely discussed. “Something people might not be used to is the constant noise in space.” The ISS creaks as temperatures change and machines run continuously. Over time, however, these sounds fade into routine. Rather than being unsettling, she explains, they create a sense of normalcy, reinforcing the feeling of daily life continuing in orbit.
A perspective from space
Comparing life in space and on Earth, Williams is direct. “If going to space is demanding, returning is even harder.” She describes intense nausea, disorientation, and weakness as gravity reasserts itself. In orbit, the neurovestibular system largely stops working and when you come back on Earth, gravity overwhelms the body. After splashdown, in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Tallahassee in Florida on March 18, 2025, she recalls “bobbing in the ocean, like a cork.” Recovery typically takes about a month, with trainers helping astronauts relearn balance, coordination, and strength.
A view of India from the ISS
Shamani asks her the quintessential about how India looks from space. Williams replies India can appear hazy during the day, but at night it is spectacular. Even the Himalayas stand out sharply, marking the collision of the tectonic plates, she elaborates. Reflecting on her journey, she concludes, “People are fundamentally good, and deeply connected — a truth that becomes clearer only when viewed from space.”
Log on to: Raj Shamani on YouTube
