Although she is not a vegetarian like her father, Williams loves dishes like Saag Paneer and Mattar Paneer. Some of those are to be packed and sent up to her. The regular menu for Shuttle STS-116 consists of rehydratable Teriyaki Chicken and Macaroni and Cheese, thermostabilised fruit cocktail, bread pudding and sausage.
"Food is important a little later on. In the very beginning it is going to so busy that we won't really have the time to enjoy food.
You really need a little more time be able to find that food so it would be a nice little surprise and then have time to enjoy," the astronaut said.
In the welter of emotions Williams is dealing with there is a tinge of sadness as well. "Sometimes I feel that it is really some other day's work and it does not feel like that it [the flight] is actually going to happen. Of course, I get excited at other times and, of course, I feel a little apprehension, a little fear, a little sadness about leaving people and hoping that everything works out well when you come back and see everybody again," she said. "Physically, I do not know what I can bring back with me except myself.
"It is a whole mix of emotions that comes in at different times and I say 'I can't believe this is going to happen.' I think it is probably going to hit [me] once we are actually in the launch pad for real," she said.
Also read: 2nd Indian woman for NASA space mission
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