National Aeronautics and Space Administrations's space shuttle Discovery, with its seven-member crew, launched successfully from the space agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Friday.
Sunita, who arrived at the station with the STS-116 mission, replaced European Space Agency Astronaut Thomas Reiter on the Expedition 14 crew at midnight on December 12.
Finally after their fourth unscheduled spacewalk, Discovery astronauts have successfully retracted a stubborn solar panel on the International Space Station.
Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams is all set for an unscheduled fourth spacewalk along with other members of the Discovery crew on Monday to retract the P6 port solar array on the International Space Station.
Bob Curbeam and Christer Fuglesang began their spacewalk, the second of their 12-day space shuttle mission, at 1.41 pm CST, and finished a full hour earlier than scheduled.
Two astronauts of space shuttle Discovery have stepped out into space completing the first of the three spacewalks aimed at extending and rewiring the International Space Station.
Sunita replaced German astronaut Thomas Reiter on the ISS, who will return to earth after a five-month sojourn in space.
The airlock at the lower pressure protects against decompression sickness, commonly called "the bends," as the two go to the even lower pressure of spacesuits on Tuesday.
Trained to remain aboard the space station until July, Williams will also join space station commander Mike Lopez-Alegria for three spacewalks early in 2007.
NASA says the Discovery shuttle will be on the most complex mission yet -- to give the International Space Station a new electricity system. The STS-116 will drop off Sunita for a six-month stay at the space lab.
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