Sunita and Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria completed the last of the internal assembly tasks for the startup later this year of the new Oxygen Generation System in the Destiny laboratory.
The power drop led to a temporary loss of ISS communications and the shutdown of heating units, some science equipment and one of three operating US gyroscopes used for attitude control.
The first of a record four spacewalks planned during the next month is scheduled to begin 0900 hours CST (2030 hours IST) on Wednesday.
The 15-minute conversation, which took place on Friday, was broadcast on National Aeronautics and Space Agency Television, following the conclusion of a station status media briefing from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The International Space Station orbits the earth 16 times in a day.
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.
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.
Despite doubts about the take-off due to poor weather forecast and a two-hour delay before tanking operations, Discovery and its crew of seven lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in Houston at 7:17 am IST.
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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