Fri Sep 20 18:52:42 UTC 2024: ## Astronaut Sunita Williams Celebrates 59th Birthday with Space Station Maintenance
**Houston, TX** – While most people celebrate their birthdays with cake and candles, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams marked her 59th birthday aboard the International Space Station (ISS) with a unique and essential task: replacing filters in the space bathroom.
Williams, on her third spaceflight, dedicated her special day to critical maintenance alongside fellow NASA astronaut Don Pettit. The duo focused on ensuring the ISS’s life support systems were running smoothly by tackling the essential, though not glamorous, task of cleaning the waste and hygiene compartment.
Despite the unusual birthday activity, Williams also participated in a conference with Mission Control in Houston, discussing ongoing mission goals and upcoming tasks. She further spent part of the day organizing cargo inside the Columbus laboratory module, maximizing space efficiency.
With her mission extended due to technical issues, Williams is expected to return to Earth in February 2025, potentially adding even more records to her extraordinary space career.
First Piper 