The first glimpse of earth from the space station brought tears to my eyes. It was just incredible, said Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams who spent a record 195 days at the international space station.Sharing her experiences in space with students and media on the concluding day of the 58th International Astronautical Congress (IAC), she spoke about her ambition of flying to Mars, challenges of being an astronaut and also unveiled the spiritual side of her personality.The 42-year-old astronaut was the cynosure of all eyes at the conference as school and college students from across the country mobbed her and fired a volley of questions, ranging from the mundane to the sublime."Was she ever worried about death? she was asked."It never crossed my mind. I had confidence in people who were working on the ground. There was never a doubt in my mind," Williams said.Talking about her memorable moments in space, she said, "while climbing up the space station to fix up a problem, I had this feeling of falling off. But then, I had a discussion with myself that you do not fall in space but float. It was one of the memorable moments."She said one would see a borderless earth from space, a view that could change our perspectives and help us live together peacefully.Asked about her feelings when she flew over India, Williams said, "It is just an incredible view. I feel proud that my father is from here. From up above, India looks very colourful and truly spectacular."
