Former astronaut Sunita Williams is no stranger to superlatives. Not only has she spent more time in space than any other female astronaut, but she has also made more spacewalks than any other woman, and was only the second woman to serve as the commander of the International Space Station.

Born to an Indian-born father and a Slovenian-American mother, Williams personifies the multi-cultural nature of modern-day America. Seeking a better life, her Slovenian great-grandmother had immigrated to the United States in the early 20th century. To celebrate her mixed heritage, Williams has taken both an Indian samosa and a traditional Slovenian sausage – kranjska klobasa – to space.

Williams has visited Slovenia three times. On two of those occasions, she made appearances at the Cultural Center of European Space Technologies in the village of Vitanje. Always eager to share her enthusiasm for space travel, she spoke to an audience of Slovenian schoolchildren from Vitanje and surrounding areas.

She has also taken the time to share the latest space-related developments with the Slovenian Science Foundation, and has been decorated by President Borut Pahor for her work with young people as well as for her promotion of Slovenia.

Williams was received particularly warmly by the inhabitants of Leše, a small village near the town of Tržič where her great-grandmother had been born. Her visit left such an impression that local residents are now planning to set up a center devoted to Williams and two other astronauts of Slovenian descent.