Astronaut Shubhashu Shukla of India and three other astronauts of the AXIOM-4 mission landed back on Earth safely after completing a successful 18-day mission in the International Space Station (ISS). The SpaceX Dragon capsule, christened the Grace, splashed into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego in the Southern part of California, and this ended the 22.5-hour trip they had taken to get back to Earth.
AXIOM-4 had a crew: Shubhashu Shukla, Peggy Whitson (the mission commander); monthly specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary). On Monday, their capsule detached itself from the ISS at 4:45 PM IST and started its last journey home, and it was the final leg of this spectacular journey.
The astronauts will be pulled out of the Dragon capsule and taken to an awaiting ship after the landing, where several medical checks will be conducted. These tests are necessary in order to evaluate how well they can adapt to gravity of earth again after staying over two weeks in the weightless state. Thereafter, the entire crew will be transported to the mainland by helicopter.
The reunion was a moment of pride and joy for the family of Shubhashu Shukla, as it was said that Ms. Shukla, his mother, started crying when she heard that her son had safely landed. A celebration mood has overtaken their home as well-wishers and family members flood in to congratulate him on his safe arrival and as the first man in space.
The four astronauts will now go into a 7-day rehabilitation program in order to get their bodies used to the gravity of Earth. This post-mission recovery period is important because it involves reacclimatizing to normal physical activity and taking back the strength and balance of muscles.
AXIOM-4 is the next attempt at international space cooperation and the increasing importance of the development of the use of private space travel. This feat, with the contribution of Shubhashu Shukla, has given satisfaction to India in the international space division.
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