On a lighter note, Prime Minister Narendra Modi just had a very fun and exciting interaction with Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is the first Indian to be a part of a mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The gathering, which was at the Prime Minister’s residence in New Delhi on Monday to mark the milestone accomplishment by India in space exploration, gave glimpses of how the astronaut went through extraordinary adventures.
In the same discussion, PM Modi jokingly questioned Shubhanshu Shukla as to whether he had done his homework, which was supposed to be done prior to the mission. The astronaut answered by smiling and said that he had been told that people used to tease and he had indeed done as he promised to do for the Prime Minister himself to deliver the homework. The “homework” as Shukla described it was an attempt to document in minute detail his experience in space to help India with its future Gaganyaan mission, the nation first human spaceflight programme.
This was given by Shukla, who depicted in space photographs as well as details of physical aspects encountered after astronauts return to Earth. He remembered the difficulties faced by the human body after long exposure to a zero-gravity environment, saying, on returning, “I could not even walk, and people needed to support me. Our brain needs time to realise that we have to move on our feet.” Interestingly, he added that he had also encountered a similar adaptation period when he got to the ISS.
The Prime Minister also got a briefing by the astronaut on his space experiments, which covered research on tardigrades, myogenesis, cyanobacteria, microalgae, and crop seeds, as well as, sprouting of methi and moong seeds. Such scientific experiments will have future utility for space programmes and agricultural studies in India.
Making reference to the growing stature of India globally, Shukla said that people are keenly interested in India reaching space, and the world is really eager to witness the success of the Gaganyaan. Of interest was also the subject of awakening the young generation to space technology as a career choice.
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