Lucknow: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, a resident of the capital Lucknow, has successfully completed the first phase of training at NASA in America. The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) informed on its X handle that the first phase of training for the joint mission Axiom-4 of ISRO and NASA has been completed.
Lucknow-born Shubhanshu has been selected as the prime astronaut by ISRO to be sent to the joint International Space Station of India and America. India’s Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan Nair is also with Shubhanshu in the mission. This mission is part of the collaboration between Axiom Space Company and space agency NASA, in which both these Indians will leave for space in April 2025 on a Space-X spacecraft.
Parents said – our prayers will bear fruit
On the question of the risk involved in space travel, father Shambhu Dayal Shukla said that we have full faith in God. Shubhanshu’s mother Usha Shukla is a religious housewife. He said that we pray to God daily for the success of the mission. Our prayers will definitely bear fruit.
I miss my son, haven’t met him since April
In a conversation with Amar Ujala, Shambhu Dayal Shukla said that when Shubhanshu came to Lucknow in April, we haven’t met since then. He is undergoing training at NASA since August. Whenever he gets free time, he calls and inquires about us and our two sisters.
He likes homemade food and black coffee
On being asked about Shubhanshu’s favourite food, his father said, for the past few years, he has been taking the diet prescribed by ISRO and NASA. It includes paneer with fixed calories and half boiled vegetables. The special thing is that Shubhanshu mostly eats homemade food. He likes black coffee very much.
Training started in August
In the training that started in August this year at NASA in America, both were prepared for the complexities of space travel. It includes learning about the facilities provided in the mission and the study of the launching procedures as well as practice of the Crew Dragon spacecraft. It also includes practice of emergency situations in zero gravity.
Space travel is extremely challenging
Space is considered extremely challenging. Many countries of the world keep conducting space missions by sending astronauts and space ships. Living in space is not an easy task for astronauts. Astronauts living in zero gravity there have to face many physical and mental difficulties.
Mission objective
Under the Axiom-4 mission being sent in April 2025, these astronauts will stay in space for 14 days. There they will learn to operate life support equipment along with scientific experiments in microgravity.
