New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Group captain Shubanshu Shukla on Monday, who returned to Earth in July after completing NASA’s Axiom-4 mission, became the first Indian in four decades to travel to space. During his conversation, Shukla shared that people from all over the world are following the upcoming Gaganan Mission of India with great enthusiasm. “Wherever I went, whatever I met, everyone was very happy to meet me, was very excited. And my crew members signed me that whenever you go to Gaganan, you will invite us to launch, ”he said. PM Modi asked him, “As the first Indian to reach there, what are your thoughts? And what kind of questions do people ask?” Shukla replied that interest was heavy and reflected India’s growing stature in space exploration. The Prime Minister also inquired about physical changes after such a long journey in space. Shukla explained, “The environment there is very different. Once we reach the space, we can remove our seat belt and move inside the capsule. The heart rate slows down, but the body starts adjusting in 3-4 days. But when we return to the earth, it takes time to read the body. Even if I was healthy, I could not run properly. People had to catch me for support. , When asked about experiments with moong and fenugreek (fenugreek), Shukla described the challenge of food in space. “Food is a major challenge at a space station; there is less space, and cargo is expensive. You always try to pack more and more calories and nutrients in the least space, and the experiments are going on in every way. They are very easy to grow and require very little resources, just a little water, and they germinate in only 8 days. These are some secrets of our country. , PM Modi remembered that Shukla was once called “tag genius” and asked him the reason behind him. Shukla replied, “… When I joined the Air Force, I thought I would not have to study, but I would have to study a lot after that. And after becoming a test pilot, it becomes an engineering discipline. So I think we were well prepared, when we arrived for this mission … the mission has been successful, we have returned, but this mission is not the end, it is the beginning., The Prime Minister emphasized the need to pool 40–50 astronauts of India. Shukla reflected her journey and said that today children are more hopeful about becoming astronauts than their generations. “When I was younger, Rakesh Sharma Sir went for the first time in 1984, but the dream of becoming an astronaut never came to my mind because we had no program. But when I went to the station this time, I talked to the children three times. In every program, the children asked how can I become an astronaut? So I think it is a big success for our country in itself. In today’s India, they know that this is possible. We have an option and we can become. And as you said, it is my responsibility, I think I have got a lot of opportunities to represent my country and now it is my responsibility to take more and more people at this level. , PM Modi said, “Space station and Gaganan. These are our big missions. Your experience will be very useful in it.” Shukla praised the government’s commitment to space research, even in front of failures. “I think there is a big opportunity for us somewhere, especially because the kind of commitment that our government has created every year to maintain the budget, despite failures like Chandrayaan 2. Even after that, we said that no, we will move forward. Chandrayaan 3 was successful. Even after such failures, if we are getting so much support and the whole world is watching it. We have capacity, so we can get a leadership role here. You talked about self -sufficient in space manufacturing … So all these things are connected in the same way. , For this, PM Modi said, “If we do it self-evidently, we will do well.” Shukla returned to Earth on July 15 after a three-week stay at the International Space Station during NASA’s Axiom-4 mission on 15 July, which was launched on 25 June from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. He fell down from the coast of California and reached New Delhi on Sunday. His mission made him the first Indian since Rakesh Sharma in 1984 to travel to space.Watch full video
