Feeling Lightheaded, Excited About Next 14 Days: Shubhanshu Shukla From ISS
New Delhi:
Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla said he is excited about the scientific tasks that he and the crew will perform for the next 14 days in the International Space Station (ISS). He said he is feeling a bit "lightheaded" but "that is nothing compared to the excitement".
It was the first time the entire team spoke together since Group Captain Shukla and three other astronauts successfully docked their Dragon spacecraft with the ISS this evening. Visuals beamed from the ISS showed the four astronauts who had just arrived enjoying a healthy drink and laughing.
"I am feeling lightheaded," the IAF pilot-turned-astronaut said. "But that is not much of an issue compared to the things we will do here for the next 14 days. It is a very proud and exciting moment, a big step in our space journey," Group Captain Shukla said, flanked by the ISS crew and the three astronauts who came with him - Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, Tibor Kapu of Hungary, and Dr Peggy Whitson of the US.
He reiterated what he said earlier about the tricolour (national flag). "I wear the tricolour on my shoulders with pride."
Group Captain Shukla's family along with friends and relatives gathered at the school in Lucknow where he studied and watched the live telecast of the space capsule Dragon's successful docking at the ISS.
The capsule which is part of the Axiom 4 mission is the fifth and final Dragon in Elon Musk-owned company SpaceX fleet. It was christened "Grace" after reaching orbit.
Asha Shukla, the mother of IAF Group Captain, was seen tearing up as she watched the live telecast of the docking in the ISS.
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