Shubhanshu Shukla's Space Mission Ends with Emotional Family Reunion
Post-Mission Quarantine
After landing, he spent two months in quarantine.
This is a standard part of astronaut recovery.
Doctors tracked his health closely during this time.
Limited Family Contact
Family visits were allowed but only from a distance.
His child was not allowed to get close.
No hugs or touching were permitted during the isolation.
Emotional Reunion
After completing quarantine, he reunited with his family.
He was finally able to hug his loved ones.
The moment was filled with joy and emotion.
Support for India's Space Goals
This mission supports India's space program.
It prepares for future missions like Gaganyaan.
India is working toward sending astronauts on its own.
Global Cooperation in Space
This was part of an international mission.
India is now more active in global space research.
The Human Side of Space Travel
Space missions are scientific but also emotional.
Astronauts face long separations from family.
Shukla's story shows the balance of science and family.
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The Hindu
6 hours ago
- The Hindu
the week in five charts Air India crash report, Shubhanshu Shukla, rains in Himachal
(1) At least 72 people killed and over 470 roads closed as torrential rains ravage Himachal Since the onset of the monsoon on June 20, 72 people have died and 34 have gone missing in rain-related incidents across Himachal Pradesh. Of the 471 affected roads, the maximum (310) were in disaster-hit Mandi district, while 1,199 power distribution transformers and 676 water supply schemes have also been affected, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre (SEOC). A 'red' alert for very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall has been issued for Monday, July 21, for five of the 12 districts of the state, including Shimla, Kangra, Chamba, Sirmaur and Mandi. Since June 1, the State has received just 5% more rainfall than normal, but the situation remains exacerbated in certain districts, especially Mandi as of July 20. Since July 1, the district of Mandi has received 88% more rainfall than normal. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has directed the formation of a multi-sectoral central team in view of the rising frequency and intensity of natural disasters in Himachal Pradesh, an official statement said on Sunday (July 20, 2025). The team will include experts from the National Disaster Management Authority, Central Building Research Institute Roorkee, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology Pune, Indian Institute of Technology Indore, and geologists, the statement said. (2) Shubhanshu Shukla returns to Earth Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and his fellow crew members on the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) returned to Earth on Tuesday afternoon (July 15, 2025), as their SpaceX Dragon splashed down at 3:02 p.m. IST. They returned from an 18-day sojourn on the International Space Station that was a first step for India's own ambitions for indigenous human spaceflight, with Mr. Shukla - a Group Captain in the Indian Air Force - selected as one of the Indian astronauts on the Gaganyaan Mission. The four astronauts flew to the space station on the Dragon after it was launched by the Falcon 9 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25. During the 20-day mission, the crew completed 320 orbits around the Earth, covering 8.4 million miles of spaceflight, Axiom Space said. They also completed over 60 research activities and 23 outreach events. The Ax-4 crew members departed from the orbiting laboratory on July 14. (3) Air India AI-171 crash: Report flags fuel cutoff error A preliminary report on the tragic crash of Air India flight AI-171, which went down shortly after taking off from Ahmedabad en route to London on June 12, 2025, was released by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB). The report highlighted confusion in the cockpit moments before the crash and raised fresh concerns over the positioning of the aircraft's critical engine fuel cutoff switches. On July 17, 2025, The Wall Street Journal, citing sources familiar with U.S. officials' early assessment of the evidence, reported that the captain may have cut off fuel supply to the engines. According to the report, the First Officer, who was piloting the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, questioned the captain moments after takeoff about his decision to move the fuel switches to the 'cutoff' position. With no fuel flowing to the engines, the aircraft began losing thrust. The report said the fuel switches were then returned to the 'run' position, prompting the aircraft to automatically attempt an engine restart. The pilots involved in the crash were Captain Sumeet Sabharwal and First Officer Clive Kunder, with total flying experience of 15,638 hours and 3,403 hours, respectively. AAIB, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and Air India did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment on the Wall Street Journal report. Boeing also declined to comment. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA)-India said on Thursday (July 17, 2025) that the crew of AI-171 did everything they could to protect passengers and should be treated with respect rather than subjected to speculative criticism. The Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA), which represents narrow-body fleet pilots at Tata Group-owned Air India, had earlier stated on Sunday (July 13) that the crew acted in accordance with their training and responsibilities under difficult conditions, and should not be vilified based on conjecture. Meanwhile, U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chair Jennifer Homendy said on Friday (July 18, 2025) that media reports about the AI-171 crash were 'premature and speculative.' (4) U.S. Supreme Court allows Trump to lay off nearly 1,400 Education Department employees The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday (July 14, 2025) cleared the way for President Donald Trump's administration to resume dismantling the Department of Education, part of his bid to shrink the federal government's role in education in favour of more control by the states. In the latest high court win for Mr. Trump, the justices lifted a federal judge's order that had reinstated nearly 1,400 workers affected by mass layoffs at the department and blocked the administration from transferring key functions to other federal agencies. A legal challenge is continuing to play out in lower courts. The court's action came in a brief, unsigned order. Its three liberal justices dissented. These layoffs add to a series of layoffs that have happened in the federal government ever since Mr. Trump assumed office on January 20 this year. A group of 21 Democratic attorneys general, school districts and unions behind a pair of legal challenges had warned in court papers that Mr. Trump's shutdown efforts threatened to impair the department's ability to perform its core duties. Created by Congress in 1979, the Department of Education's main roles include administering college loans, tracking student achievement and enforcing civil rights in schools. It also provides federal funding for needy districts and to help students with disabilities. Federal law prohibits the department from controlling school operations including curriculum, instruction and staffing. Authority over these decisions belongs to state and local governments, which provide more than 85% of public school funding. Mr. Trump in March directed that the department transfer its $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration and its special education services to the Department of Health and Human Services. Although formally eliminating the department would require an act of Congress, the downsizing announced in March by Education Secretary Linda McMahon aimed to slash the department's staff to roughly half the size it was when Mr. Trump took office in January. (5) Last minute efforts to save Nimisha Priya The execution of Indian nurse Nimisha Priya, who is on death row at the Central Prison in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, for the alleged murder of a Yemeni national, has been postponed. It was scheduled to be carried out on Wednesday (July 16, 2025), official sources said on Tuesday (July 15, 2025). It is understood that negotiation is currently underway to settle the matter with the family of the victim, Talal Abdo Mahdi, though details of the negotiation is yet to be known. Nimisha Priya has been on the death row in Yemen since 2018 for a 2017 murder of her then business partner. An intervention by All India Jamiyyathul Ulama general secretary and Sunni leader Kanthapuram A.P. Aboobacker Musliar through his close friend and respected Yemeni Sufi scholar Sheikh Habib Omar bin Hafiz had positive results, with the Yemeni authorities postponing the July 16 execution of Nimisha Priya. Mr. Musliar said talks had been underway with Talal's family to persuade them to pardon Nimisha Priya, despite their strong desire for retribution. However, social media posts purportedly by Talal's brother Abdul Fatah Mahdi indicated the family's resolute stance on retribution as per the Islamic law rather than accepting the blood money and pardon Nimisha Priya. As the deadlock continues, the Indian government says it is in contact with 'local authorities' in Sanaa, as well as with some 'friendly governments' in the region to push for her release.
NDTV
8 hours ago
- NDTV
"Being Still A Challenge": Shubhanshu Shukla Posts Video Of 'Floating' In ISS
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who returned from a successful space mission last week, has posted a video in which he is seen trying to stay still in microgravity. In the clip, Mr Shukla, sitting in a cross-legged position, is seen floating inside the International Space Station (ISS). Sharing the clip on his Instagram account, he said he tried to control his body movements but "clearly failed." He wrote, "Any small disturbance can move your body in space, and it takes skill to be completely still. Kind of like our minds in this fast-moving world. Take some time to be still today. It is important to sometimes slow down to be fast." When they first reached the space station, they were occupied with completing their tasks and experiments, he said. "Initially, it is a bit challenging as you are learning to move in microgravity and also getting to know the station," he wrote. "Shux", his call sign among colleagues and nickname for friends, said the video was taken a few days after they reached the station. "Apparently, being still is a challenge with or without gravity," he added. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shubhanshu Shukla (@ Amazed by the rare glimpse into life aboard the ISS, social media users reacted in large numbers. One person commented, "Absolutely fascinating. Floating around like that must feel surreal. Thanks for sharing this moment." Another wrote, "Stunning! Thank you for sharing this. This must inspire people to pursue stillness consciously and intentionally." "Being still is a challenge, with or without gravity-well said, Captain," wrote the next. Mr Shukla was among the four crew members who flew aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on June 25 as part of the Axiom-4 mission. They conducted over 60 experiments from 31 countries. He is only the second Indian to visit space. Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma was the first to do so in 1984. He returned safely to Earth on July 15 after spending approximately 18 days aboard the ISS. The SpaceX Dragon capsule splashed down off the coast of San Diego.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
International Moon Day: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla shares moon pics he took from ISS
BENGALURU: Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (Shux), who returned from his Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station on July 15, Sunday shared photos of the Moon he clicked from the ISS on his X handle to mark the anniversary of the Apollo 11 landing in 1969. 'On this day in 1969, for the first time a human set foot on the Moon. The Moon is 3,84,000km away from us. The statement 'It is a small step for a man but a giant leap for mankind' became etched in history as one of the most impactful. The achievement forever remains a powerful indication of the immense human potential,' he wrote. Referring to India's Gaganyaan mission , Shukla said, 'Today as we are starting our human space flight journey with missions like Gaganyaan, our eyes are also set on the same destination.' by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Top 3 Casino Games in Belfast Lounge 777 Play Game Undo Shukla shared four photos, two clicked from the ISS, a snapshot from a video he shot of the Moon from the ISS, and one he had clicked from the ground, two years ago. In his message, Shukla encouraged young space enthusiasts and future astronauts to aim for new milestones. 'We still have pictures of the Moon from Earth and near-Earth orbit. What I would like to see is a picture of Earth from the Moon clicked by one of you. Let's make it happen,' he wrote. India's Gaganyaan mission is expected to send its first crewed mission to low Earth orbit in the coming years, with long-term plans that could eventually include Moon missions.
