
Shubhanshu Shukla's mission linked to India's first astronaut Rakesh Sharma: A secret memento, yoga
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla once said Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, India's first astronaut, has impressed him and has been his idol. Sharma travelled to space in 1984. "I was born in 1985...I grew up reading about him in textbooks and listening to his stories from space. I was deeply deeply impressed by him," Shukla said.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force officer, will become the second Indian astronaut to be in space and the first to join the International Space Station. Shukla will pilot the Axiom Mission-4, which is scheduled to launch into space on June 10 (5:52 pm IST).
He will launch aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft along with three other crew members -- one each from the US, Hungary and Poland.
Shukla's voyage comes four decades after Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma joined a Russian Soyuz spacecraft – Soyuz T-11 – in 1984 for an eight-day stay in orbit.
Shubhanshu Shukla said earlier this year that the first Indian astronaut, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, was actively involved in that process with the Axiom mission crew.
"Right from the process of astronaut selection and to the modalities of finalising what kind of training we need to do and what kind of setup we need to have. So I would say that he is really intertwined in the proceedings of the human spaceflight mission that we were already executing, and we regularly, keep in touch," Shukla said.
He added, 'He [Rakesh Sharma] is kind of a mentor for me who is advising me on a lot of things...how to prepare for this mission.'
Like his "mentor" Rakesh Sharma, Shubhanshu Shukla plans to perform yoga in space.
Rakesh Sharma became the first human to practice yoga in space. He performed aasnaas using a harness that stopped him from floating around. NASA said that "Yoga" experiment aboard Soyuz T-11 could "probably be considered the most curious of the medical experiments."
"In the 'Yoga' experiment, performed by cosmonaut-researcher Sharma, an attempt was made to study the possibility of using yoga exercises during space flight and their effectiveness in preventing harmful effects of weightlessness on the muscular-support apparatus," NASA said in a document from 1985.
Now, 41 years later, Shubhanshu Shukla plans to follow his idol's footsteps.
When asked about performing yoga in space, Shukla said, 'Yes, now that you have said so, I would probably demonstrate a few poses of yoga while we are up on the station.'
Shukla, who has been nicknamed 'Shux', said that practicing yoga in space could offer valuable insights into the physical and mental effects of microgravity on astronauts.
In a press conference on January 31, Shubhanshu Shukla was asked if he is doing anything or flying anything to connect his individual experiences to those of the nations first citizens in space.
Shukla responded, saying that he will be carrying a special memento on his space flight for his mentor Rakesh Sharma. But "it's a secret". He said the special memento would be revealed once he returns from the Axiom-4 mission and meets Sharma, who has guided him throughout the training period.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Axiom-4 launch: Crew safety paramount, Isro insisted in review meets
CAPE CANAVERAL (FLORIDA): Hours after SpaceX revealed late Monday that it had detected multiple snags in the Falcon-9 rocket that was to launch the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew aboard the Dragon spacecraft, a series of meetings unfolded Tuesday and in all of them, Isro asserted that crew safety was paramount. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of the Ax-4 crew and is set to become only the second Indian to go to space. As part of the launch preparation, all nine engines of the first stage were to be tested together. During one of those tests, it was found that a control actuator had a glitch, and during static test fire, a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak was detected. Once this information came out on Monday, Isro was part of a meeting with all the stakeholders, where it strongly articulated its concerns about astronaut safety and wanted detailed discussions before greenlighting the launch. "That Isro team was led by chairman V Narayanan helped, given his experience, especially with cryogenic propulsion systems. After all, he helped build it for India. Isro had requested that all issues with the rocket needed to be 'resolved' before they went ahead with the launch," a source said. When contacted, Narayanan told TOI: "All I can say at this juncture is that for India and Isro, the safety of our astronaut and crew is paramount. Mission partners have decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation tests before clearing for the launch." When SpaceX vice-president of build and flight reliability, William Gerstenmaier, first revealed the information about the leak during a mission readiness review late on Monday, the issue was not categorised as something concerning. He said it would be resolved and the rocket would be ready for launch. However, after subsequent meetings between all partners involved in the mission, SpaceX and the other partners decided to scrub the launch, seeking "additional time for teams to repair the LOX leak.


United News of India
2 hours ago
- United News of India
Dr. Shyam Mude appointed Principal of Fergusson College
Pune, June 11 ( UNI) Dr. Shyam Mude has been appointed as the 18th Principal of the Deccan Education Society's Fergusson College (Autonomous). Dr. Mude holds a Ph.D. in Geology from Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University. He has made significant contributions to the field of Geology through education, research, and teaching. He has published over 50 research papers in various national and international journals. Since 2022, he has been serving as the Head of the Department of Geology at Fergusson College. He has been honored with the INSA Scientist and Teacher Award. As part of collaborative research, he visited the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences at National Chung Cheng University in Taiwan and established a memorandum of understanding with the institution, said a release. Dr. Mude stated that he aims to focus on skill-based courses aligned with global educational and industrial demands, strengthening the Indian knowledge system, and ensuring inclusive and high-quality education for students from around the world at Fergusson College. UNI SP RN


India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
Ax-4 crew remains upbeat, says Commander Whitson as launch is delayed
The Ax-4 crew remains upbeat despite another delay in their much-anticipated mission to the International Space Station, Mission Commander and former NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson wrote on X on Wednesday. The latest postponement comes after a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak was discovered during post-static fire inspections of the Falcon 9 booster. The rocket is set to carry Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla into orbit. advertisementPeggy Whitson, in a statement posted on social media, said setbacks and delays are a normal part of spaceflight. "Our Ax-4 crew remains upbeat and looking forward to a safe and successful flight to the Space Station," she in the day, SpaceX announced it was standing down from the June 11 launch date to allow teams additional time to address the LOx issue. Once repairs are complete and pending range availability, SpaceX will announce a revised schedule. The launch, operated by Houston-based Axiom Space, had initially been slated for May 29 but has faced multiple delays due to weather and technical concerns. The current hold extends that timeline, even as mission managers work toward ensuring safety and operational NASA has outlined a range of potential launch windows for the Ax-4 mission, offering some flexibility in the timeline. According to Dana Weigel, Manager of NASA's International Space Station Programme, launch opportunities remain open through June 30, with additional options available in mid-July following a temporary operational pause. The schedule is also dependent on planned traffic at the ISS, including the undocking of Russia's Progress cargo vehicle and the arrival of another spacecraft in early mission is particularly significant for India, as it marks a historic milestone with Shubhanshu Shukla becoming the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station. A decorated test pilot with over 2,000 hours of flight experience, Shukla will take part in scientific research aboard the ISS during the mission's planned 10-day participation highlights India's growing ambitions in human spaceflight and aligns with national efforts to boost interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) among younger SpaceX continues to troubleshoot the rocket issue and coordinate with NASA, the Ax-4 mission holds strong symbolic value for both international collaboration and India's expanding role in space exploration.