Mamata and TMC congratulate astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla on his safe return to earth
congratulated Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on his safe return to earth after
spending 18 days in space.
Shukla returned to earth as the Dragon spacecraft splashed down near the coast of California at 3.01 pm IST.
Shukla and three other astronauts of the Axiom-4 mission began their return journey to earth yesterday after the Dragon Grace spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station after an 18-day stay.
Shukla and three others, Axiom 4 (Ax-4) crew Commander Peggy Whitson, and Mission Specialists
Slawosz 'Suave' Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu embarked on the space odyssey on June 25 from Florida.
"Welcome home, Shubhanshu Shukla! We are really happy to see that you are back. It is a matter of
pride for us to see what you have done. Congratulations to you and your team members, and best
wishes to your family," the Bengal chief minister said.
"We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on his historic return
from space," a TMC statement said.
"As the first Indian to visit the International Space Station, his journey is a proud milestone for the nation and a shining inspiration for future generations," the Trinamool Congress said.
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NISAR can address many ecosystem applications, including annual carbon accounting and mapping and characterization of wildlife habitats, wetlands, land use, agriculture, water availability, and wild-land disturbance. A core benefit of spaceborne SAR data is its active remote sensing capability in cloud-covered conditions, independent of solar illumination. Hydrology and subsurface reservoir applications of NISAR include measuring ground surface subsidence and rebound to within centimetre accuracy, as well as mapping soil moisture, surface water, snow, and deformation associated with water and hydrocarbon withdrawal, wastewater injection, and carbon sequestration. Determining the timing of snow-off conditions is important for agencies to identify the start of the fire season. Changes in ground surface subsidence over oil, gas, and hydrothermal reservoirs provide estimates of changes in the water table (hydraulic head), location and depth of oil and gas, help manage fracking activities, and resolve the shape and characteristics of hydrothermal reservoirs. Marine and coastal hazards include mapping and classifying hard targets (e.g., ships and icebergs), shorelines, and storm damage; monitoring marine wind speed, wave spectra, and severe storms; and identifying oil spills. Detection and classification of sea ice, icebergs, and ships is used by ice service agencies to aid navigation, particularly for shipping trade routes, search and rescue, and coastal border patrols. Low-latency data will be very valuable. Measurements of surface movement associated with earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, sinkholes, and secondary hazards such as tsunamis generated by earthquakes and landslides will be very helpful. The benefit of NISAR for critical infrastructure monitoring derives primarily from the 12-day temporal repeat, the near-complete land imaging, and the day/night observation capability. Such information from across the LoC and LAC would be a tactically useful addition. It will be interesting to monitor glacier melting and water flows from across the Himalayas as these are lifelines for India and also have strategic connotations. ISRO Earth observation missions are highly focused on applications of practical and quantifiable benefit to society, whether it is routine monitoring or rapid response. ISRO's Utilisation Programme goals are ready with applications for utilisation of the data from the mission with the intent of achieving operational outcomes. Lastly, and most importantly, the mission will give Indian planners, the scientific community, end-users, and other stakeholders a wealth of experience and data. The writer is former Director General, Centre for Air Power Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views.
