By Venkatachari Jagannathan
Nearly four decades after Indian Air Force (IAF) Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma flew to space in a Russian spacecraft, another IAF pilot, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, will be going to space in an American rocket in a couple of days. It will be really unsettling for the first time space fliers to hear postponement due to issues with the rocket.
Shukla will be the first Indian to go and stay in the International Space Station (ISS) and the second Indian to go to space. When Sharma went to space in 1984, India was a fledgling space sector player.
But times have changed, and the country is now working on its own human space mission – Gaganyaan – building its own space station to be called the Bhartiya Antriksh Station (BAS) and has successfully executed missions to the Moon and Mars, among others.
India now has its own satellite navigation system, NavIC.
The country is already a global major in areas like Earth observation and is a notable player in orbiting small to medium-sized satellites.
The Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), by the US company Axiom Space, in which Shukla is a part, is expected to provide several new learnings for the country’s upcoming ambitious projects, according to several experts like Dr. S. Somanath, who retired as the Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
India began working on the Gaganyaan project with the idea of seeking support from other space agencies. For instance, four IAF pilots, including Shukla, were trained in Russia.
The Ax-4 mission is expected to provide Shukla with actual flight experience, the crew interface with the machines, preparing the crew for a flight, measuring the crew's vital statistics, and other aspects.
Shukla, in turn, will pass on the knowledge to other Indian astronauts.
There are several aspects of the human space mission in which India doesn’t have any experience. For instance, having a Flight Director on the ground 24/7 will be a new concept for India.
While the crew modules developed by different countries are different, Shukla, who has trained in Russia and will be flying in an American spacecraft, can provide crucial design inputs to the Indian designers.
The Indian crew module is different from that of the US, Russia, and China. Like Indian automotive drivers who get adjusted to left-hand drive vehicles and driving on the right side of the road overseas, astronauts, though trained overseas, will get accustomed to the Indian crew module.
Shukla now gains the experience of handling the last minute postponement of space flight and the connected anxiety. He can handle such postponements but also help other Indian astronauts in managing the same.
The other benefits India will gain from the Ax-4 mission include the findings of the research carried out by Shukla during his 14-day stay in the ISS.
About 60 scientific studies and activities from 31 countries across the globe will be part of the Ax-4 on the ISS. The common thread in these research activities will be the health of astronauts and others.
The ISRO-led research, collaborating with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the European Space Agency (ESA), focuses on advancing microgravity research aboard the ISS to enhance understanding of biological processes in microgravity and develop strategies for long-duration space missions.
The Indian research studies will focus on:
* Comparing growth, cellular responses, and biochemistry of two cyanobacteria strains in microgravity.
* Identifying molecular mechanisms of resilience in extreme environments.
* Investigating the impacts of spaceflight on germination and growth of crop seeds.
* Investigating the physical and cognitive impact of computer screens in microgravity.
* Studying growth, metabolism, and genetics of three microalgae strains in microgravity versus ground.
* Identifying pathways of skeletal muscle dysfunction in microgravity and exploring therapies.
* Examining spaceflight impacts on six crop seed varieties.
The other intangible benefit of Shukla's space flight will be the optics. The younger generation will be inspired to venture into the space sector, given the media’s reach now compared to four decades ago. Incidentally, Shukla was thrilled after attending an air show while he was in sixth grade and joined the IAF when the opportunity arose.
Be that as it may, India should target sending many more missions to the ISS before it is decommissioned. Such missions would result in a massive knowledge base for its own human space mission, building the space station, and sending a man to the Moon.
In addition, the country should consult industries like pharmaceuticals to determine the kind of research activities to be conducted in the ISS.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Ax-4 crew aboard a Dragon spacecraft to the space station.
The Ax-4 Mission to the ISS will be flown by Commander Peggy Whitson of the US, Mission Pilot Shukla, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of the European Space Agency (ESA)/Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
(Venkatachari Jagannathan is an independent journalist. He can be reached at venkatacharijagannathan@gmail.com)
Views are personal and do not represent the stand of this publication.
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