Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla spins through NASA’s rigorous space training simulator, watch video here

For most, spinning in circles sparks dizziness and laughter. For astronauts, it is serious training that could decide survival in space. Shubhanshu Shukla has now offered fans a rare glimpse inside NASA’s intense Multi-Axis Trainer.

What is the Multi-Axis Trainer?

Shubhanshu Shukla shared a video from the Marshall Space Flight Centre. It showed him strapped inside the Multi-Axis Trainer, also known as the Gimbal Rig or Vomit Comet Chair. The machine is built with three concentric rings that spin independently. Each rotation mimics the violent tumbling a spacecraft could suffer in orbit.

The trainer forces astronauts to handle disorientation across roll, pitch and yaw. The goal is to help them stay calm, regain control, and complete mission tasks under extreme physical stress. Mr Shukla captioned his video with the words, “Let’s get spinning.”

Why does this training matter?
He explained that Mercury astronauts once used the same device. Although the Mercury programme never required its use in orbit, the technique proved vital later. Neil Armstrong experienced uncontrolled tumbling during the Gemini 8 mission. He was forced to manually stabilise the spacecraft after a thruster failure.