From Cockpit to Lab: Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla shares his journey to space

From Cockpit to Lab: Shubhanshu Shukla Shares His Journey to Space (Image: Shubhanshu Shukla/Instagram/ISRO)

Shubhanshu Shukla has always chased the skies above. Now, after a 19-day space mission on the ISS, he looks back at the journey that brought him to this point.

A Curious Mind Finds Its Mission at IISc
In 2022, while pursuing his MTech at IISc, Shukla returned to his passion for space. As part of a research project, he collaborated with Professor Aloke in studying Martian regolith. They aimed to convert loose sand into bricks through a process known as MICP, which utilises bacteria to create calcite.

Martian soil contains perchlorate, a toxic chemical that complicates such work. But the team trained bacteria to survive it. Slowly increasing perchlorate levels in the lab, they made the bacteria resistant and effective for space conditions. This success pushed their work further and gave Shukla hands-on microbiology skills.

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A post shared by Shubhanshu Shukla (@gagan.shux)

Lab Experience That Travelled to Space
Those same microbiology skills later helped him in orbit. Shukla carried out several experiments aboard the ISS, drawing on his time in the lab. He said he was surprised how useful that early research became. He noted how it bridged his worlds from piloting to laboratory work.

Exploration Is About Staying Curious
Shukla believes curiosity is what kept him moving forward. "From cockpit to lab, everything astonished me," he recalled. Space was not merely a destination for him but the extension of asking questions and experimenting. His narrative captures how learning on Earth prepares one for discoveries outside of it.