Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Celebrates Milestone Week in Space with Global Delicacies
Celebrating Culinary Delights in Space
New Delhi: On Friday, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla shared that he and his fellow crew members aboard the International Space Station (ISS) enjoyed a variety of dishes, including 'aam ras', 'gajar ka halwa', and 'moong dal halwa', alongside international cuisines, as he marked a week in the orbital laboratory.
Shukla, who arrived at the ISS on June 26 as part of the Axiom-4 mission, celebrated his week-long stay with a day off, which he dedicated to reconnecting with family and friends back on Earth.
By July 3, the Axiom-4 crew, consisting of Shukla and three other astronauts, had completed 113 orbits around the planet, covering over 4.66 million kilometers—nearly twelve times the distance to the moon.
In a brief communication with scientists at the URSC in Bengaluru via HAM radio, Shukla, known by his call sign 'Shux', expressed, 'It was a wonderful experience. We shared food from various countries with the entire crew.'
On Thursday, Shukla set a new record as the Indian astronaut with the longest duration in space, surpassing his mentor Rakesh Sharma's previous record of seven days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes during the Soviet Interkosmos program in 1984. As of Thursday, Shukla had spent nine days in space.
He described the most thrilling aspect of the mission as witnessing Earth from the ISS's unique perspective.
Shukla also highlighted the excitement of collaborating with international colleagues.
Reflecting on the launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, he remarked, 'The rocket launch was incredibly dynamic and fast. As you ascend, the speed increases, and the accelerations are quite intense.'
The Axiom-4 mission is led by veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, with Shukla serving as the pilot, alongside Polish astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu as mission specialists.
According to a statement from Axiom Space, the Ax-4 astronauts have already made significant contributions to scientific research within just seven days.
'Peggy has been engaged in cancer research, utilizing microgravity to observe tumor cell behavior in space, which aids in developing new therapeutic targets for metastatic cancers,' the statement noted.
'Shux has been conducting experiments to understand how microgravity influences the growth and genetic behavior of algae, as well as how tardigrades, resilient microscopic organisms, survive and reproduce in space,' it added.
The results from Shukla's experiments could provide valuable insights into the molecular mechanisms of cellular resilience, potentially leading to clinically relevant knowledge on Earth.
'This is a proud moment for India as our Indian Air Force officer becomes the first Indian military astronaut to board the ISS as part of Axiom Mission 4. He is leading seven India-specific scientific experiments and representing India in over 60 global studies on biology, Earth science, and material science,' stated Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh in a post on X.
'This achievement signifies the revival of India's human spaceflight journey under the visionary leadership of Hon'ble PM Shri @narendramodi,' Singh added.
During his radio interaction, Shukla emphasized the importance of global collaboration for the success of missions like the ISS.
'Agencies such as NASA, ISRO, SpaceX, Axiom, ESA, and JAXA are all working together to ensure the success of this mission. I recognize the power of global collaboration in making such missions possible. It is indeed the key to success,' Shukla stated.
Shukla is currently on a 14-day mission to the ISS as part of a collaborative project between ISRO and NASA.