KOCHI: Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to reach outer space, has opined that nothing much has changed in the 40 years since he scripted history on April 3, 1984. He made the comments in view of the ambitious Gaganyaan mission, which will see India send four astronauts to the low-earth orbit.
“Apart from the technological improvements such as utilising more reliable components, the core of what makes up the space flight has not changed — the human being,” Sharma says.
He was speaking after virtually inaugurating a photo exhibition at Russian House, Thiruvananthapuram, jointly organised by news agency TASS and the Russian Embassy. The exhibition is being organised at all five Russian Houses in India to mark the 40th anniversary of Sharma’s space mission.
The first Indian astronaut said that the way astronauts condition the human body to face the rigours of space travel has not changed even after four decades. He recalled the training he underwent at Star City, Russia, home to Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre.
“I was just 35 when I went to space. The astronauts undertaing Gaganyaan too trained at Star City. They are back now and are presently training in ISRO’s simulators wherein they will learn how to operate the spacecraft,” Sharma says.
The former astronaut says the past 40 years have been extremely productive for India and the country’s relationship with the then-Soviet Union and present Russia.
The exhibition, Sharma believes, would give viewers a snapshot of what happened all those years ago.
“I hope the young generation gets inspired to take up space-related sciences so that they can contribute to the Indian space programme,” he adds.
Sharma’s space flight was a milestone in Indo-Russian cooperation in space science and technology, says Honorary Consul of Russia and Director of the Russian House in Trivandrum Ratheesh C Nair.
Photographs of Sharma’s preparation and training before his space flight and his reception in India and Russia are on display at the event.