Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom Mission 4, has expressed his excitement over the range of scientific research being conducted in space, particularly the Indian-led projects. Since arriving at the station, he said he has been “very busy” with research activities.
During a conversation with Axiom Space’s Chief Scientist, Dr Lucie Low, on Wednesday, Group Captain Shukla provided a succinct overview of the research and advancements being done at the space station, particularly the Indian-led projects. The Group Captain underscored the significance of the ISS as a premier laboratory for research and innovation, with his mission opening new avenues for Indian scientists. “I would agree. I have been very busy since the time we have come, doing a lot of research on the station, and I’m very excited.
This mission is actually kind of opening the doors for microgravity or space research for Indian researchers and scientists and I’m so proud that ISRO has been able to collaborate with national institutions all over the country and they came up with some fantastic research, which I am doing on the station for all the scientists and researchers and it is exciting,” he stated.
Group Captain Sukla revealed that the research spans diverse fields, including stem cell studies, seed growth under microgravity, and evaluating cognitive loads on astronauts, reflecting a broad spectrum of scientific inquiry. One particularly exciting project, he noted, is stem cell research aimed at exploring whether supplements can accelerate recovery, growth, or repair of injuries while taking pride in serving as a bridge between researchers and the ISS.
“It has been fantastic and I feel proud to be this kind of bridge between the researchers and the station to conduct this research on behalf of them. One particular research project which I am really excited about is the stem cell research where the scientists are trying to explore whether by adding supplements to the stem cells it is possible to accelerate the recovery or the growth or to repair the injury and it has been great to work in the glove box doing this research for them,” he shared.
“It is a joy to do this and the research spans various domains and various disciplines, right from doing some stem cell research and growing some seeds to seeing the effect of microgravity on seeds and also evaluating the cognitive load on astronauts while they are interacting with screens on board the station,” he added.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, part of Axiom Mission 4, launched on June 25 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 3:21 am ET on Wednesday aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Group Captain Shukla is serving as Mission Pilot on the four-member Axiom Mission 4 and piloted the Dragon spacecraft, which successfully docked with the ISS on June 26, ahead of schedule, autonomously docking at 4:05 pm (IST) to the space-facing port of the space station’s Harmony module. The Ax-4 crew is expected to stay aboard the space station for up to 14 days.
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