Who is not aware of Shubhanshu Shukla today? Shubhanshu Shukla has become the second astronaut of India, who will travel to the International Space Station under Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4). Let us tell you, Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4) is a private space mission which is being conducted in collaboration with NASA, ISRO and SpaceX. Shubhanshu Shukla has made a distinct identity for himself as the second person to go to space
But do you know about Rakesh Sharma, the first person to go to space? Actually, before this, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma had traveled to space on April 02, 1984 under the Soviet Union’s Soyuz T-11 mission. Under this mission, Rakesh Sharma spent 7 days 21 hours and 40 minutes in space with two other Russian astronauts. Let us know about Rakesh Sharma in detail. Rakesh Sharma was born on January 13, 1949 in Patiala, Punjab. After graduating, he joined the NDA in 1966. After joining the NDA, Rakesh Sharma was commissioned as a pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1970.
Rakesh Sharma was selected to become a cosmonaut in 1982 through a joint initiative of India and the Soviet Union. After this, he worked hard and trained for two years at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center to become a cosmonaut. After this, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to go to space on April 02, 1984 under the Soyuz T-11 mission. During his space journey, Rakesh Sharma took many interesting photographs of space, during this time he practiced yoga in zero gravity and also did many experiments.
It is said that during his space journey, Rakesh Sharma had taken many Indian dishes with him, which he also shared with two other astronauts accompanying him. Rakesh Sharma shared his experiences of space with the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. When Indira Gandhi asked Rakesh Sharma how India looked from space, he replied “Saare Jahan Se Achcha”. He also told that sunrise and sunset are the best time to see the Earth from space.