'I am sleeping a lot': Shubhanshu Shukla says he did not enjoy being shot into 'silence of vacuum'

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is in space, above Earth, and will soon dock with the International Space Station. He has become the second Indian to go to space as part of the Axiom-4 mission. Sitting in the SpaceX Dragon capsule along with three other fellow astronauts, Shukla spoke about his experience so far in a live stream. He thanked everyone who helped him reach this far in his journey to space, acknowledging that it is not "a personal accomplishment, but an achievement for everyone." He also spoke about how he is doing, sharing that he has been sleeping a lot on the capsule.

Shubhanshu talked about the long wait they had to endure to take the trip to space, and that he was tired of waiting. “Hello everyone, namaskar from space. I am thrilled to be here with my fellow astronauts - one veteran and three rookies. Wow, what a ride it was. Frankly, when I was sitting in the capsule, in Grace on the launchpad, my only thought was, let's just go. After 30 days of quarantine, I just wanted to go." Grace is the name of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft that carried the Axiom-4 astronauts.

Shubhanshu revealed that once the ride started, he was thrown into a whole new world. "When the ride started, you are getting pushed back into the sea, it was an amazing ride. Then suddenly nothing, everything is silenced, you are just floating in the silence of a vacuum. Amazing feeling," Shukla said from the capsule.

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Shubhanshu admitted that he wasn't thrilled at first, but it all quickly changed. "Honestly, I was not feeling great when we were shot into the vacuum. But I have been told that I am sleeping a lot, which is a great sign. I am enjoying it, the views, learning how to walk, how to control yourself, how to eat, new challenges, new experiences."

Also Read: Shubhanshu Shukla’s touching farewell to wife before Axiom-4 mission to International Space Station

"I am enjoying with my fellow astronauts. It is good to make mistakes, but it is better to see somebody else do that too. It has been fun, Shukla said, laughing. He then thanked everyone who helped accomplish the mission. "I want to thank everyone. It was not a personal accomplishment, but an achievement of everyone. I want to thank my family and friends; you supported me so much." Shubhanshu is only the second Indian to take a trip to space. Rakesh Sharma was the first one who flew to space aboard a Soyuz T-11 on 3 April 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme.

Shubhanshu is carrying a stuffed toy of a small swan with him to space. He shared the symbolism behind it, saying how it is not just an Indian thing. "Swan symbolises wisdom. It also has the ability to discern what should be focused on and what should not. We all have symbolism in Poland, Hungary, and India. It has more meaning than one would think," the 39-year-old said.