Rakesh Sharma: First Indian to conquer space
Born on January 13, 1949 in Patiala, Punjab, Rakesh Sharma attended St. George’s Grammar School, Hyderabad and graduated from Nizam College, Hyderabad. He was admitted to the National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakvasla, Pune, in July 1966 and became a commissioned officer in the Indian Air Force (IAF) in 1970.
Career
Having joined the IAF as a test pilot, Rakesh Sharma flew 21 combat missions in a MiG-21 during the 1971 Bangladesh war. He went on to fly a wide range of aircraft and on September 20, 1982 was chosen to become a cosmonaut as part of a joint initiative that involved the space research bodies Interkosmos, representing the Soviet Union as well as the Indian Space Research Organisation.
Destination space
He along with a large number of fellow candidates went through many tests first at the Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Bangalore and then to Moscow. The large batch was gradually reduced to a shortlist of four candidates, before a final round of medical tests left just two candidates – Rakesh Sharma and Ravish Malhotra – both of them being IAF pilots. It was made clear at the outset that even though only one of them would finally make the grade for the space odyssey, the other one would be a standby for any eventuality. However, the identity of who exactly would be the lucky one would be taken only towards the last stage before the actual space flight.
Tough training regime
AS part of the rigorous training they underwent for nearly two years at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center at Star City in the outskirts of Moscow, the duo of Sharma and Malhotra were even locked inside a closed room at an IAF facility in Bangalore for 72 hours to detect if they suffered from claustrophobia. Sharma performed yoga for 10 minutes daily to maintain better fitness in space, as well as zero gravity yoga to combat space sickness. On April 2, 1984, Sharma become the first Indian to go into space when he flew aboard the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11 that was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. The rocket docked and transferred the three member Soviet-Indian international crew which included the spaceship commander Yury Malyshev and flight engineer Gennadi Strekalov, to the Salyut 7 Orbital Station. Over the years, he rose up the ranks and, in 1984, was appointed squadron leader in the IAF. He retired as wing commander and, in 1987, joined the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) wherein he was the chief test pilot at the HAL Nashik and Bangalore divisions, respectively, until 1992. He was also associated with the project involving the Light Combat Aircraft Tejas.
Achievements, awards
The honour Hero of the Soviet Union was conferred upon Sharma on his return from space, making him the lone Indian recipient. India’s highest peacetime gallantry award, the Ashoka Chakra, was also conferred on him.
Personal life
Sharma with his wife Madhu has a son, Kapil who is a film director, and a daughter Kritika, who is a media artist.
INTERESTING FACTS
1. Sharma spent 7 days, 21 hours and 40 minutes aboard the Salyut 7 space station. He photographed India from space and the photos he took saved India two years of aerial photography to map the same area. The mission conducted scientific and technical studies, including 43 experimental sessions, but his work involved bio-medicine and remote sensing. He also observed a fire in Burma (Myanmar).
2. The crew held a television conference with Moscow officials and then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. She asked him how India looked from space, Sharma replied, ‘Saare Jahan Se Achcha’.
3. Sharma’s Russian companions aboard enjoyed Indian food in space. The dishes were prepared by the Defence Food Research Laboratory, Mysore which included Pulao, Alu chholey and Sooji halwa.
4. Sharma carried with him portraits of the then Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, President Zail Singh, defence minister, Venkataraman and soil from Rajghat, Mahatma Gandhi’s samadhi.
Source: Wikipedia, gallantryawards.gov.in and britannica.com