Homecoming: Shubhanshu back on Earth

 

 

ASTRONAUT Shubhanshu Shukla and three others of the commercial Axiom-4 mission made a fiery return to Earth as the Dragon ‘Grace’ spacecraft made a splash down off San Diego coast in southern California on Tuesday, capping a 22.5-hour journey after an 18-day stay at the International Space Station. The spacecraft carrying Shukla, commander Peggy Whitson, and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, undocked from the space station at 4:45 pm IST on Monday. “Splashdown of Dragon confirmed - welcome back to Earth, @AstroPeggy, Shux, @astro_slawosz, and Tibi,” SpaceX said in a post on X. Speed boats of SpaceX, the transporter for the mission, were seen moving towards the spacecraft to bring it to recovery ship Shannon where the astronauts will brought out from the capsule. The Axiom-4 crew will undergo a series of medical checks on board the ship before boarding a helicopter for a ride back to the shore.

 

The four astronauts are expected to spend seven days in rehabilitation as they adjust back to life on Earth under the influence of gravity, unlike the weightlessness experienced in orbit. Meanwhile, ISRO on Tuesday said, the experience gained by IAF Group Captain Shubanshu Shukla onboard the International Space Station will be extremely valuable for India’s Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission. Smiling Shubhanshu Shukla emerges out of Dragon spacecraft: Waving and smiling to cameras, Shubhanshu Shukla and three other Axiom-4 mission astronauts emerged from the Dragon Grace spacecraft on Tuesday, taking their first breath of fresh air after completing their 20-day space sojourn. The 39-year-old Shukla, commander Peggy Whitson and mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary were seen being helped out of the spacecraft by the ground staff of SpaceX, the transporter for the mission. Soon after the splashdown, the spacecraft was hauled up the recovery ship Shannon, where the Axiom-4 crew came out on a small slide and were helped onto their feet by the ground staff. Shukla and the three astronauts were seen taking tentative steps as they adjusted to gravity back on Earth after spending three weeks in weightlessness on board the space station.