New Delhi: Indian Astronaut Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who recently made history as the second Indian to go into space and the first to reach the International Space Station (ISS), is now undertaking the challenging process of relearning to walk on Earth. A video circulating online shows Shukla, just days after his return from the Axiom-4 mission, being assisted by two individuals as he takes tentative steps, readapting to Earth’s gravity after more than two weeks in microgravity.
This post-space mission recovery, which involves re-learning to walk, is a crucial part of an astronaut’s rehabilitation. It helps the body readjust to gravitational pull after prolonged exposure to zero-gravity conditions, which can lead to changes in fluid distribution, heart rate, balance, and muscle loss. The longer an individual spends in space, the more extensive this re-adaptation process typically becomes.
Shubhanshu Shukla shared the video on his Instagram handle, offering an update on his health and thanking well-wishers. He captioned the post:
“I have received a lot of messages regarding my health and wishing me speedy recovery. I want to thank you all and also give an update.”
“Experiencing microgravity our body goes through several changes like fluid shift, heart rate, balance readjustment, muscle loss. These are adaptations to the new environment. Once the body gets used to this and we return to gravity, these adjustments happen once again,” he wrote.
“Though it varies for all astronauts, the body soon starts adapting to its new environment. I was surprised to observe the pace with which our body can adjust to new settings. In the pursuit of the unknown(space), you get to know more about yourself,” he reflected.
According to an official statement quoting Union Minister Jitendra Singh, Shukla and his three international crewmates will remain in quarantine until July 23 to complete essential medical and re-adaptation procedures.
Shubhanshu Shukla’s Historic Space Flight:
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his three crewmates splashed down safely off the coast of California at 5:31 AM New York time (approximately 3:01 PM IST) on July 15, concluding the Axiom-4 mission. This mission underscored the Texas-based company Axiom Space’s ambition to collaborate with various countries to expand global access to space.
The four-person crew launched to space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida last month and spent 18 days aboard the ISS.
The flight marked Axiom’s fourth crewed mission to low-Earth orbit and the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary reached the ISS. The mission was commanded by American astronaut Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut who now serves as Axiom’s director of human spaceflight. Alongside Shukla and Whitson, the crew also included mission specialists Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
Shubhanshu Shukla, Indian Air Force, Astronaut, International Space Station, ISS, Axiom-4 Mission, Space Travel, Microgravity, Post-Space Recovery, Rehabilitation, India, Space Exploration