New Delhi, July 17 Shubhanshu Shukla, who returned from the International Space Station (ISS) early this week, is in stable condition, said the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Thursday.
ISRO said that the agency is partnering with Axiom Space in rehabilitation exercise and is “monitoring the physical and mental health” of Shukla. The national space agency noted that preliminary health checks show “no immediate concerns”.
On June 26, Shukla became the first from India to reach the orbiting lab. The IAF Group Captain returned to Earth on Tuesday along with fellow astronauts from the US, Poland, and Hungary aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft "Grace".
ISRO informed that the preliminary health checks were carried out at the recovery ship.
“Initial health assessments indicated that Shukla was in stable condition with no immediate concerns reported,” ISRO said.
After the checkup, Shukla was airlifted by helicopter from the recovery ship to the mainland for further medical evaluations and debriefing sessions.
Later, Shukla was flown to Houston for a week-long rehabilitation programme to mitigate any adverse effects of microgravity.
ISRO noted that “the rehabilitation activities of Gaganyatri focus on monitoring physical and mental health, addressing any effects of microgravity, and preparing him for a return to normal activities”.
“This includes a series of medical checks, especially cardiovascular assessments, musculoskeletal tests, and psychological debriefing. This is being administered by Axiom’s flight surgeon, and ISRO’s flight surgeon is also participating in this programme,” the national space agency added.
Meanwhile, Shukla on Wednesday also reunited with his wife, Kamna Shukla, and six-year-old son Kiash Shukla after his 18-day mission aboard the ISS.
“Coming back to Earth and holding my family back in my arms felt like home. Find a loved one today and tell them that you love them. We often get busy in life and forget how important the people in our lives are. Human spaceflight missions are magical, but they are made magical by the humans,” the astronaut said.
Shukla said that space flight is amazing, but seeing your loved ones after a long time is equally amazing.
“It has been two months since I entered quarantine. During the quarantine, family visits, we had to be 8 m apart. My little one had to be told that he had germs on his hands and that is why he could not touch his father.”
“Every time he would come for the visit, he would ask his mother, ‘Can I wash my hands?’ It was challenging,” Shukla said.
--IANS
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