Space Unlimited

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">Bangalore: Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian in space when he travelled aboard the Russian Soyuz T-11 in 1984. When Indira Gandhi asked him: "How does India look from outer space?" he replied: "<span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Saare jahan se achcha</span>". In an interview with Bhumika K, Sharma talks of his admiration for Kalpana Chawla, a small-town girl who set her sights high.<br /><br />After retiring from the Indian Air Force as a Wing Commander, he was test pilot for HAL before getting involved in the IT industry.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">The Columbia space shuttle tragedy touched a deep emotional chord in India because Kalpana Chawla, an Indian, was also on board. How do you perceive her as a person and as an astronaut?</span><br /><br />It''s true that the outpouring of grief here in India ever since the shuttle tragedy happened is largely because Kalpana Chawla had captured the imagination of the entire country. I mean, here was a small-town girl who set her sights, as some would say, unrealistically high - and then she went ahead and ultimately made it there! I have never met her; all I know of her is through media reports. She had a remarkable career indeed. Obviously she was talented, she was very hard working, persevering and diligent, which is why she was on board that flight.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">You were scheduled to meet Kalpana Chawla in April this year. How did this meet get planned and what were you planning to discuss?</span><br /><br />I''m not too sure. An NGO in Delhi asked me if I could make it convenient to be present at a ''Space Mela'' there to felicitate Kalpana during her visit to India after her second space mission. I was looking forward to meeting with her. Sadly, it was not to be.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">What went through your mind while you were returning to Earth after your first space mission? How mentally prepared is an astronaut for a mishap?</span><br /><br />Well, at one level there was this curiosity whether things would work all right and at another, a more basic physiological response, that of a heightened pulse rate. All astronauts are quite prepared for such eventualities. As most are aviators, they deal with these things pretty early on in their careers and develop a sort of a ''que sera, sera'' attitude.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Are dangers of space travel justified in the Space Age where technology has grown so tremendously that space launches have become routine?</span><br /><br />This is a very demanding business. Several thousand pieces of complex machi-nery need to perform flawlessly in an integrated manner. Mishaps are bound to occur. We are humans and we are some distance away from achieving perfection. But we are getting there. Safety and reliability issues are evolutionary by nature. <br /><br />In a sense, experience spurs the growth of space or aviation flight safety because it is unrealistic to expect all ''what ifs'' to be taken care of in the initial design effort. We would be lucky to learn from near misses, and that too happens often enough but mishaps also take place now and then. <br /><br />At times like these, there is some breathing time and thorough reviews are done. This is when safety gets enhanced. Let us say that these seven astronauts didn''t die in vain. And this is why we professionals salute all those who paid the ultimate price.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">On a scale of one to ten, how do space agencies rank ''safety'' and ''cost of mission''?</span><br /><br />In an ideal situation, it would have to be nine and nine. But we all know that in the real world it all comes down to judgment calls having to be made in order to maximise the returns without compromising safety. It is a difficult balance to achieve. The problem is that these two are inter-dependent and, in a sense, inversely proportional.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Do you think India needs to send a manned mission to the moon? How prepared is the Indian space community to handle this?</span><br /><br />Yes, India needs a manned mission. When it comes to manned space flight, we need to learn to walk first, though. We will think of flying to the moon later. We need this because space is a technological frontier and we need to be a part of it and also because we have what it takes to get there. We are a science-capable nation. I see no reason why we should shy away from realising our potential.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">Where is space exploration headed?</span><br /><br />Outwards as well as inwards. Space applications will touch all aspects of our life, enriching it as it gathers momentum. There will be the commercialisation of space initially for the benefit of shareholders and later for the larger good of people like you and me.<br /><br /><span style="" font-weight:="" bold="">What kind of work are you involved with currently?</span><br /><br />I am in the IT industry. Who isn''t, in Bangalore! I''m also involved in some charity support work as before. As for hobbies, life has been kind and I have been able to find time for that. I''d like to do some Formula One racing though, if you can organise that for me...</div> </div>