Axiom-4 Mission: Shubhanshu Shukla To Undertake Seven India-Specific Experiments — Details Here
In a first for India, astronaut and Indian Air Force officer, Shubhanshu Shukla, will be researching microgravity in the International Space Station over a period of 14 days, as part of the Axiom-4 Mission. The International Space Station is a highly advanced space laboratory, where many complex experiments have been undertaken over the last 25 years.
The field of microgravity research has potential applications in a wide array of fields such as human health, physical and life sciences, material research, novel pharmaceutical development, and biotechnology. Therefore, it presents the national scientific community with crucial opportunities.
As part of his research, he will be required to grow the water bear, also known as tardigrade. The water bear can reach merely 0.5 mm in length and will be utilised to comprehend how living things adapt to microgravity. Moreover, Shukla will grow special bacteria and study the impact of space on muscle cells, to understand why astronauts face muscle loss in space.
Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO has shortlisted seven India specific microgravity experiments proposed by Indian Principal Investigators from various national research and development laboratories or academic institutions for implementation on ISS during the Axiom-4 mission. Their details are as follows:
Impact of microgravity radiation on edible microalgae, for the International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology and the National Institute of Plant Genome Research.
Sprouting salad seeds in space, which is relevant to crew nutrition and which will be monitored by the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad in Karnataka.
Survival, revival, reproduction, and transcriptome of the Eutardigrade Paramacrobiotus sp. BLR strain in space by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
Effect of metabolic supplements on muscle regeneration under microgravity by the Institute of Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine.
Analysing human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity by the IISc.
Comparative growth and proteomics responses of cyanobacteria on urea and nitrate in microgravity by the ICGEB.
Impact of microgravity on growth and yield parameters in seeds by the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology and the Kerala Agricultural University's College of Agriculture.
These experiment will cultivate a microgravity research ecosystem back in India, according to ISRO.
Currently, the mission—which was supposed to incept on May 29—has been delayed for over three weeks due to weather issues and technical glitches on the Falcon-9 rocket. National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA has declared the mission will not commence before June 19.
This has posed a challenge of refurbishing the biological material or the reagents for at least six of the aforementioned experiments. However, the Indian agencies are diligently working towards a resolution.
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