Indian astronauts who went to moon

If you are familiar with names like Sunita Williams and Rakesh Sharma, you are probably up-to-date with the history of astronauts of Indian origins who have made it into space over the decades. At the end of 2020, NASA announced the names of the eighteen lucky astronauts who will have the absolute privilege to fly to the Moon and beyond by the year 2024, giving India plenty of reasons to celebrate. Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari is the name of the 43-year-old astronaut who will join other 17 lucky astronauts in this spectacular and one-of-a-kind Let's find out more about him and the rest of the astronauts with origins in the country with 1.38 billion inhabitants. Rakesh Sharma, The First Indian To Make It To Space Rakesh is also the only citizen of India to ever travel in space, even though other astronauts with Indian origins and backgrounds have also joined similar missions over the years. When the country's prime minister Indira Gandhi asked Sharma about the way India looked from outer space, he replied with a famous quote from a national poet saying the country looked “better than the world”. Kalpana Chawala, the First Indian Woman To Fly To Space Kalpana was an American-Indian engineer and astronaut born in Karnal, and also the first Indian-born woman to fly to space onboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997. She fulfilled the role of a mission specialist, as well as a robot arm operator. She also flew to space for a second time in 2003, again on board the Space Shuttle Co...

Why are we going to the Moon? For generations, the Moon has remained a source of not just romantic fascination but also scientific curiosity. From the story of its origin to the tale of its evolution, the giant rock hanging in the darkness of the sky has survived millions of bombardments of other space rocks over the millenia. See Pics | India has been exploring the lunar world for over a decade now as it continues to push its boundaries. It all began with Chandrayaan when Isro launched the maiden Moon mission, which eventually ended up finding water on the Moon. The Science Objective The Chandrayaan-3 mission will explore the far side of the Moon and will attempt to soft land on the lunar surface. Isro has learned from the failure of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which The primary objective will be to demonstrate soft landing capability on the Moon and make India only the fourth country in the world to have that ability. Also Read | "Essentially, Chandrayaan-3 is similar to Chandrayaan-2 in terms of the mission architecture, science objective, and the overall mission," Isro chief S Somnath said at the India Today Conclave South. Isro said that the mission's Chandra Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) will measure the thermal conductivity and temperature, while the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) will measure the seismicity around the landing site. The Moon has remained a source of not just romantic fascination but also scientific curiosity. (Photo: Nasa) ...

An Indian-American is among the NASA on Wednesday named the 18 astronauts -- half of them women -- who will train for its Artemis moon-landing programme. Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari, 43, a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, MIT, and US Naval Test Pilot School, is the only Indian-American in the list. He was selected by NASA to join the 2017 Astronaut Candidate Class. He reported for duty in August 2017 and having completed the initial astronaut candidate training is now eligible for a mission assignment. “My fellow Americans, I give you the heroes of the future who will carry us back to the Moon and beyond: the Artemis Generation,” Vice President Mike Pence said at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on Wednesday. “It really is amazing to think that the next man and the first woman on the Moon are among the names that we just read...We started today reflecting on a great hero of the past. The Artemis Generation are the heroes of American space exploration in the future, “ Mr. Pence said after he introduced the members of the Artemis Team during the eighth National Space Council meeting. The astronauts on the Artemis Team come from a diverse range of backgrounds, expertise and experience. Most of the astronauts in the group are in their 30s or 40s. The oldest is 55, the youngest 32. The agency’s modern lunar exploration programme will land the first woman and next man on the Moon in 2024 and establish a sustainable human lunar presence by the end of the decade, NASA said...

A t 2.51am on Monday 15 July, engineers at India’s national spaceport at Sriharikota will blast their Chandrayaan-2 probe into orbit around the Earth. It will be the most ambitious space mission the nation has attempted. For several days, the four-tonne spacecraft will be manoeuvred above our planet before a final injection burn of its engines will send it hurtling towards its destination: the moon. Exactly 50 years after the astronauts of The Indian spaceship will not be alone on the lunar surface, however. China’s At the same time, the US has pledged to set up lunar laboratories in the near future, while Europe and Russia have also revealed plans to launch complex missions. Suddenly, everyone’s going to the moon. But why? What has suddenly made Earth’s main satellite so popular? After Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s historic mission in July 1969, public and political interest in future human space flight evaporated rapidly. Already bogged down in a vastly expensive war in Vietnam, the US government abandoned its Apollo programme. Buzz Aldrin on the moon on 20 July 1969. Photograph: Neil Armstrong/Nasa/EPA The decision disappointed scientists but, given that Apollo was costing, at one point, 4% of the US federal budget, the cancellation was not surprising. Since then there have been only a handful of robot missions to the moon, and human ventures have been restricted to missions in low Earth orbit, with special attention being given to the One reason for this shift is th...

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Related Articles • The $93-billion plan to put astronauts back on the Moon • NASA should lead humanity’s return to the Moon • Will increasing traffic to the Moon contaminate its precious ice? • UAE ramps up space ambitions with Arab world’s first Moon mission • These young scientists will shape the next 50 years of Moon research • How to build a Moon base Subjects • • Buy or subscribe Related Articles • The $93-billion plan to put astronauts back on the Moon • NASA should lead humanity’s return to the Moon • Will increasing traffic to the Moon contaminate its precious ice? • UAE ramps up space ambitions with Arab world’s first Moon mission • These young scientists will shape the next 50 years of Moon research • How to build a Moon base Subjects • •

Some prominent Indians/ Indian Americans and their phenomenal contributions in this field and beyond: Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari is the only Indian American among the 18 astronauts selected by NASA in 2017 to fly on a manned mission to the moon and beyond. A graduate of US Air Force Academy, MIT and US Naval Test Pilot School, Raja is the third Indian American astronaut, after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. A winner of multiple awards, he was born in Milwaukee and raised in Iowa. He is married and has three children. Sunita Williams is an Indian American astronaut and US Navy officer, who formerly held the record for the most space walks (7) and the most space walk time for a woman at 50 hrs and 40 minutes. She was also assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expeditions 14 & 15. In 2012 she served as the flight engineer of Expedition 32 and then Commander of Expedition. In 2007, she ran the first marathon by a person orbit. She finished the Boston Marathon in 4 hours and 24 minutes. She was born in Ohio and graduated from US Naval Academy with a bachelors degree in Physical Science. Sunita obtained her Master’s degree in Engineering Management from Florida Institute of Technology. She lives in Texas with her husband. Swati Mohan is an Indian American aerospace engineer, who was the guidance and controls lead for NASA Mars 2020 mission. She was the first person to confirm Rover’s landing on Mars. Swati was born in India and raised in USA. She planned ...

If you are familiar with names like Sunita Williams and Rakesh Sharma, you are probably up-to-date with the history of astronauts of Indian origins who have made it into space over the decades. At the end of 2020, NASA announced the names of the eighteen lucky astronauts who will have the absolute privilege to fly to the Moon and beyond by the year 2024, giving India plenty of reasons to celebrate. Raja Jon Vurputoor Chari is the name of the 43-year-old astronaut who will join other 17 lucky astronauts in this spectacular and one-of-a-kind Let's find out more about him and the rest of the astronauts with origins in the country with 1.38 billion inhabitants. Rakesh Sharma, The First Indian To Make It To Space Rakesh is also the only citizen of India to ever travel in space, even though other astronauts with Indian origins and backgrounds have also joined similar missions over the years. When the country's prime minister Indira Gandhi asked Sharma about the way India looked from outer space, he replied with a famous quote from a national poet saying the country looked “better than the world”. Kalpana Chawala, the First Indian Woman To Fly To Space Kalpana was an American-Indian engineer and astronaut born in Karnal, and also the first Indian-born woman to fly to space onboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997. She fulfilled the role of a mission specialist, as well as a robot arm operator. She also flew to space for a second time in 2003, again on board the Space Shuttle Co...

A t 2.51am on Monday 15 July, engineers at India’s national spaceport at Sriharikota will blast their Chandrayaan-2 probe into orbit around the Earth. It will be the most ambitious space mission the nation has attempted. For several days, the four-tonne spacecraft will be manoeuvred above our planet before a final injection burn of its engines will send it hurtling towards its destination: the moon. Exactly 50 years after the astronauts of The Indian spaceship will not be alone on the lunar surface, however. China’s At the same time, the US has pledged to set up lunar laboratories in the near future, while Europe and Russia have also revealed plans to launch complex missions. Suddenly, everyone’s going to the moon. But why? What has suddenly made Earth’s main satellite so popular? After Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s historic mission in July 1969, public and political interest in future human space flight evaporated rapidly. Already bogged down in a vastly expensive war in Vietnam, the US government abandoned its Apollo programme. Buzz Aldrin on the moon on 20 July 1969. Photograph: Neil Armstrong/Nasa/EPA The decision disappointed scientists but, given that Apollo was costing, at one point, 4% of the US federal budget, the cancellation was not surprising. Since then there have been only a handful of robot missions to the moon, and human ventures have been restricted to missions in low Earth orbit, with special attention being given to the One reason for this shift is th...

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. Related Articles • The $93-billion plan to put astronauts back on the Moon • NASA should lead humanity’s return to the Moon • Will increasing traffic to the Moon contaminate its precious ice? • UAE ramps up space ambitions with Arab world’s first Moon mission • These young scientists will shape the next 50 years of Moon research • How to build a Moon base Subjects • • Buy or subscribe Related Articles • The $93-billion plan to put astronauts back on the Moon • NASA should lead humanity’s return to the Moon • Will increasing traffic to the Moon contaminate its precious ice? • UAE ramps up space ambitions with Arab world’s first Moon mission • These young scientists will shape the next 50 years of Moon research • How to build a Moon base Subjects • •

Why are we going to the Moon? For generations, the Moon has remained a source of not just romantic fascination but also scientific curiosity. From the story of its origin to the tale of its evolution, the giant rock hanging in the darkness of the sky has survived millions of bombardments of other space rocks over the millenia. See Pics | India has been exploring the lunar world for over a decade now as it continues to push its boundaries. It all began with Chandrayaan when Isro launched the maiden Moon mission, which eventually ended up finding water on the Moon. The Science Objective The Chandrayaan-3 mission will explore the far side of the Moon and will attempt to soft land on the lunar surface. Isro has learned from the failure of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, which The primary objective will be to demonstrate soft landing capability on the Moon and make India only the fourth country in the world to have that ability. Also Read | "Essentially, Chandrayaan-3 is similar to Chandrayaan-2 in terms of the mission architecture, science objective, and the overall mission," Isro chief S Somnath said at the India Today Conclave South. Isro said that the mission's Chandra Surface Thermophysical Experiment (ChaSTE) will measure the thermal conductivity and temperature, while the Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) will measure the seismicity around the landing site. The Moon has remained a source of not just romantic fascination but also scientific curiosity. (Photo: Nasa) ...