Meet Rakesh Sharma, the IAF officer who spent over 7 days in space

By Team Newsable | First Published Apr 12, 2022, 9:00 AM IST

Sharma made history on April 3, 1984, when he piloted Soyuz T-11 to the space station Salyut 7 alongside two Soviet cosmonauts, commander Yury Malyshev and flight engineer Gennady Strekalov.

Rakesh Sharma, who was born on January 13, 1949 in Patiala, joined the Indian Air Force as a pilot in 1970. He reportedly conducted at least 21 combat sorties in a MiG-21 during the 1971 Bangladesh conflict, and in 1982 he was chosen as a cosmonaut for a combined Soviet-Indian spaceflight.

He flew the Soyuz T-11 with two Soviets on April 3, 1984. Following the historic voyage in 1987, Sharma joined Hindustan Aeronautics as its chief test pilot, a position he held until 2001, when he quit to become chairman of the board of Automated Workflow.

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He became the first Indian and the 138th person to fly in space in 1984. Sharma made history on April 3, 1984, when he piloted Soyuz T-11 to the space station Salyut 7 alongside two Soviet cosmonauts, commander Yury Malyshev and flight engineer Gennady Strekalov.

The former Indian Air Force pilot was in space for 7 days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes as part of a collaborative programme between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Soviet Intercosmos space programme.

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Sharma conducted a variety of experiments in space, including photographs of India from space and research into the benefits of yoga during weightlessness. On April 11, 1984, Sharma and his two Soviet crewmates returned to Earth and landed in Kazakhstan. Notably, Sharma has carried Indian food to space with the help of the defence Food Research Lab in Mysore. According to reports, Sharma packed Suji Halwa, Aloo Choley, and Pulao and shared them with his fellow astronauts.

Sharma's chat with then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who inquired how India looked from up there, was one of the most memorable events of the first India reaching space in 1984. Sharma responded, "Saare Jahaan Se Achcha," before going on to say that the most magnificent views from space were sunrises and sunsets. Sharma is also the first Indian to get the 'Hero of the Soviet Union' medal, in addition to becoming the first Indian to stay in space. Along with his Russian co-cosmonauts, he got the Ashok Chakra.

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