NEW DELHI: The Axiom-4 crew, including India’s Shubhanshu Shukla, who is set to become the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), shared a new message from space.The crew informed that they were flying over Europe and also gave a glimpse of Earth from space. “Namaskar from Space,” Shukla greeted from the Dragon spacecraft. “I am thrilled to be here with my fellow astronauts. What a ride it was! When I was sitting in the capsule, the only thought was ‘let’s just go.’ It was an amazing ride, and then suddenly, nothing. You were floating in the silence of vacuum.,” he said.Expressing gratitude, Shukla emphasised that this achievement was not personal but collective. He thanked his family and friends, and with humour, mentioned experiencing some initial discomfort but has been getting plenty of rest. “Enjoying the views, learning like a baby,” he added.“I wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone. It is not a personal accomplishment. It is a collective achievement,” he said. Shukla, along with three others from the US, Poland, and Hungary, is expected to dock at the orbiting laboratory at 7 am EDT.Dragon is carrying Ax-4 Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, and Mission Specialists Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski and Tibor Kapu.It “will dock to the Harmony module’s space-facing port at 7 a.m. on Thursday,” Nasa had said.After 41 years, India now will have an astronaut in space. Shukla will also be the second Indian in space after Rakesh Sharma’s flight in 1984.
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