Kerala students overjoyed after live interaction with Shubhanshu Shukla from space station

Thiruvananthapuram | Sanghavi, a 10th standard student from Government Higher Secondary School, Nayarkuzhi, Kozhikode, could not hide her excitement at witnessing an astronaut floating in space and showing how he could play with a ball in zero gravity.

A wide grin across her face revealed how thrilled she was to have interacted with Shubhanshu Shukla, the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma.

"I was so excited and happy. We had so many questions for him, and he answered many of them in detail and showed us how they float inside the International Space Station (ISS)," Sanghavi told PTI Videos.

Around 200 students, selected from schools across the state, got a chance to interact with the Indian astronaut at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram.

Another batch of students in Lucknow, Shukla's hometown, also had the opportunity to interact with him and clear their doubts regarding space travel.

The Kerala batch was given around 10 minutes for the interaction, during which Shukla spoke to the students via video conferencing.

"He spoke about space travel, food, how he spends his free time at the space station, and the scientific experiments conducted there. He also encouraged us to stay curious to learn and excel in science," said Aditya, a student.

The VSSC authorities picked up the students from the railway station in their vehicles and transported them to the space centre, while their parents spent the day in Thiruvananthapuram waiting for their return.

"The students were selected based on their performance in the Upper Secondary Scholarship (USS) exams. Gifted category students from the USS were chosen, along with those who excelled in science clubs and related activities," said Niranjana, a student from GHSS, Kokkallur, Kozhikode.

The Union Government had issued strict instructions to schools and parents to keep the selection process and details of the programme confidential and asked them not to speak to the media beforehand.

Even the event itself was conducted inside VSSC without media presence.

"They had strictly told us not to publicise the selection or participation in the event," said a parent.

On June 26, IAF test pilot Group Captain Shukla became the first Indian to set foot on the ISS as he and three other astronauts entered the orbital laboratory to warm hugs and handshakes after the docking of their spacecraft at the end of a 28-hour journey around the Earth.

Scripting history with this feat, Shukla (39), became the 634th astronaut to travel to space with the Indian Air Force's fighter pilot, ending his brief remarks after entering the ISS with a "Jai Hind, Jai Bharat" message.

He is also the second Indian to go to space in 41 years and the first since Rakesh Sharma's eight-day sojourn in 1984.