Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space on this day in 1984

Former Indian military pilot and cosmonaut, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian and the 138th person to travel in space on this day in 1984. On April 3, 1984, Sharma flew Soyuz T-11 with two Soviet cosmonauts, commander Yury Malyshev and flight engineer Gennady Strekalov, to the space station Salyut 7 and made history 37 years ago. The former Indian Air Force pilot spent 7 days, 21 hours and 40 minutes in space after taking part in a joint programme between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Soviet Intercosmos space programme.

In space, Sharma performed a number of experiments including photography of India from outer space and analysing the effects of yoga during weightlessness. Sharma and his two Soviet crewmates returned to Earth on April 11, 1984, and landed in Kazakhstan. Notably, Sharma had even taken Indian food to space with the assistance of the defence Food Research Lab, Mysore. As per reports, Sharma had packed Suji Halwa, Aloo Choley, Pulao and shared the dishes with his fellow astronauts.

Sharma’s memorable conversation with Indira Gandhi

One of the most memorable experiences of the first India reaching space in 1984 was Sharma’s conversation with then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi who asked how India looked from up there. To this, Sharma replied, "Saare Jahaan Se Achcha" before adding that the most beautiful moments from space were sunrises and sunsets. Further, apart from being the first Indian to stay in space, Sharma is also the first Indian to receive the honour of the ‘Hero of Soviet Union’ award. He also received Ashok Chakra along with his Russian co astronauts.

Born in Patiala on January 13, 1949, Sharma joined the Indian Air Force as a pilot in 1970. Reportedly, he flew at least 21 combat missions in a MiG-21 in the Bangladesh war of 1971 and eventually in 1982 he was selected as a cosmonaut for a joint Soviet-Indian spaceflight. On April 3, 1984, he flew the Soyuz T-11 with two Soviets. After the historic mission, in 1987, Sharma joined Hindustan Aeronautics as its chief test pilot which he left in 2001 to become chairman of the board of Automated Workflow.

Image credits: Unsplash/@Spacetravellerrakeshsharma Facebook