• By Kamal Kumar
  • Thu, 30 Nov 2023 01:21 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Bill Nelson In India:  National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Bill Nelson, who is on a visit to India expressed his happiness in a social media post after he met Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian who went to space on Wednesday. Nelson took to the microblogging site 'X' to share his take on the meeting. He said that 'the story of Rakesh Sharma lit up the room.'

"It was a great honour to speak with students in Bengaluru today with Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to fly to space. His story lit up the room!" the former Florida senator said.

NASA administrator also met students at the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) hailing them as India's Artemis Generation, a preposition used for the Gen Z population interested in space technology and exploration.

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"To the Artemis Generation in India and beyond Work hard, dream big, and reach for the stars. The universe is the limit!" he added.

Rakesh Sharma achieved the historic milestone of being the first Indian citizen to venture into outer space on April 2, 1984. His journey took place aboard the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. During his 7-day, 21-hour, and 40-minute space mission, Sharma not only marked India as the 14th nation to explore outer space but also contributed significantly to scientific research, particularly in the fields of bio-medicine and remote sensing.

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Engaging in various scientific studies and experiments, Sharma and his crew even conducted a conference with space officials. When then-Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, asked about how India looked from outer space, Sharma eloquently responded with "Saare Jahaan Se Achcha".

Earlier, Mr Nelson arrived in India on Tuesday. His arrival is being seen as an important step towards enhancing the collaboration between NASA and ISRO. 

"NASA will help train an Indian astronaut to fly to the International Space Station, by the end of 2024, ISRO is working on it, and details are being worked out." India is a great future partner for astronauts in space, the US will land private landers on the South Pole in 2024, but India was the first so congratulations," he said while speaking with media on Tuesday.

(With inputs from agencies)