EDUCARE
We should always remember that Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian in space, responded to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's inquiry about how India looked from space with the phrase "Saare jahaan se achcha," meaning "better than the rest of the world". In recent years many Indians have been to space but Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen to enter space on 3rd April 1984. He was from the Indian Air force and his rank was Squadron Leader when he went to space.
We are aware that recently NASA’s astronauts Sunita
Williams, along with her colleague Butch Wilmore have returned to the earth
after living and working aboard the International Space Station for 286 days.
On 4 October 1957 the first human-made Earth satellite Sputnik I was launched
into outer space, thus opening the way for space exploration. On 12 April 1961,
Yuri Gagarin became the first human to orbit the Earth, opening a new chapter
of human endeavour in outer space. Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to orbit the Earth on 16 June
1963, Neil Armstrong becoming the first human to set foot upon the surface of
the Moon on 20 July 1969
The United Nations General Assembly, in its resolution
A/RES/65/271 of 7 April 2011, declared 12th April as the International Day of
Human Space Flight “to celebrate each year at the international level the
beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution
of space science and technology in achieving sustainable development goals and
increasing the well-being of States and peoples, as well as ensuring the
realization of their aspiration to maintain outer space for peaceful purposes.”
The General Assembly expressed its deep conviction of the
common interest of mankind in promoting and expanding the exploration and use
of outer space, as the province of all mankind, for peaceful purposes and in
continuing efforts to extend to all States the benefits derived there from.
From the very beginning of the Space Age, the United Nations
recognized that outer space added a new dimension to humanity's existence. The
United Nations family strives continuously to utilize the unique benefits of
outer space for the betterment of all humankind.
Today, the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs
(UNOOSA) is the United Nations office responsible for promoting international
cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space. UNOOSA serves as the
secretariat for the General Assembly's only committee dealing exclusively with
international cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space: the United
Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS).
Careers as astronauts or related to space are always
rewarding. Becoming an astronaut in India, particularly with Indian Space
Research Organization (ISRO) , requires a combination of strong academic
qualifications, relevant experience, and physical and mental fitness. Aspirants
must be from science background. One may also study subjects like Astrophysics
apart from engineering to join in space careers like astronauts.
An astronaut is a person who is trained, equipped, and
deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve aboard a spacecraft. Aspirants
who opt for a career as an astronaut are a type of scientist who studies
primarily on space, which includes topics such as the stars, the planets, and
galaxies. Astronauts come from a variety of fields, train for a year or two on
the chance of being chosen as a member of a shuttle crew, and then return to
their original jobs. In ISRO, we have seen that some of the best officers from
the Indian Air Force are chosen as they already have experience of flying.
(Ranjan K Baruah is a
career mentor and skill trainer and currently Adviser of Skill Employment and
Entrepreneurship Department of Bodoland Territorial Council, Kokrajhar and can
be reached at 8473943734 or bkranjan@gmail.com)
