Rakesh Sharma: Meet another IAF pilot who pierced skies in a Russian spacecraft 40 years before Shubhanshu Shukla
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Well before IAF Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla etched a new chapter in India's human space programme, Astronaut Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma made the nation proud when he spent seven days, 21 hours, and 40 minutes in space on board the Salyut 7 space station Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel to space. This achievement came with a joint Indian Space Research Organisation ( ISRO ) and the Soviet Interkosmos space programme.Rakesh Sharma joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) in July 1966 as an air force freshman, and in 1970 he got commissioned as a pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and became a fighter pilot. He joined Hindustan Aeronautics in 1987 as its chief test pilot. In 2001, he moved out to take on the chairman of the board of Automated Workflow (a Bengaluru-based process-management company).It was in 1982 that Rakesh Sharma got chosen to become part of a joint Soviet-Indian spaceflight as a cosmonaut. On 3 April 1984, he and two cosmonauts from the Soviet Union (flight engineer Gennady Strekalov and commander Yury Malyshev) flew on board Soyuz T-11 to the space station Salyut 7. At the space station, Rakesh Sharma conducted various exercises and experiments, such as yoga's effects on the human body in weightlessness and taking photographs of India from outer space.For Group Captain Shukla, this will be an opportunity to emulate fellow Indian Air Force Officer Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard Soyuz T-11 on 3 April 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. Sharma spent seven days in space on board the Salyut 7 space station.At the space station, Rakesh Sharma conducted experiments, such as understanding yoga's effects on the human body in weightlessness and taking photographs of India from outer space. When PM Indira Gandhi asked him how India looked from space, he replied, "Saare Jahan Se Achha", a phrase that has become an iconic milestone in India's Space Odyssey.Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla scripted history by embarking on a space odyssey along with three others to the International Space Station as part of a commercial mission by Axiom Space on Wednesday.The much-delayed Axiom-4 mission blasted off from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 12:01 pm IST towards the ISS amid cheers from watch parties organised across the world, including at Shukla's City Montessori School in Lucknow where his parents witnessed the historic launch.The Lucknow-born Shukla, former NASA astronaut Mission Commander Peggy Whitson, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary are part of the Axiom-4 mission that marks the return to space for the three nations.Shukla became the first astronaut to travel to the International Space Station, a journey that comes 41 years after Rakesh Sharma's eight days in orbit as part of the then Soviet Union's Salyut-7 space station in 1984."Greetings from India.. have a fun time guys," Sharma said in a video message.The targeted docking time is approximately 4.30 pm IST on Thursday, June 26, NASA said in a statement.
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Hindustan Times
2 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Antidepressants affect male brains, but do little to female brains: Study
Antidepressants have strong impact on male brains — with the nature of the impact depending on the age of the subject — but do not affect female brains, a new study of rats has shown, suggesting that there needs to be more exploration of the physiological effects of such drugs, something that could eventually influence how they are used in treatments. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most prominent intervention for depression, anxiety, and other neuropsychiatric disorders, and allow for more serotonin in the brain as a result. (Representational image) The neurohormone serotonin plays a large role in shaping emotional pathways in the brain, because of which its regulation is a common target of antidepressants. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most prominent intervention for depression, anxiety, and other neuropsychiatric disorders, and allow for more serotonin in the brain as a result. Fluoxetine — commonly known by brand names like Prozac, Fludac, and Sarafem — is the most widely used SSRI for all ages, including for pregnant women, lactating mothers, children and adolescents. The study examines the long-term effects of fluoxetine in rat brains when administered at a young age, lead to a series of findings that raise more questions than answers. Early administration of the drug led to long-term but wildly opposing changes in male brains — when administered just after birth, the rats became more anxious over time; when administered during the juvenile window when they reach sexual maturity, they developed less anxious and depressive behaviours. Additionally, the researchers also observed changes in neuron structure in the brain, changes to energy production by mitochondria, and gene expressions or activation of a group of genes. Most surprisingly, only male rats were affected by the drug. Female rats that were given the drug at the same time windows displayed no long-term changes in behaviours, brain structure, mitochondria, or genetic expressions. 'Fluoxetine is the most common drug given to individuals under the age of 18, as well as to pregnant women because of its good risk-benefit profile, but people have not yet worked on these specific windows of administration in a systematic way to evaluate long-term effects,' explained Utkarsha Ghai, lead author of the paper who finished her PhD at TIFR-Mumbai and is a postdoc at NIMHANS Bengaluru. 'Our findings prove the window of administration of these antidepressants and the gender of the person, all these variables actually matter.' The findings were published in the Biological Psychiatry journal. What the study showed The primary findings of the study show that the age at which antidepressants are given affects their effects, sometimes exacerbating depressive tendencies and resulting in the opposite of what they're supposed to do. The team of TIFR scientists set out to examine the effects of fluoxetine on the brain before and after sexual hormones become active, dividing their young rats into two groups – the post-natal group consisted of rats that were 2-21 days old, while the juvenile group were 28-48 days of age. In humans, these findings translate to similar but significant time windows of age—post-natal equivalent is paediatric, from the third trimester to a few years of age until sexual hormones appear; and juvenile would refer to the age of beginning of sexual hormones (typically teenage years) until the complete development of the pre-frontal cortex in the brains, or adolescence up to the age of 25. 'We have known for a while that serotonin levels play a huge role in shaping emotional circuitry in the long term, especially when they are fiddled around with in a developing brain,' said Vidita Vaidya, principal investigator of the study and professor of neurobiology at TIFR. 'Because SSRIs pass through the placental barrier in pregnant women and enter foetal brains, as well as being transmitted through breastmilk there is ample clinical data indicating that we need to look at these age-related effects more closely.' Behavioural effects were noticed right away with the rats when they reached adulthood (3 to 6 months of age). The juvenile administered group showed increased resilience and curiosity, explored their test settings more and exhibited less despair and anxiety behaviours. But the rats that were given the drug in babyhood, the post-natal group, showed drastically increased despair and anxiety as adults. 'We saw very long-lasting effects, observed up to 18 months in these rats,' explained Vaidya (rats live for about 24 months). 'Such strong behavioural changes immediately imply there is likely perturbation associated with transmission of signals in the brains, and possibly in the architecture of neurons'. Indeed, the authors found that in the post-natal group, there was a strong atrophy and physical degradation of neurons or nerve cells in the brain that transmit signals, with the exact opposite effect in the juvenile group. When they examined changes in genetic expressions or identifying which sets of genes were affected, they noticed distinct changes in two groups—those associated with synaptic architecture that has to do with neurons firing in the brain, and those associated with mitochondrial regulation. Mitochondria, fondly known as the powerhouse of the cell, was also strongly affected in opposite ways in the experiment. For the post-natal group, it was again affected adversely, with its ability to produce energy and the total energy produced, both reduced. This reduced bioenergy production resulted in both reduced physical metabolism and lowered energy for neurons to fire in the brain. For the juvenile group, both were boosted. There were close to 500 genes each for both groups that were dysregulated, resulting in upregulation (increased production of gene products like proteins) and downregulation, but it appears that a mere four genes are common between both sets. Affected genes included those involved in metabolism and immune responses. 'The results are mind-blowing,' said Ghai. 'The entire process kept us on our toes, especially when we found such stark differences in a downstream molecular pathways that needed to be explained.' Male brains can reverse, but female brains completely unaffected Such long-lasting and adverse changes due to early exposure to SSRIs on the brain would need treatment and potential reversals, so the team also studied the effects of nicotinamide or vitamin B3—known to boost mitochondrial function—when administered to these rats as adults. Surprisingly, they found several of the adverse effects observed in post-natal rats were reversed completely, with their metabolism restored and a drastic reduction in their despair behaviours. The other most significant finding from the study was that all of the effects described seemed to appear only in adult male rats. Female rat brains were entirely spared of any effect into adulthood. 'We saw similar changes immediately after administration for both males and females in the early window, but for female rats, the effects were not long-lasting. By the time they reached adulthood, none of the effects persisted. It seems females are entirely spared,' said Ghai. Potential reasons for this could be future protection accorded by estrogen and other female hormones, or genetic differences from sex chromosomes, or other reasons, requiring further study. 'The sex-selective effect is a big surprise,' said Biju Vishwanath, Additional Professor of Psychiatry at NIMHANS, unaffiliated with the study. 'There is no difference between men and women in therapeutic effects when it comes to antidepressants, so these findings are significant. But mainly what stands out is the difference in the two age windows. In practice, we administer these drugs to patients as young as 5 or 6 years who are depressive. So seeing that it results in these kind of functional changes is important for clinicians.' He also added that the ability to reverse these effects with vitamin B3 are a key finding. 'As a psychiatrist, these studies are crucial for us to be able to prove and validate that these drugs lead to physiological changes in brain and mitochondrial function, and this has a huge impact on practice.' Vaidya also noted that when some post-natal group rats were given fluoxetine in the juvenile window, their effects neutralised — they had neither better nor worse effects, indicating the importance of age of intervention with antidepressants. 'If a pregnant woman is suicidal or a new mother has post-partum depression, they still need to be treated with SSRIs. But these pass to the child through both the placenta and breast milk,' said Vaidya. 'This could potentially induce or worsen suicidal ideation in those children as they enter adulthood. Timely interventions such as with Vitamin B3 are helpful to treat adverse effects even later in life.' Sandhya Ramesh is a Bengaluru-based science journalist and writer.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Axiom-4 one small step in orbit, giant leap for spaceflight & discovery: Isro
BENGALURU: Several days after India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla entered the International Space Station (ISS), , stating that 'space is a domain best explored together,' said its participation in the Axiom-04 mission echoes that spirit. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Axiom-4 follows in the legacy of international cooperation that sent Rakesh Sharma to space in 1984 aboard the Soviet Soyuz, Isro said, and added: '...This is one small step in orbit, but a giant leap in India's pursuit of human spaceflight and scientific discovery.' The space agency said: '...The professionalism, dedication, and scientific excellence demonstrated by all partner agencies in the lead-up to the Axiom-4 mission have been truly inspiring. Isro is deeply appreciative of the partnership and camaraderie shown by our counterparts around the world.' Reiterating that the mission was conceptualised during PM Narendra Modi's visit to the US in 2023, Isro said the PM's leadership continues to shape India's future in space as one that is collaborative, confident, and committed to peaceful exploration. Ax-4 is expected to provide useful operational inputs for Isro's , particularly in areas such as astronaut health telemetry, crew-ground coordination, multi-agency integration, and experiment execution in space conditions. 'These insights will directly influence mission planning, safety validation, and astronaut readiness for India's first indigenous human spaceflight mission,' Isro said. Onboard the ISS, a set of Indian scientific experiments is being conducted as part of the Ax-04 mission. These cover life sciences, fluid dynamics, health monitoring, and Earth observation. 'Redwire Space, US, is coordinating the payload integration activities. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Redwire facilitated key steps, including technical validation and compliance with ISS payload requirements. Each experiment is packaged into flight-ready payload containers. Redwire is also supporting the development of hardware handling protocols, ensuring that the Indian experiments could be safely deployed and operated onboard ISS, thereby enabling meaningful scientific outcomes for India's research community,' Isro said. Pointing out how the launch was rescheduled multiple times due to issues such as a harness problem in Dragon, weather in the ascent corridor, leakage in the Falcon-9 booster stage, and leakage in the Zvezda Module of the ISS, the space agency said: 'The Isro delegation played a constructive role in resolving all the issues. It made its stand clear that all problems should be resolved before clearing the launch for lift-off, considering the mission risks and safety of the crew. ' The Indian astronauts —Shukla and his backup Group Captain Prashanth B Nair — have trained in spacecraft systems, microgravity operations, emergency protocols, space medicine, and experiment handling. As part of the programme, he also participated in Nasa's National Outdoor Leadership Programme (NOLPS) in the Mexican wilderness, designed to build team resilience and psychological readiness.
Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Can we control comps with just thoughts? Shubhanshu Shukla & crew may find out
Can human thought — unaided by muscle or speech — be used to control machines? That's the bold question the Ax-4 crew, including Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, are probing at the International Space Station (ISS). Wearing a specialised headset that tracks blood flow in the brain, the astronauts participated in 'PhotonGrav', a European Space Agency (ESA) and Polish Space Agency (POLSA) experiment exploring whether brain signals alone could one day operate computers and spacecraft systems. The headset uses near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to monitor attention levels and detect logical errors, capturing neural activity without any physical movement. If successful, this research could revolutionise how astronauts interact with onboard systems — especially in high-stress or hands-free conditions — by turning thought into action. While the crew kicked off the study on day four of their stay at the ISS, the project led by Slawosz Uznanski is expected to continue through their stint there. As space missions grow longer and more complex, projects like PhotonGrav could lay the groundwork for more seamless, intuitive interfaces — maybe even bringing science fiction a step closer to everyday use. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Will aid people On Earth While the experiment is being trialled in orbit, its real-world impact could be profound, as per ESA and Axiom Space. On Earth, the same brain-computer interface technology could power new assistive tools for people with mobility or communication challenges, and offer breakthroughs in neurorehabilitation. Shux, who had begun his research at ISS with myogenesis study, which could uncover how microgravity contributes to muscle loss before moving on to his microalgae study, continued the operations for myogenesis in the Life Sciences Glovebox (LSG) of the ISS. The study, by identifying the molecular pathways behind skeletal muscle dysfunction, could lead to targeted therapies to prevent atrophy during long-duration spaceflight. These insights may also translate to improved treatments for muscle-wasting conditions on Earth, including those linked to aging and immobility. 'Finally, the crew documented activities for the Astronaut Mental Health study, contributing to research on cognitive well-being in space. This project can benefit others on Earth by developing remote technologies for diagnosing and treating mental disorders, particularly for individuals in isolated or challenging environments where access to mental health care is limited,' Axiom Space said. An ultrasound scan was conducted as part of the 'Telemetric Health AI' study, which merges biometric data with mission analytics to better understand how spaceflight affects cardiovascular and balance systems. 'Using advanced data science, the project aims to enable smarter, real-time health monitoring for astronauts with potential applications for remote health care on Earth,' Axiom said.
