Develop space toilet, world needs it: Indian astronaut Prashant Nair asks desi startups | India News
Prashant NairFor those who are being trained Gaganyan mission Along with Grp Capt Subhanshu Shukla, urged Indian startups to “build space toilets” as the world needs more research on this front.Speaking at the Dispace Symposium here on Friday, Nair, nicknamed ‘Papa’, said, “Russia is the only country in the world with a functioning space toilet. Even the Americans had to rely on Russian technology on the International Space Station.” For years, the US portion of the ISS has relied on Russian-designed and built toilet systems. Notably, the universal waste management system (toilet) on NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission, the Orion spacecraft, malfunctioned shortly after launch this month.On feeling nervous about Gaganyaan being India’s first manned mission to space, Group Captain Nair, an experienced IAF pilot-turned-astronaut, said, “I love danger. When I flew Sukhoi, I used to fly at the highest altitude and think ‘can I fly more’. Now, I get a chance to feel peace in space. Stars are the stuff and we will be a part of it one day, so why fear?”Speaking to TOI on the sidelines of the event, Group Captain Nair said, “The first human mission with a humanoid (Vyomitra) is expected this year itself. Our human mission is expected by late 2026 or by 2027.”Asked about any special training to avoid collisions with space debris, he said, “It will definitely be part of the mission. We don’t know the details at the moment. ISRO. Earlier in preparation for the Axiom mission, Shax (Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla) and I were trained by NASA on how to maneuver the spacecraft away from space debris. “Shux shared with us his interesting experience on the ISS mission,” Nair told TOIAt the symposium, Group Captain Shukla said, “Earlier, the world was not taking us seriously. But when we launched three Chandrayaan missions and landed on the South Pole of the Moon, the world started taking us seriously. Now, the element of surprise is gone. Countries want to join our Gaganyaan programme. Being manned has also increased our Gaganyaan mission, so our expectations from the world have increased. Responsibility. So, a lot has to be done as this is India’s first mission.”“ISRO has indigenously developed many key technologies for the mission and we have full confidence in our scientists for this mission,” Shukla said.
