Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla’s space mission and research at the International Space Station (ISS):
### 🔭 Who is Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla?
* He is an Indian Air Force officer and the first Indian to fly to space as part of a commercial space mission.
* He is currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), a laboratory in space where astronauts conduct scientific research.
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### 🛰️ What is the ISS and why is it important?
* The International Space Station (ISS) is a large spacecraft orbiting Earth. It serves as a space lab where astronauts from different countries live and work for extended periods.
* Scientists conduct experiments in microgravity, which is a condition of very low gravity that can only be found in space.
* Microgravity affects the human body in ways that do not happen on Earth — for example, muscles and bones weaken faster.
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### 🧪 What kind of experiments is Shukla doing in space?
ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) selected 7 microgravity experiments for Shukla to carry out during his 14-day stay at the ISS.
#### ✅ Key Experiments:
1. Myogenesis Experiment (by inStem, Bengaluru):
* “Myogenesis” means the formation and development of muscle cells.
* In space, astronauts lose muscle mass quickly due to lack of gravity. This experiment studies why muscles break down in space.
* The goal is to find biological reasons for muscle loss and develop treatments to:
* Help astronauts on long missions.
* Help people on Earth suffering from muscle diseases (like muscular dystrophy, age-related muscle loss, etc.).
2. Cerebral Hemodynamics Study:
* This study examines how blood flows in the brain when there’s no gravity.
* They use ultrasound equipment to study this inside the ISS.
* The results can help us understand how space affects the heart and brain, and may also help treat conditions like stroke or high blood pressure on Earth.
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### 🤝 Who is Axiom Space?
* Axiom Space is a private space company that manages missions to the ISS for governments and private individuals.
* They are leading the Axiom-4 mission, and Group Captain Shukla is a crew member on this mission.
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### 🌐 What is India’s role in the Axiom-4 mission?
* India is participating in the Axiom-4 mission through ISRO and Indian scientific institutions.
* ISRO is also collaborating with NASA (the U.S. space agency) to:
* Perform 5 joint scientific investigations.
* Conduct 2 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) education-related demonstrations in orbit.
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