HOUSTON: Research geared to pave the way for people with insulin-dependent diabetes to travel to space is one of the more fascinating tasks entrusted to India’s Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and three other astronauts prepping for Axiom-4 (Ax4) mission that will take them to the International Space Station (ISS) later this year.
In an exclusive interview with TOI at the Axiom Space headquarters in Houston, Texas, Ax4 mission manager Byran Mitchell said the research project, called “Suite Ride, ” was about “expanding the possibilities and enabling inclusion of a group of people and population that traditionally has been excluded from the space environment”.
“We are attacking this problem in three ways,” Mitchell said. First is ensuring that they get calibrated blood glucose monitoring data. Second is capturing that data on orbit from crew members. The final step is bringing that data to the ground to enable medical professionals to be able to assess it.
Mitchell said the diverse & multinational crew would bring unique perspectives on this flight, with “Shux” (Shukla’s call sign for the mission) being tasked with research focused on life science. “One is to investigate the effects of microgravity on micrology, which is important as it could have potential future applications on uses like food, fuel, and life support systems. The second experiment he’s working to accomplish is to investigate the viability of six different crop seeds for future spaceflight applications.”
TOI visited the mission control room and facilities where Axiom is building its space station, but couldn’t speak to Shukla or Group Captain Prashanth Nair, the second Indian astronaut training with Axiom as his backup, because of Isro’s protocol.