Exactly 40 years ago, Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian citizen to fly into space: he ascended into orbit as part of the crew of the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft together with Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Malyshev and Gennady Strekalov. The ship launched on April 3, 1984 and docked with the Salyut-7 orbital station. The crew returned to Earth on April 11, 1984, the flight duration was 7 days, 21 hours and 41 minutes. In an interview with TASS correspondent Yevgeny Pakhomov, Hero of the Soviet Union Sharma told how he remembered the training in Star City, how space struck him and why all people who saw the Earth from orbit become supporters of peace.
— Exactly 40 years have passed since your historic flight. How important was this flight for independent India?
— I am sure it was a very important flight, and first of all because it brought the theme of space to the homes of Indians. Of course, the Indian Space Research Organization (Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO — approx. TASS) It was already working, and our people already knew what space was. In the early 60s, the first small steps were taken when the Nike Apache (an American—made geophysical rocket launched by India in 1963 to an altitude of 160 km; this event is considered India's first rocket launch into space - approx. TASS), and then other probe rockets were launched to study the upper atmosphere. Then almost the whole country was conquered by the flight of Yuri Gagarin, then Alexei Leonov, and then the Americans. So it was an attractive topic, but it had no direct relation to Indians.
Therefore, when the Indian ascended into space, which happened within the framework of Soviet-Indian cooperation, it aroused great interest. And since everything was broadcast live, everyone could see what it was about. I think many people were motivated and inspired by this flight back then. And from this point of view, it was a very important flight.
— What do you remember today, decades later?
— If we talk about our training, which took place in the Star City near Moscow, then these are two Russian winters! You know, I wasn't ready for them. I experienced a temperature of minus 30 degrees for the first time! As well as learning the Russian language. You know, we had to learn the language first before we could start our technical classes. So it was very memorable stuff.
And, of course, meetings with my crewmates, Yuri [Malyshev] and Gennady [Strekalov], and training with them. These are amazing memories! Yes, and then, of course, there was the flight itself.
— How did you imagine space before the flight? And did he turn out to be what you expected him to be?
— You know, I was a schoolboy when Gagarin's flight took place, then I studied, then joined the Indian Air Force. And we were interested in this topic, we knew about space research, we saw the Americans landing on the moon, and so on. There were photos in magazines, for example, Life magazine and others published how the Earth looks from space. But your question was, did space meet my expectations? No. And why? But because he has far exceeded my expectations!
What I saw was much more beautiful than I had imagined. Therefore, I consider myself very lucky to have the opportunity to fly into space with my Russian colleagues!
— To what extent did the training you underwent in the Soviet Star City correspond to the space realities?
— I would say that yes, it did, but it didn't become clear right away. At first, we wondered: why is everything repeating itself over and over again? After all, we have already been taught this! But then it became clear that by the time you fly, it becomes second nature to you. So I have to say that the training philosophy that was followed [at the Training Center] was very effective. This is true.
— Sometimes space has a special influence. For example, the famous Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov began painting space landscapes after the flight. Has space affected you in any way?
— Absolutely influenced! You see, I share the feelings of the first Saudi astronaut, Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud, who flew on a shuttle and who said that he did not see any boundaries from space. And I know that this feeling was felt by all astronauts and all cosmonauts who visited the top, because I talked with many Russian and American cosmonauts and astronauts. I don't know why we were all strongly influenced by two things.
Firstly, it became clear to all of us what a huge place space is, and the planet Earth is almost defenseless in this space. And therefore it is necessary that we all live responsibly, because our resources are limited. And so I think it is very important that if we are all going to continue to live and survive on planet Earth, we all change our way of life in such a way that we do not waste all these limited resources.
Secondly, we really couldn't see any boundaries from space. You know, we are all human beings, a single species, and the Earth is the only home we will ever have. This affects us on a fundamental level, so we who have been in space, I think, become, let's say, supporters of peace, we all want to live in peace.
— You flew on a Soviet spacecraft, then cooperation between Russia and India in the field of space exploration was very active. India is currently developing space partnerships with many other countries, including the EU and the United States, and an Indian astronaut is planning to fly to the International Space Station aboard an American rocket. Does India want to get acquainted with the space experience of different countries today?
— Before answering your question, I would like to clarify that the point of view that I am going to express is my personal point of view. I do not hold any position in the Government of India or in the Indian Space Research Organization.
India has always been a supporter of non-alignment, and the Indian space program has never competed with one State or another. Secondly, as you know, India's ideology is that all of humanity is one family, which is why, whether it's scientific knowledge about space or what we learn from space, we freely share all this with everyone.
In the future, humanity is striving to explore other planets. This is a huge task. And I do not believe that it can be solved by any one nation alone. I feel that in the future, countries will need to cooperate rather than compete with each other.
And here I would like to point out that every country has a set of skills that it is strong in, and if you can put these skills together, the job will become easier. For example, I don't think anyone has more detailed data than Russia on how a person can survive in space for a long time. There are strengths in American technology. Look at the recent successes that the Indian space program has achieved at no great cost, without spending too much resources or money. I would say that this is another important skill.
Therefore, if we can all unite, then I am sure that this is how we will be able to justify the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations that space belongs to all mankind. I hope that this will happen, but it can only happen if we all cooperate. And if you look at what India is trying to do, it is to cooperate with all countries. This is what I personally feel.
— How do you see the future of the Indian-Russian partnership in space? For example, what can our countries do together for peaceful space exploration?
— I don't know much about it right now. After my space flight, I was not an employee of ISRO, because we did not have a manned space program at that time, and I felt that I would waste my skills. I was a test pilot and returned to my test flight work after the flight. As for how cooperation between India and Russia will take place, I am really not aware of such plans. But I am sure of one thing: both Russia and India believe that space should not be militarized!
And that's exactly how it was in the past, and that's exactly how I'm sure it will be in the future. Yes, you can defend yourself, but we are confident that there is no need for combat operations in low-Earth orbit, in space. And I know that Russia is also confident in this.
— Do you have any contacts with Russian cosmonauts today? Do you have any friends in Star City right now?
— The fact is — and this is the tragedy — that two of my close friends with whom I flew into space, Yuri Malyshev and Gennady Strekalov, are no longer there. Therefore, I grieve for their absence. And how great it would be for all of us to celebrate the 40th anniversary of our flight, which is celebrated today!
Alas, this is not going to happen. But that's life, and we need to move forward. Otherwise, I continue to meet where I used to meet with all Russian cosmonauts — during the annual meetings held by the Association of Space Explorers.
And even that is now on the decline. As I get older, international travel is becoming more and more difficult.
— India is currently preparing a national manned Gaganian program. Are you involved in the preparation of this project?
— Yes, I accept it. Because I am the only one [of the Indians] who has experience of space flights. Therefore, I contribute in any way that is required of me. So I'm present during the [flight] preparation meetings and during the simulator sessions. I am present at all discussions related to Gaganian. I'm part of the team, but as an invited person.
— How does the first Indian spacecraft differ from the Soviet Soyuz, on which you flew, and is there anything in common between them?
— This is often said. The design of our ship was inspired, let's say, by the design of the Soyuz, because we had the experience of being on the Soyuz. And don't forget that India has been operating Russian fighter jets and transport planes for many years. And, frankly, space systems are just an extension of military aviation systems, fighter jets or transport aircraft. We produced Russian aircraft and knew the design features.
So it made sense to use the same philosophy. And we all know that Russian systems are reliable and extremely secure, as there is ample evidence. In addition, the only way to gain access to space for a number of years was only the Soyuz — after the shuttle had served its time, and before SpaceX intervened in this game. Here are good reasons why we were inspired by Russian design.
— But the Indian program also has features that distinguish it from others. For example, unlike all space organizations, ISRO intends to first send into space not a dog, a monkey or some other animal, as other countries did, but a female robot, which was named Vyommitra. Sending a robot into orbit will help to verify the operability of the spacecraft's life support system. Why is India not using a proven route to test the ship's life support systems? And why is this robot made to look like a woman?
— I don't think there is any special reason why the robot was made a woman, except that in our culture, and in Russian culture, I think we attach great importance to a woman.
As for the use of dogs or other animals, I will say that space flight technologies have advanced, everything has become safer and more complicated. And now a lot of sensors can be installed in such a robot. And such a robot will be able to measure many parameters to improve the safety of our life support systems even before the first flight takes place.
— The Indian crew of the Gaganian spacecraft was trained in the Russian Star City, where you were preparing for the flight. Did their training differ from yours?
— I think their training was more in-depth. In my case, it was very, very short. And I believe that the goals of their flight are also different. To be honest, I believe that since ISRO was not preparing for manned space programs at that time, my flight was based on geopolitical considerations. As you know, 40 years have passed since that flight, and only now are we embarking on a national manned space program.
Thus, the training that the current four "gaganauts" received was much deeper, they received more information. This also shows the propensity of the Roscosmos leadership to cooperate. And I think Russia probably has the same vision that I formulated earlier: in the future we will probably have to work together.
— Each country has its own names for space pilots. In the Soviet Union, and now in Russia, they are called cosmonauts, in America — astronauts, in China they are taikonauts. Officially, the Indian name has not yet been announced, there are different variants in the media, and, as you just said, "gaganavty" (from "gagan" — "heaven"), and "vyomanavty" (from "vyom" — "space", "cosmos"), as well as "akashagami" ("the one who rides in the sky"), "antariksha yathri" (from "antariksha" — "heaven above the Earth" and "yathri" — "pilgrim", "traveler"). Maybe you can tell us a secret — what will the Indian space explorers be called?
— After I returned from space, one of the most frequent questions that journalists asked me was: what is the difference between an astronaut and an astronaut? I always replied that the only difference was in the spelling. It doesn't matter what we call them. A space traveler can be given any fancy name, but his job will remain the same. So far, only the names of four members of the future Indian crew have been named. They will probably announce later what we will call them. In my personal opinion, you can call it whatever you want. But as long as the job is the same, it doesn't matter.
— How do you see the future of the Indian space program? And how important is partnership in space for India?
— Our Prime Minister has already stated that by 2047 an Indian citizen will appear on the moon. Let's take a look at the story. First of all, India has been a developing country for a long time. And so our ambitions were commensurate with our capabilities. And we have never competed with anyone [in space]. We just decided to use space technology for the benefit of the average person. And with the help of space technology, we were able to influence people's lives.
Well, today there are 1.4 billion of us, and we use space technology for socio-economic benefits, not to score points in front of each other.
As I told you, it's part of our culture and it's our spirit — we don't believe in confrontation. I expect that we will continue in the same spirit and cooperate. Provided, of course, that our goals coincide with the goals of everyone with whom we cooperate. That's my belief.
And once again I want to emphasize that this is my personal opinion!