A man with vast experience in sailing and surviving emergency situations, retired Navy officer Abhilash Tomy was approached by ISRO for advice on what happens in case the crew module of Gaganyaan – India’s first crewed space mission – splashes down at an unplanned location in the sea due to some emergency. Tomy, who finished second in the Golden Globe Race 2022, becoming the first Asian to complete the non-stop unassisted round-the-world trip in a boat with 1968-vintage technology, gave inputs to the space agency on generating energy, making drinking water and calling for help at sea, but said he hoped these would not need to be put to use. “In a mission such as this, we have to look at the worst-case scenario. ISRO called me in to provide inputs on what should be done to ensure that the astronauts survive till they are rescued. I have provided my inputs, but I hope that it does not come in handy. I hope that the astronauts have a boring and uninteresting flight,” Tomy told The Indian Express. While taking part in the Golden Globe Race in 2018, Tomy survived being stranded on his yacht in the middle of the Indian Ocean with a fractured spine, and no access to modern technology. Three days later, he was rescued by a French fishing vessel. Having served as a naval pilot, he also has experience in search and rescue operations. Sharing his experience with ISRO, Tomy also got to interact with the four Indian astronauts in training for the mission. The Gaganyaan mission is likely to be undertaken in late 2024 or early 2025, according to ISRO chairman Dr S Somanath. On Saturday, ISRO successfully carried out a test for the Crew Escape System to be used during the manned mission. The mission will take astronauts to a 400-km orbit around the Earth, where they will stay for a three-day mission before re-entering Earth and splashing down in Indian waters. If everything goes to plan, Navy vessels located near the splashdown site will find the astronauts and bring them home. However, if the astronauts are forced to abort the mission in an emergency, the splashdown could happen at an unplanned location. This is where Tomy’s experience comes in. “I know that a rescue can take up to three-four days even when the location of the vessel is known. This is because the vessel may be stranded in some part of the ocean where ships do not frequent,” he said. He explained that aircraft could not carry out rescues in such cases because they do not have the ability to hover and pick up the stranded crew. Most helicopters, which do hover, however, cannot travel such long distances into the middle of the ocean. In a scenario in which the Gaganyaan crew are stranded in this way, Tomy has advised ISRO on how they can survive until help comes. He has advised ISRO on procedures followed for rescue missions. He said pilots usually search in an expanding square pattern. “If a survivor is wearing orange, they will stand out. If they are wearing blue, it’s tough, and a smoke marker may help.”
