1st Indian space tourist: ‘Want to go up there, see Earth… tell the tale’

“All of us wake up every day and look at the sky. For once, I want to go up there and see the Earth with my naked eyes. Flying is my passion and going to space is the ultimate dream,” said Gopi, who will be the first Indian astronaut to go to space since Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission.

Although the dates are yet to be announced by the private space company, the mission is likely to take place much ahead of India’s own human spaceflight.

The private space company owned by billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos aims to democratise space and take artists, poets, and teachers beyond the Karman Line — the boundary of Earth’s atmosphere and outer space at a distance of around 80 to 100 km from the surface.

With the short duration flight, which is almost completely automated, the astronauts do not need to undergo rigorous training.

Jeff and his brother Mark Bezos were part of the first human sub-orbital flight of New Shepard. ‘Star Trek’ fame actor William Shatner was among the crew members during the second flight of Blue Origin.

ISRO has to perform several tests, test vehicle missions, and at least two uncrewed missions before humans can be sent to space. “I am indeed privileged to carry our blood up there. And to go and see what it is like up there and come back and tell the story,” he said.

Gaganyaan training is more rigorous since the astronauts will be spending more time in space. Passengers experience zero gravity for a few minutes on Blue Origin’s flight, but on the other hand, the Gaganyaan mission will take the astronauts to an orbit around the Earth for 3-7 days.

Since it is a sub-orbital flight, there is no regimented diet or training, he said, adding there are some medical tests and some training to learn about the g-forces. “We will be trained on how to get out of their seats after they hit the Karman line, what to do in zero gravity, and how to get back in when the buzzer goes off so that we can make it back home safely. They are phenomenal at what they do,” Gopi said.

In fact, the company website claims one can be trained fully in just 2 days. “Other than the physical aspect, there is also the mindset that no one talks about,” he said. He recounts his journey to Mt Kilimanjaro, stating it was his mindset that helped him succeed.

“I was able to climb Kilimanjaro without hitting the gym,” Gopi said, who is the founder of Preserve Life Corp, a holistic wellness centre in Atlanta, that emphasises nutrition among other things.

“We in fact grow organic food on the campus there,” said Thotakura. Born in Andhra Pradesh’s Vijayawada, Thotakura did most of his schooling in Bengaluru’s Sarala Birla Academy. Blue Origin described Thotakura as the “pilot and aviator who learned how to fly before he could drive.”

After his education in aviation science, he said he did not want to become a commercial pilot. “I went on to manage an air ambulance for a private company in the US. I also did a lot of other things — I did some seaplane flying, hot air balloon instruction, glider and aerobatic flying. I absolutely loved it,” Gopi said. After this, he returned to India and became a commercial pilot, mostly on international medical missions “to give back to society doing what I loved to do”.

Any mission that sticks out to him? He says there are too many. “I have transported young people, old people, and organs. I have seen death on-board. You have to put a barrier between the aircraft and the rest of the plane. Early on, I tried to look at what was happening at the back of the air ambulance, but I realised I have to maintain my distance from the patients to ensure I safely transport them,” Gopi said. He has a rolodex of memories of medical flights and recalled ones where he had to fly “even from airstrips that were not used since the British left us”.