New Delhi: TN Suresh Kumar, a senior scientist of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) had become the first Indian scientist to go second layer beyond Earth i.e. stratosphere. Stratosphere is also called the edge of space. The second layer or stratosphere is above the troposphere and below mesosphere. This layer is stratified in temperature, with warmer layers higher up and cooler layers farther down.
Kumar is a scientist at ISRO’s master control facility in Hassan. The avid traveler paid a sum of Rs. 15 lakh for the travel and took the journey from an agency conducting space travel – Country of Tourism Ltd – in Russia.
The journey called ‘Edge of Space’ was started by the company six years ago. Kumar travelled to an altitude of 17,100 metres in a MIG 29 from Sokol Airbase.
Kumar said, “Besides me there was a pilot on the flight. I always wanted to take the Indian flag to space and so I deliberately undertook the journey on August 15. Besides the flag, I also took my mother’s photo with me. It was very expensive but nothing can be compared to the thrill that I got. After the space journey, I went on a trans-Siberain tour and returned three days back.”
The senior ISRO scientist had described the journey and said, “It was a 48 minute flight but we were at the edge of space only for one minute. It was in late 1985, I was one of the astronauts short listed to go to space but unfortunately the programme was dropped due to explosion of the space shuttle Challenger in February 1986. This was a great disappointment for me. But it set a new goal for me to touch all the continents of the globe.”
Bureau Report
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