India’s ambitious Human Space Flight mission might be a good five years away. But at the Indian Air Force’s Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) preparations are already underway to screen and select astronauts for the mission.
India’s ambitious Human Space Flight mission might be a good five years away. But at the Indian Air Force’s Institute of Aerospace Medicine (IAM) preparations are already underway to screen and select astronauts for the mission.
The Bangalore-based IAM, which is the hub of aerospace medicine activity in India, has already started upgrading its laboratories at the institute apart from conducting research activities for the country’s maiden Human Space Flight mission which is expected to take place in 2015-16.
“Being the only institute in the country which has been carrying out extensive aerospace medicine activities in the country IAM has a vast knowledge about the effect of space on humans. Being a critical mission due to the involvement of the human element we are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the selection and training of the prospective astronauts is carried out by putting in place the best practices,” said the Commandant of IAM Air Commodore Giles Gomez.
At the IAM the prospective astronauts would be subjected to physical examinations like cardiac, dental, neurological, ophthalmologic, psychological, radiographic and ENT tests. To ensure that the screening procedure matches the best in the world, new laboratories and equipment are being set up and procured.
Besides scientists are also conducting research to ensure that the prospective astronauts stay in the space during the mission is less cumbersome.
“Research is currently on in the institute on the different types of food which the astronauts would consume during the mission. Experiments are being conducted on high protein, carbohydrate, fatty foods on what effect they would have on the astronauts in micro gravity conditions,” said a scientist involved in the project.
Air Commodore Gomez said having been involved in the selection of candidates for the Indo-Soviet Manned space flight in the 1980’s and having been part of the medical monitoring team of India’s only cosmonaut Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma the IAM has sufficient knowledge on the human space mission. The astronauts zeroed in by the IAM will be trained at the Astronaut Training Centre which the Indian Space Research Organisation is planning to set up near Devanahalli.
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