ISRO scientist travels to the ‘edge of space’

Becomes the first Indian to have the once-in-a-lifetime experience

T.N. Suresh Kumar, a senior scientist working with the ISRO’s Master Control Facility in Hassan, has become the first Indian to visit the stratosphere – the second layer of the Earth’s atmosphere.

He made it to an altitude of 17,100 metres on August 15 in a MIG-29 from Sokol Airbase near Nizhny Novgorod in Russia paying a hefty fee of around Rs. 15 lakh from his savings.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and one that I have been dreaming of for two decades. I am happy I did it,” Mr. Kumar told The Hindu on Tuesday.

The flight reached a maximum speed of 1,850 km per hour, reaching the stratosphere in 48 minutes. With this, Mr. Kumar becomes the 259th person and the first Indian to take the flight ever since the Country of Tourism Ltd., an agency conducting space travel in Russia, started the journey called ‘Edge of Space’ six years ago.

“Money alone will not buy oneself this opportunity. They look for physical fitness, communication skills and a basic knowledge of science before selecting people for this journey,” he said.

In fact the selection process began six months ago, after which Mr. Kumar had to take clearances from different agencies, including his workplace and embassies.

Mr. Kumar nurtured space travel dreams since 1985 when he was one among the four selected by ISRO to travel to space. But he missed the chance when the flight was called off following the explosion of space shuttle ‘Challenger’ in February 1986. “It was highly disappointing. Later, my wife and I decided to save a major part of our earnings for travel,” he said.

Mr. Kumar has visited 110 countries across seven continents over the last 15 years. His wife Geetha, also a senior scientist at MCF in Hassan, has accompanied him to 87 countries. Altogether the family has spent over Rs. 50 lakh on travel. “I am a budget traveller and plan the trips well in advance to avoid extra expenditure on airfare. I carry ready-to-eat food and spend little on lodging,” he said