Shubhanshu Shukla turns farmer in space; grows methi, moong seeds
New Delhi (PTI): In the final leg of his space sojourn, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla turned into a farmer, taking photos of 'moong' and 'methi' seeds sprouting in petri dishes and inserting them into a storage freezer on the International Space Station (ISS) as part of a study on how microgravity influences germination and early plant development.
Shukla and his fellow Axiom-4 astronauts have spent 12 days on the orbital lab and they are expected to return to Earth any day after July 10, depending on the weather conditions off the Florida coast.
NASA is yet to announce a date for the undocking of the Axiom-4 mission from the space station. The duration of the Axiom-4 mission docked to the ISS is up to 14 days.
"I am so proud that ISRO has been able to collaborate with national institutions all over the country and come up with some fantastic research which I am doing on the station for all the scientists and researchers. It is exciting and a joy to do this," Shukla said in an interaction with Axiom Space Chief Scientist Lucie Low on Wednesday.
The sprouts experiment is led by two scientists – Ravikumar Hosamani of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad and Sudheer Siddapureddy of the Indian Institute of Technology, Dharwad.
Once returned to Earth, the seeds will be cultivated over several generations to examine changes in their genetics, microbial ecosystems and nutritional profiles, a statement from Axiom Space said.
In another experiment, Shukla deployed and stowed microalgae, which are being investigated for their potential to produce food, oxygen and even biofuels. Their resilience and versatility make them ideal for supporting human life on long-duration missions.
Shukla also captured images for the crop seeds experiment, where six varieties will be grown over multiple generations post-mission. The goal is to identify plants with desirable traits for genetic analysis for sustainable farming in space.
Shukla said his research tasks on the space station spanned various domains and disciplines.
"Right from doing stem cell research and looking at the effect of microgravity on seeds, evaluating the cognitive load on astronauts while they are interacting with screens onboard the station. It has been fantastic. I feel proud to be this kind of a bridge between the researchers and the station and do the research on behalf of them," he said.
"One particular research I am really excited about is stem cell research where scientists are trying to explore whether it is possible to accelerate recovery or growth or repair injury by adding supplements to stem cells. It has been great to work in the Glove Box doing this research for them. I am really excited to be doing this," Shukla said.
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Rupee falls 9 paise to all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade
Mumbai (PTI): Rupee depreciated 9 paise to an all-time low of 90.58 against US dollar in early trade on Monday, weighed down by uncertainty over an India-US trade deal and persistent foreign fund outflows.
Forex traders said rupee is trading with a negative bias as investors are in wait and watch mode and awaiting cues from the India-US trade deal front.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 90.53 against the US dollar, then fell further to an all-time intraday low of 90.58 against the greenback, registering a fall of 9 paise over its previous close.
On Friday, the rupee had slipped 17 paise to close at an all-time low of 90.49 against the American currency.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, was trading 0.05 per cent lower at 98.35.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading higher by 0.52 per cent at USD 61.44 per barrel in futures trade.
On the domestic equity market front, the 30-share benchmark index Sensex was trading 298.86 points lower at 84,968.80, while the Nifty was down 121.40 points at 25,925.55.
Foreign Institutional Investors sold equities worth Rs 1,114.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.
"FPIs continue to be in selling mode in equity and debt while RBI has been selling dollars to fund their long positions," said Anil Kumar Bhansali, Head of Treasury and Executive Director Finrex Treasury Advisors LLP.
