Through a celebrity space mission in the United States, Srimathy Kesan, a renowned space educator from Chennai, became the first Indian woman to experience zero gravity.
This month, Kesan, CEO of Indian aerospace company Space Kidz India, flew on a celebrity mission celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 17’s final moon landing at Kennedy Space Center (NASA).
A non-profit organization based in the US offered her the chance to fly in Zero Gravity with one of only twelve men to walk on the Moon. Christina Korp, founder of “Space for Better World,” and celebrity astronaut Wrangler organized this event.
At Kennedy Space Center in Florida, we had a three-hour flight experience. Both flights took off from the historic Space Shuttle Runway at the Kennedy Space Center.
The first woman to work in NASA’s mission control, Poppy Northcutt, and NASA Astronaut Charlie Duke also experienced zero gravity with Kesan. As she experienced zero gravity, she held the Indian national flag in her hands.
As an astronaut, I know it is very difficult for me to travel to space and be an astronaut at this age. Space is an addiction and being an astronaut is an incredible experience. The founder and CEO of Space Kidz India, Srimathy Kesan, an expert in space science, said, “I was thinking about being an astronaut one day.”
For the first time from India, I have experienced zero gravity. Visiting Kennedy Space Center was an opportunity of a lifetime for every space lover. Flying in zero gravity and lunar gravity was thrilling and superb. It was a unique opportunity that I was privileged to have. Among only 12 men to walk on the moon, I experienced zero gravity with him,” she said.
According to Kesan, Prime Minister Modi gives a lot of importance to space science. She even endorsed space tourism, saying it would be economically beneficial for the country’s growth.
“We can see it by the G20 Summit taking place in India. Space tourism needs to be promoted in India. There is a lot of room for space tourism. If it happens, it’s going to benefit the whole Asia Pacific region. Space tourism exists only in the US. In her opinion, creating space tourism would be more economical and beneficial to our country’s growth,” she said.
