Axiom-4 | Lift off is a thrilling experience

Mumbai: 10…9…8…7…6…5…4… 3…2…1 - as the countdown goes, the excitement builds up. 

Experiencing the blast off and a sense of zero gravity could be a lifetime experience. 

Having been a die-hard fan and admirer of ace IAF pilot, Wing Commander (Retd) Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian to reach space in April 1984 and his iconic "saare jahan se achcha” when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi asked “How does India look from there?” - is still something that reverberate give goosebumps. 

When IAF test pilot,  Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, lifted off  in a SpaceX Falcon 9 spacecraft with the Crew Dragon capsule and four astronauts, the entire nation wished ‘Shubh Yatra’  to Shux for his visit to the International Space Station. 

Having visited the Kennedy Space Center of NASA in Florida in the United States for an official assignment brings back the series of the experiences that astronauts have. 

Having interacted with late Captain Jon McBride, the former test pilot and astronaut, gave some perspective of what exactly happens. 

In fact, the Shuttle Launch Experience, located inside the Space Shuttle Atlantis attraction of the Kennedy Space Centre Visitors Complex of the NASA at Cape Canaveral located in the Space Coast of Florida, gives you a similar experience of what astronauts feel during the launch. 

Veteran NASA astronauts call it “the next best thing to an actual space shuttle launch!” - and the feeling is the closest to reality that can be offered on Earth. 

The G-force pushes the visitors back as it reaches 17,500 miles per hour. Then suddenly there is a sensation of zero-gravity or weightlessness for a few seconds.

You are now in “space”.

From being strapped to the goosebumps - it is an unforgettable experience. 

Also some kinds of emotional build up when you get to touch the small piece of rock that had been brought from the Moon. 

If one visits the Apollo/Saturn V Center – you can reach out and touch a moon rock and then stand under the largest rocket ever made – the mighty Saturn V.

This monumental 363-foot rocket was America’s lunar transportation for 27 brave astronauts who traveled to the moon and back, fulfilling the dreams and imagination of people around the world.

To start with, as you enter the KSC, you encounter a person dressed as an astronaut. After selfie time with him, one enters the rocket garden. From the very first unmanned missions to you could could a lot - from the earliest of the Apollo missions that would one day travel to the moon, America’s history in space is laid out before your very eyes in the majestic Rocket Garden.  

KSC's Space Shuttle Atlantis showcases the priceless, historic spacecraft that tells the incredible story of NASA’s 30-year Space Shuttle Program. The shuttle is displayed as only spacewalking astronauts have seen her before -- rotated 43.21 degrees with payload doors open and its Canadarm (robotic arm) extended, as it has just undocked from the International Space Station.

Also celebrated are the thousands of people who took part in creating and maintaining NASA’s five space-flown shuttles – Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis and Endeavour – and how the shuttle program has paved the way for NASA’s next generation of manned spaceflight programs. Coming nose-to-nose with Atlantis and getting your photo clicked is one of the finest moments in KSC.

(The writer had visited Orlando, Space Coast and Kissimmee at the invitation from VISIT FLORIDA, the official tourism marketing corporation for the State of Florida, from May 9-20, 2016)