India’s First Civilian Space Tourist Gopichand Thotakura Meets Vice President Dhankar
New Delhi, August 26: Captain Gopichand Thotakura, who recently traveled to space with Blue Origin’s New Shepard-25 mission, met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar on Monday. Thotakura is the second Indian citizen to travel to space, following Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
Thotakura expressed his joy upon returning to India, stating, “The feeling has been awaited for a long time. I am very happy to be back home. It is a very proud moment for India as well.” He emphasized the importance of space tourism and its potential to make space travel affordable and accessible for civilians.
In an earlier interview, Thotakura shared his passion for flying and his belief in protecting Mother Earth. He highlighted Blue Origin’s mission to benefit Earth and mentioned their partnership with NASA to open a private international space station.
Thotakura advised the younger generation to pursue their dreams with dedication and determination. He was part of a six-person crew that included Mason Angel, Sylvain Chiron, Kenneth L Hess, Carol Schaller, and former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight.
Doubts Revealed
Civilian Space Tourist -: A civilian space tourist is a regular person, not a professional astronaut, who travels to space for fun or adventure.
Vice President Dhankar -: Vice President Dhankar is Jagdeep Dhankar, the Vice President of India, who is an important leader in the country.
Blue Origin -: Blue Origin is a company that builds rockets and spacecraft to take people to space. It was started by Jeff Bezos, who also started Amazon.
New Shepard-25 mission -: The New Shepard-25 mission is a specific trip to space organized by Blue Origin using their New Shepard rocket.
Second Indian to travel to space -: The first Indian to travel to space was Rakesh Sharma in 1984. Gopichand Thotakura is the second Indian to do so.
Space tourism -: Space tourism is when people travel to space for fun, just like going on a vacation, but to space instead of a place on Earth.
Former Air Force Captain Ed Dwight -: Ed Dwight is a former Air Force pilot who was part of the same space mission as Gopichand Thotakura.
