Astronaut Prashanth Nair reveals at TVM school his intense training, life that paved way to space

Thiruvananthapuram: Group Captain Prashant Balakrishnan, one of the designated space travellers in India’s Gaganyaan programme, has revealed that becoming an astronaut require undergoing an extremely rigorous training programme.

In an interaction with students of the Government Model School in Thiruvananthapuram, he explained in detail the various training modules he has completed. He also mentioned that training is still ongoing and Indian space travellers are expected to reach space aboard an Indian rocket in 2027.

Some key training modules undertaken by the Gaganyaan crew include:

1. Centrifuge training:
Crew members are placed in a device called a centrifuge, which rotates the body at very high speeds under different pressure levels. This exposes the body to extreme gravitational forces. During this process, blood is pulled away from the brain, causing vision loss even if the eyes remain open. Eventually, the person may lose consciousness. Special devices and muscle actions then pump blood back to the brain. The intense rotation simulates conditions where the body feels like being inside a washing machine and the brain must be kept alert throughout.

2. Balance training:
Astronauts undergo exercises designed to assess the body’s balance and ability to maintain it under challenging conditions.

3. Survival training:
Spacecraft may land in unexpected locations, such as seas or deserts. If a spacecraft lands in the sea and begins to sink before rescue, astronauts must be prepared to escape quickly. If landing occurs in a desert, astronauts may need to survive for up to two days in harsh conditions. As part of survival training, astronauts spend two days in extreme zero and sub-zero temperatures. They also train to adapt to the limited space inside a spacecraft and practice operating under zero gravity conditions, which occur when the spacecraft changes altitude abruptly while falling down from a height.

4. Low-pressure and hypoxia training:
At Axiom Space, trainees undergo exercises in a depression chamber that simulates low-pressure conditions. Here, they must perform various tasks while breathing in low-oxygen environments. Inside the chamber, oxygen levels and pressure are gradually reduced to observe how the trainee acclimatises. Trainees are tested to see if they can perform complex tasks, such as mathematical calculations, without losing consciousness even as carbon dioxide levels rise. Astronauts are also trained to assist fellow crew members who may struggle to breathe in such conditions.

5. Isolation and survival training:
One of the most crucial modules involves surviving for three to four days without a mobile phone or any contact with the outside world. Trainees are required to live off resources available in nature and survive in complete isolation.

Kuwait war proved to be the turning point
According to Group Captain Prashanth Balakrishnan Nair, the Kuwait-Iraq war, which broke out in 1990 when he was in Class 9 in Kuwait, became the turning point that changed the course of his life."

"While playing outside during a vacation in 1990 with my friends, I suddenly heard a thunderous sound. It was a MiG-21 fighter jet of Iraq passing by from a nearby airbase. When I saw its pilot and the light on his helmet, I thought it was God. At that moment, I decided that I too should become a god," Prashanth recalled.

Later, although he secured admission for medicine and engineering, he chose a completely different path by joining the National Defence Academy to become a fighter jet pilot. Seeking further challenges, he became a test pilot for trialling dangerous devices. “But that was not my ultimate path. That was how I became part of the process of selecting astronauts.

In 2024, the Prime Minister awarded me my astronaut wings. Yet even then, I did not feel completely satisfied. It was only after undergoing several rigorous training modules for the space mission that I realised I was complete. What I need to do now is to realise it,” Prashanth added.

When he told his wife Lena, an actor, that he was going to interact with students of the Government Model Boys School in Thiruvananthapuram, she pointed out that this was the school where Mohanlal had studied.

The event was attended by School Principal K V Pramod, UN Sustainable Environmental Committee chairman Dr R Umamaheswaran and students including Abhiram and Muhammad Irfan, who also shared their thoughts.