New Delhi, May 23 (IANS). Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force pilot and among the four Indians selected for the Gaganyaan mission, is also the first Indian Group Captain to visit the International Space Station (ISS). He often shares unique experiences related to space. Has made an interesting post on Instagram, in which he was seen narrating his interesting experience of getting a haircut in microgravity (zero gravity) in space.
Shubhanshu, who returned to India after a successful 18-day mission in the year 2025, is one of the key faces of the human mission of the Indian Space Agency (ISRO). He told that getting a haircut on the space station was an interesting but challenging experience. Shubhanshu told that before going into quarantine he had got his hair cut on Prithvi. He believed that the hair would be fine during the 14-day quarantine and 14-day mission, but the duration of the mission increased. Then the plan of 28 days changed to 32 days of quarantine and after that it took another 18 days in space. Eventually the hair grew so much that a haircut became necessary.
How did haircuts happen in space? Giving this information, Shubhanshu Shukla said that American space agency NASA’s astronaut Nicole Ayers, known as Vapor, helped him. Nicole proved to be an experienced fighter pilot, volleyball player and now an excellent space barber. He handled the job of cutting hair with utmost confidence.
He told that cutting hair in microgravity is not easy because the cut hair starts floating in the air. Therefore, special types of clippers are used, which have a vacuum system which instantly sucks the hair inside. Shubhanshu himself played the role of assistant and caught every cut hair by running the vacuum. He also described it as a great example of international teamwork.
Shubhanshu Shukla said that this experience is not only interesting but also shows how different and challenging everyday life is in space. Its result also turned out to be quite good. Got a perfect haircut while floating in Earth’s orbit 400 kilometers above the Earth. He described it as an item on his bucket list that he never knew about before.
–IANS
MT/DKP
