New Delhi, May 27 (IANS). An emergency situation may arise during any mission in space. In such a situation, the question is common that how are astronauts prepared for such situations? An old video of Indian Air Force Captain and Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla surfaced, in which he was seen giving detailed information on this topic.
He said that the most important part of astronauts’ training is practicing to deal with emergency situations. According to Shubhanshu Shukla, astronauts spend about 80 percent of their time not rehearsing for the perfect mission, but preparing for situations when things go wrong. In aerospace language this is called ‘off-nominal scenario’. It means – “What to do when things don’t go according to plan.”
The most serious emergencies on the International Space Station (ISS) are fires or toxic gas leaks. To deal with these, astronauts are given detailed and systematic training. The first rule is – protect yourself. If the astronaut himself is unsafe then he cannot help others. A healthy and capable astronaut can help save the entire crew.
Shubhanshu Shukla was seen wearing an emergency oxygen mask in the video. He told, this mask comes in handy when there is poisonous gas leakage in the space station. This mask looks like something from a science-fiction film, but its design is completely practical. It swells easily in case of stress.
Citing the example of airplane safety announcements, he said the advice “first put on your own oxygen mask, then help others” is not just for planes. This principle also applies in space 400 kilometers above Earth. Space missions are extremely complex. Even a small mistake can prove fatal. Therefore, astronauts are repeatedly trained in off-nominal scenarios so that they can remain calm and take correct decisions in a real crisis.
–IANS
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