Exposure could distract astronaut-elects: Union minister Jitendra Singh

A day after TOI discussed how India is missing out on an opportunity to use its astronaut-elects or designates as ambassadors of science to inspire young minds while the rest of the world celebrates their astronauts,

Union minister Jitendra Singh

told Lok Sabha on Wednesday that “...exposure could cause distractions”.
Responding to a question from Mayiladuthurai MP Sudha Ramakrishnan about why the astronauts were being hidden away, he said: “The honourable member has asked a question which must be bothering quite a few other citizens as well. And she is absolutely right. This was done to ensure that there were no distractions, as they were undergoing certain acclimatisation and training programmes.”
TOI, in its piece titled ‘It’s Time India Stopped Hiding Its Fab Four’, published on March 18, had argued that India should bring them out as their experiences will resonate deeply, particularly with young minds and students, who will find inspiration.
Training to be an astronaut in itself should suffice to make them powerful role models, demonstrating the rewards of perseverance, hard work, and dedication to learning. And by leveraging the unique influence astronauts can have, India can kindle a passion for science that transcends classrooms and laboratories, capturing the hearts and minds of people.

Singh however, argued: “It was a view that giving too much exposure to the media and the public might cause a distraction which may not be in the compatible interest of all,” Singh said. He added that for the first time, four astronauts who’ll possibly be part of India’s human mission have been identified, and that one of them slated to accompany the US and other astronauts in their journey to the space station (as part of

Axiom-4 mission

), have been notified.
The astronauts chosen for India’s Gaganyaan project are IAF test pilots: Group Captains Prasanth Nair, Ajit Krishnan, Angad Prathap and Shubhanshu Shukla. Shukla is part of the Axiom-4 mission (Ax-4), which will see him travel to the International Space Station (ISS) with three fellow crew members: Mission commander Peggy Whitson, Polish astronaut from European Space Agency (ESA) Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu.
Singh said that Shukla became “more widely known” because of this ISS mission. “The chosen one was Group Captain Shukla and that is how his name came to be a little more widely known,” he said.
Along with Shukla, Nair, who has been chosen as Shukla’s backup for Ax-4, is also in the US and was part of several training modules there. Krishnan and Prathap, the other two astronaut-designates picked as part of Gaganyaan are continuing their training in India, and continue to remain away from sharing their journeys publicly.