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{{Short description|First Indian | {{Short description|First Indian cosmonaut}} | ||
{{Other people}} | {{Other people}} | ||
{{Use Indian English|date=November | {{Use Indian English|date=November 2022}} | ||
{{Use dmy dates|date=April | {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} | ||
{{Infobox astronaut | {{Infobox astronaut | ||
|name=Rakesh Sharma | |name=Rakesh Sharma | ||
|image= | |image= rakesh sharma.jpg | ||
|caption=Rakesh Sharma, as a [[Squadron Leader]] in military uniform | |caption=Rakesh Sharma, as a [[Squadron Leader]] in military uniform | ||
|birth_date={{Birth date and age|1949|01|13|df=yes}} | |birth_date={{Birth date and age|1949|01|13|df=yes}} | ||
|birth_place=[[Patiala]], [[Patiala and East Punjab States Union]], [[Dominion of India]]<br />{{small|(now in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[India]])}} | |birth_place=[[Patiala]], [[Patiala and East Punjab States Union]], [[Dominion of India]]<br />{{small|(now in [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[India]])}} | ||
|nationality=[[India|Indian]] | |nationality=[[India|Indian]] | ||
|occupation=[[ | |occupation=[[Fighter pilot]] at [[Indian Air Force|IAF]]<br />[[Cosmonaut|Research Cosmonaut]] at [[ISRO]]<br /> | ||
|selection=1982|time=7{{abbr|d||days}} 21{{abbr|h|hours}} 40{{abbr|m|minutes}} | [[Test pilot]] at [[Hindustan Aeronautics Limited|HAL]] | ||
|mission=[[Soyuz T-11]] (launching)<br />[[Soyuz T-10]] (landing)|insignia=[[File:Soyuz T-11 | |selection=[[List of astronauts by year of selection#1982|1982 Intercosmos (India)]]|time=7{{abbr|d||days}} 21{{abbr|h|hours}} 40{{abbr|m|minutes}} | ||
|mission=[[Soyuz T-11]] (launching)<br />[[Soyuz T-10]] (landing)|insignia=[[File:Soyuz-T-11-Mission-Patch.svg|45px]] [[File:Rakesh Sharma Chest Patch.svg|45px]] | |||
|honorific_prefix=[[Wing Commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] | |honorific_prefix=[[Wing Commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] | ||
|honorific_suffix=[[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|AC]] | |honorific_suffix=[[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|AC]] | ||
| Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
| allegiance = {{flag|India}} | | allegiance = {{flag|India}} | ||
| branch = {{air force|India}} | | branch = {{air force|India}} | ||
| rank = [[File: | | rank = [[File:Indian IAF OF-4.svg|24px]] [[Wing Commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] | ||
| spouse=Madhu | | servicenumber = 12396 F(P) | ||
|serviceyears = 1970 - 1990 | |||
| battles = [[Indo-Pakistani War of 1971|1971 Indo-Pakistani War]] | |||
| awards = [[File:Ashoka_Chakra_ribbon.svg|35px]] [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|Ashok Chakra]] <br />[[File:Золотая Звезда Героя Советского Союза.svg|20px]] [[Hero of the Soviet Union]] | |||
| spouse=Madhu Sharma | |||
| children=2 | | children=2 | ||
}} | }} | ||
}} | |type=[[Indian people|Indian]] cosmonaut | ||
[[Wing Commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] '''Rakesh Sharma''', [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|AC]] (born 13 January 1949) is a former [[Indian Air Force]] pilot who flew aboard [[Soyuz T-11]] on 3 April 1984 as part of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Interkosmos]] programme. He is the only [[Indian nationality law|Indian citizen]] to travel in space, although there have been other [[List of space travelers by nationality#India|astronauts with | |status=Retired | ||
|alma_mater=[[National Defence Academy]]<br />[[Air Force Academy (India)]] | |||
|native_name=}} | |||
[[Wing Commander (rank)|Wing Commander]] '''Rakesh Sharma''', [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|AC]] (born 13 January 1949) is a former [[Indian Air Force]] pilot who flew aboard [[Soyuz T-11]] on 3 April 1984 as part of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Interkosmos]] programme. He is the only [[Indian nationality law|Indian citizen]] to travel in space, although there have been other [[List of space travelers by nationality#India|astronauts with some Indian background]] who were not Indian citizens.<ref name=spacefacts>{{cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/sharma_rakesh.htm |title=Cosmonaut Biography: Rakesh Sharma |publisher=Spacefacts.de |access-date=6 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mapsofindia.com/who-is-who/miscellaneous/rakesh-sharma.html |title=Rakesh Sharma |publisher=Mapsofindia.com |access-date=6 July 2022}}</ref> Another Air Force pilot, [[Ravish Malhotra]], was placed on standby.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/international/english/malhotra_ravish.htm|title = Cosmonaut Biography: Ravish Malhotra}}</ref> | |||
==Early life== | ==Early life== | ||
Born on 13 January 1949 in [[Patiala]] of present-day [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], India | Born on 13 January 1949 in [[Patiala]] of present-day [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], India.<ref name="aerospace" /> Sharma attended [[St. George's Grammar School (Hyderabad)|St. George's Grammar School]], [[Hyderabad]]<ref name=aerospace/> and graduated from [[Nizam College]], [[Hyderabad]]. He joined the [[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]] as an air force plebe in July 1966<ref>{{cite book |title=Tragedy and triumph in orbit : the eighties and early nineties |date=June 2012 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-1-4614-3430-6}}</ref> and was commissioned into the [[Indian Air Force]] as a pilot in 1970.<ref>{{cite web |title=Service Record for Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma 12396 F(P) at Bharat Rakshak.com |url=http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/12396 |website=[[Bharat Rakshak]] |language=en-gb}}</ref> | ||
==Career== | ==Career== | ||
===IAF career=== | |||
An alumnus of the 35th{{Nbsp}}[[National Defence Academy (India)|National Defence Academy]], Sharma joined the [[Indian Air Force]] as a test pilot in 1970 and progressed through numerous levels where in 1984 he was promoted to the rank of [[squadron leader]].<ref name=aerospace>{{cite web|url=http://www.aerospaceguide.net/astronaut/rakesh_sharma.html|website=aerospaceguide.net|title=Rakesh Sharma|access-date=4 June 2022}}</ref> He was selected on 20{{Nbsp}}September 1982 to become a cosmonaut and go into space as part of a joint programme between the [[Indian Air Force]] and the Soviet [[Interkosmos]] space programme.<ref name=hin>{{cite news|url=http://m.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-down-to-earth-rakesh-sharma/article381946.ece/|title=The down to earth Rakesh Sharma|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=4 April 2010|access-date=5 April 2014|first=Pankaja|last=Srinivasan|archive-date=24 July 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150724161536/http://m.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/the-down-to-earth-rakesh-sharma/article381946.ece/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
===Astronaut=== | |||
[[File:Nehru Planetarium costume of Rakesh Sharma.jpg|thumb|left|Cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma's suit at [[Nehru Planetarium]]]] | |||
In 1984, Sharma became the first Indian citizen to enter space when he flew aboard the Soviet rocket [[Soyuz T-11]] launched from [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] in the [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic]] on 3 April 1984. The Soyuz T-11 spacecraft carrying cosmonauts including Sharma docked and transferred the three member Soviet-Indian international crew, consisting of the ship's commander, [[Yury Malyshev (cosmonaut)|Yury Malyshev]], and flight engineer, [[Gennadi Strekalov]], to the [[Salyut 7]] Orbital Station. Sharma spent 7{{Nbsp}}days, 21{{Nbsp}}hours, and 40{{Nbsp}}minutes aboard the Salyut 7 during which his team conducted scientific and technical studies which included forty-three{{Nbsp}}experimental sessions. His work was mainly in the fields of bio-medicine and remote sensing.<ref name=hin/> The crew held a joint television news conference with officials in [[Moscow]] and then Indian Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]]. When Indira Gandhi asked Sharma how India looked from outer space, he replied, "''[[Sare Jahan se Accha|Sare Jahan Se Accha]]''" (the best in the world). This is the title of a patriotic poem by [[Allama Iqbal|Iqbal]] that had been written when India was under [[British Raj|British colonial rule]], that continues to be popular today. With Sharma's voyage aboard [[Soyuz T-11]], India became the 14th{{Nbsp}}nation to send a man to outer space.<ref name="hin" /> | |||
| | |||
In 1984, Sharma became the first Indian citizen to enter space when he flew aboard the Soviet rocket [[Soyuz T-11]] launched from [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] in the [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic]] on 3 April 1984. The Soyuz T-11 spacecraft carrying cosmonauts including Sharma docked and transferred the three member Soviet-Indian international crew, consisting of the ship's commander, [[Yury Malyshev (cosmonaut)|Yury Malyshev]], and flight engineer, [[Gennadi Strekalov]], to the [[Salyut 7]] Orbital Station. Sharma spent 7{{Nbsp}}days, 21{{Nbsp}}hours, and 40{{Nbsp}}minutes aboard the Salyut 7 during which his team conducted scientific and technical studies which included forty-three{{Nbsp}}experimental sessions. His work was mainly in the fields of bio-medicine and remote sensing.<ref name=hin/> The crew held a joint television news conference with officials in [[Moscow]] and then Indian Prime Minister [[Indira Gandhi]]. When Indira Gandhi asked Sharma how India looked from outer space, he replied, "''[[Sare Jahan se Accha|Sare Jahan Se Accha]]''" (the best in the world). This is the title of a patriotic poem by [[Allama Iqbal|Iqbal]] that had been written when India was under [[British Raj|British colonial rule]], that continues to be popular today. With Sharma's voyage aboard [[Soyuz T-11]], India became the 14th{{Nbsp}}nation to send a man to outer space.<ref name="hin"/> | |||
===Post-retirement=== | |||
Sharma retired as a [[Wing commander (rank)|wing commander]] and later joined [[Hindustan Aeronautics Limited]] (HAL) in 1987, serving as the chief test pilot in the HAL Nashik Division until 1992, before moving on to [[Bangalore]] to work as HAL's chief test pilot. Sharma retired from flying in 2001.<ref name="spacefacts" /> | Sharma retired as a [[Wing commander (rank)|wing commander]] and later joined [[Hindustan Aeronautics Limited]] (HAL) in 1987, serving as the chief test pilot in the HAL Nashik Division until 1992, before moving on to [[Bangalore]] to work as HAL's chief test pilot. Sharma retired from flying in 2001.<ref name="spacefacts" /> | ||
==Military awards and decorations== | |||
Sharma was conferred the honour of the [[Hero of the Soviet Union]] upon his return from space. He remains to date the only Indian to have been conferred this honour. India also conferred its highest peacetime gallantry award, the [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|Ashoka Chakra]], on him and the two{{Nbsp}}Soviet members of his mission, Malyshev and Strekalov.<ref name="hin"/> | Sharma was conferred the honour of the [[Hero of the Soviet Union]] upon his return from space. He remains to date the only Indian to have been conferred this honour. India also conferred its highest peacetime gallantry award, the [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|Ashoka Chakra]], on him and the two{{Nbsp}}Soviet members of his mission, Malyshev and Strekalov.<ref name="hin"/> | ||
The citation for the [[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|Ashoka Chakra]] reads as follows:<ref>{{cite web |title=Gallantry Awards {{!}} Ministry of Defence, Government of India |url=https://www.gallantryawards.gov.in/awardee/4373 |website=www.gallantryawards.gov.in}}</ref> | |||
{{Quotation|Gazette Notification: No.57-Pres/85 dated 7th May 1985 | |||
Date of Award: 3 April 1984 | |||
===Ashoka Chakra citation=== | |||
{{center|'''CITATION'''<br> | |||
'''SQUADRON LEADER RAKESH SHARMA'''<br> | |||
'''(12396) FLYING (PILOT)'''}} | |||
In January 1982, when it was decided that an Indian would go into space on a Soviet space ship, Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma volunteered for this very challenging mission. After a very rigorous selection process, which included a most exacting medical test, he was selected as one of the two cosmonaut candidates from among 150 highly qualified and experienced pilots of the Indian Air Force. After his selection, he underwent training as a cosmonaut at YURI GAGARIN CENTRE in the USSR, where he applied himself with total devotion and dedication and won acclaim from Soviet Space experts. Squadron Leader Rakesh Sharma completed a most arduous training schedule, with distinction and with exceptional professionalism. | |||
On the 3rd April 1984, Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to orbit in space. He carried out all the scientific experiments planned for the joint Indo-Soviet Space Mission and other tasks assigned to him with great facility and excellence. Sqn Ldr Sharma has not only carved out a place for himself in the space roll of honour but has brought glory and credit to the nation. | |||
Squadron leader Rakesh Sharma has thus displayed most conspicuous daring and courage to become the first Indian to go into space.|sign=|source=}} | |||
===Ribbon bar=== | |||
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;" | {| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;" | ||
|- | |- | ||
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|colspan="1" |[[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|Ashok Chakra]] | |colspan="1" |[[Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)|Ashok Chakra]] | ||
|colspan="2" |[[Paschimi Star]] | |colspan="2" |[[Paschimi Star]] | ||
|colspan="1" |[[ | |colspan="1" |[[Sangram Medal]] | ||
|- | |- | ||
|[[ | |[[Sainya Seva Medal]] | ||
|[[ | |[[Videsh Seva Medal]] | ||
|[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|25th Anniversary of Independence Medal]] | |[[Indian military decorations#Service and campaign medals|25th Anniversary of Independence Medal]] | ||
|[[Indian military decorations#Long service awards|9 Years Long Service Medal]] | |[[Indian military decorations#Long service awards|9 Years Long Service Medal]] | ||
| Line 74: | Line 91: | ||
==Personal life== | ==Personal life== | ||
Sharma married Madhu. His son, Kapil, is a film director,<ref>{{ | Sharma married Madhu. His son, Kapil, is a film director,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Indian man has not kept pace with Indian woman: Kapil Sharma - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/indian-man-has-not-kept-pace-with-indian-woman-kapil-sharma/articleshow/18747848.cms|access-date=2021-10-12|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref> while his daughter, Krittika, is a media artist.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}} | ||
==Popular culture== | ==Popular culture== | ||
A biographical Hindi-language film titled, ''Saare Jahaan Se Achcha'' (formerly "Salute"), is under pre-production since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-30|title=Farhan Akhtar Finalised to Star in Rakesh Sharma Biopic?|url=https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/bollywood/farhan-akhtar-to-lead-rakhesh-sharma-biopic|access-date=2020-11-25|website=TheQuint|language=en}}</ref> | A biographical Hindi-language film titled, ''Saare Jahaan Se Achcha'' (formerly "Salute"), is under pre-production since 2018.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-07-30|title=Farhan Akhtar Finalised to Star in Rakesh Sharma Biopic?|url=https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/bollywood/farhan-akhtar-to-lead-rakhesh-sharma-biopic|access-date=2020-11-25|website=[[TheQuint]]|language=en}}</ref> | ||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
| Line 89: | Line 106: | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
{{Commons category}} | |||
{{wikiquote}} | |||
* [http://astrotalkuk.org/2013/11/03/rakesh-sharma/ Interview with Rakesh Sharma in August 2013] | * [http://astrotalkuk.org/2013/11/03/rakesh-sharma/ Interview with Rakesh Sharma in August 2013] | ||
* [https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20181119-rakesh-sharma-our-first-space-man-1384895-2018-11-09 Rakesh Sharma: Our First Space Man] ''India Today'', 9 November 2018 | * [https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20181119-rakesh-sharma-our-first-space-man-1384895-2018-11-09 Rakesh Sharma: Our First Space Man] ''[[India Today]]'', 9 November 2018 | ||
{{Ashoka Chakra award recipients}} | {{Ashoka Chakra award recipients}} | ||
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Rakesh}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Rakesh}} | ||
[[Category:1949 births]] | |||
[[Category:Living people]] | |||
[[Category:Indian Air Force officers]] | |||
[[Category:Indian astronauts]] | [[Category:Indian astronauts]] | ||
[[Category:Indian aviators]] | [[Category:Indian aviators]] | ||
[[Category:Indian test pilots]] | |||
[[Category:Space programme of India]] | [[Category:Space programme of India]] | ||
[[Category:Foreign Heroes of the Soviet Union]] | [[Category:Foreign Heroes of the Soviet Union]] | ||
[[Category: | [[Category:Osmania University alumni]] | ||
[[Category:People from Hyderabad, India]] | [[Category:People from Hyderabad, India]] | ||
[[Category:People from Patiala]] | [[Category:People from Patiala]] | ||
[[Category:Punjabi people]] | [[Category:Punjabi people]] | ||
[[Category:Recipients of the Ashoka Chakra (military decoration)]] | |||
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Lenin]] | [[Category:Recipients of the Order of Lenin]] | ||
[[Category:Recipients of the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"]] | [[Category:Recipients of the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"]] | ||
[[Category:Ashoka Chakra]] | [[Category:Ashoka Chakra]] | ||
[[Category:Salyut program cosmonauts]] | [[Category:Salyut program cosmonauts]] | ||