GUNTUR, India, July 5 – The grandfather of an Indian-American astronaut stated he was “overwhelmed with pleasure” as she prepares to turn out to be solely the second Indian-born girl to go to house.
Sirisha Bandla, 33, who was born in Guntur district of India’s southern Andhra Pradesh state, will likely be part of billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic’s check flight on July 11 that may journey past the sting of the earth’s ambiance.
A profitable flight by Branson aboard Virgin’s VSS Unity spaceplane would mark a milestone within the race to usher in a brand new period of personal industrial house journey.
Branson’s mission would be the twenty second flight check for VSS Unity, and the corporate’s fourth crewed spaceflight.
Bandla, who developed an early curiosity in house, accomplished her research within the area earlier than becoming a member of Virgin Galactic in 2015.
“I’m so extremely honored to be part of the superb crew of #Unity22, and to be part of an organization whose mission is to create space out there to all,” Bandla stated in a tweet.
Her grandfather, Dr Ragaiah, a retired scientist who goes by one identify, advised Reuters she had all the time been fascinated by house.
“From the start, she was very a lot fascinated in the direction of the sky, wanting on the sky, house, enter house and what’s there,” he stated.
“I’m very pleased and overwhelmed with pleasure. My second granddaughter, she goes to house.”
Bandla is the second girl born in India to enter house after Kalpana Chawla, who died within the Columbia Area Shuttle catastrophe in 2003.
