First Indian Astronaut's Pre-Flight Dental Dilemma

Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to reach the International Space Station, shared insights on the unusual preparations for space travel at IIT Bombay. He emphasized the need for astronauts to have wisdom teeth extracted since performing dental surgery in space is impossible. This preparation is essential for space missions.

Shubhanshu Shukla, the pioneering Indian astronaut to reach the International Space Station, highlighted an unusual aspect of space travel preparations during a talk at IIT Bombay. Prior to his mission, Shukla underwent the removal of two wisdom teeth, an operation deemed crucial given the inability to perform dental surgery aboard a spacecraft.

Joining Shukla were Group Captains Prasanth Nair and Angad Pratap, both candidates for India's Gaganyaan, the nation's first human spaceflight mission. Shukla shared insights from his maiden space voyage on the Axiom-4 commercial mission, supported by ISRO and NASA, and operated by Axiom Space earlier this year.

Shukla emphasized the importance of dental health in astronaut selection, stating, "A lot of aspiring astronauts had teeth extracted." He humorously added, "If you want to be an astronaut, you have to give up on your wisdom." His fellow officers, Nair and Pratap, had multiple teeth removed as part of their space readiness training.