Space gives a sense of humbleness, spirituality: NASA astronaut

Bhubaneswar, Dec 8 ( IANS) National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA) astronaut Jack David Fischer on Friday said space gives a sense of humbleness and spirituality.

"Sight of the boundary-less Universe with its innumerable astronomical bodies and movements make us felt how small and insignificant we are in this endless ocean", said the NASA astronaut at the Odisha Knowledge Hub Lecture series here.

He said thousands of scientists over the years have made it possible to explore space.

Responding to a query put by a student, Fischer said, "Walking in space gives an amazing and transfixing experience".

Reacting on the existence of aliens in space, Fischer said: "I can not say that we are the only living beings in this boundary-less universe. There might be living beings in other solar systems."

He also said young scientists and students in Odisha have projected encouraging interest in space research which would be of great help in future.

He added: "Space has taught us how we the people from different countries can come together to work for the growth of science and technology."

Development Commissioner R. Balakrishnan said in the year 2009, Jack Fisher was selected as a member of the NASA Astronaut Group-20 for his distinguished achievements in military service and astronautical space engineering.

He served as a flight engineer for Expedition 51 & 52 that launched to the International Space Station on April 20, 2017.

Fischer returned to the Earth with his team members on September 3, 2017, with an overall space stay of 135 days, 18 hours and 8 minutes.

--IANS

cd/pgh/vm