Mumbai, June 26 -- Coincidence it may seem, but both Rakesh Sharma - who was launched into space 41 years ago - and Indian Air Force (IAF) Group Captain and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla who followed Sharma's space-steps on Wednesday, learnt their first flying lessons at the prestigious National Defence Academy (NDA) at Khadakwasla near Pune.
It was on April 3, 1984 that Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian to travel in space when he flew aboard Soyuz T-11 on April 3 1984 as part of the Soviet Interkosmos programme. Astronaut and IAF group captain Shubhanshu Shukla was launched to the International Space Station on Wednesday as part of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission.
Sharma - whose famous "Sare Jahan Se Accha" (better than the w...