New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday expressed happiness over French astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s visit to India.

“Glad you came to India @Thom_astro and experienced the vibrancy and dynamism of our youth, particularly in the fields of science, space and innovation,” the Prime Minister said in a post on ‘X’.

Glad you came to India @Thom_astro and experienced the vibrancy and dynamism of our youth, particularly in the fields of science, space and innovation. https://t.co/87nWT83bHH

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 15, 2023

Thomas Pesquet on Saturday thanked Prime Minister Modi for inviting him to India and said that it was an “eye-opening” experience for him to see the country’s passion for space,

“Thank you PM @narendramodi for inviting me to your country. It was eye-opening to see the passion for space that runs deep in the country, and interact with India’s impressive young talents and future astronauts! People change the world when they dream big, in Europe and in India,” Thomas Pesquet posted on ‘X’.

Thank you PM @narendramodi for inviting me to your country. It was eye-opening to see the passion for space that runs deep in the country, and interact with India’s impressive young talents and future astronauts ! People change the world when they dream big, in Europe and in… pic.twitter.com/Ol1hEt88eL

— Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) October 14, 2023

Thomas Pesquet was on his first visit to India, where he met with Indian Space Research Organisation S Somanath. He also interacted with the leaders of the space community, the young entrepreneurs, and the students.

“French astronaut @Thom_astro @esa was all praise for India as he concludes his first visit to the country,” the French Embassy in India posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Mr Pesquet also heaped praise on India’s Moon and Mars space missions, adding that the Gaganyan project will inspire the entire nation and ultimately change the world.

Taking to X, Thomas Pesquet stated, “My first time in India, and I can see how this won’t be the last! From Mars to the surface of the moon, and soon humans in orbit, India has been making great strides in space exploration, and the world is noticing. It’s been very energizing to speak to the leaders of the space community, the young entrepreneurs, the students and the pupils and realize how they dream and make things happen every day.”

My first time in India, and I can see how this won’t be the last! From Mars to the surface of the , and soon humans in orbit, India has been making great strides in space exploration, and the world is noticing. It’s been very energizing to speak to the leaders of… pic.twitter.com/7aXQ8SL5tu

— Thomas Pesquet (@Thom_astro) October 12, 2023

“With the Gaganyaan project, India is strongly engaging in human spaceflight with their own capsule and rocket, and it’s easy to see here how this will inspire the entire nation, and ultimately change the world: there’s no limit to what an inspired and dreaming Indian population can do,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

European Space Agency’s French astronaut Thomas Pesquet addresses the Indian Space Conclave in New Delhi on October 9, 2023.
| Photo Credit: File photo

French astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who had two stints in the International Space Station (ISS), says, “Space stations sometimes are like a prison with a really nice view if you don’t keep yourself busy out there.”

Mr Pesquet was in the ISS between November 2016 and June 2017, and from April to November 2021. He spoke about his time at the ISS during his talk on ‘From Space Stations to Permanent Bases’, at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru on October 11.

He said that crew members keep themselves engaged with a range of activities. Outlining his and fellow crew members’ weekly activities at the ISS, Mr Pesquet said that one needs to find some work-life balance even on the space station.

“We have very strict schedules at the space station. During the weekdays, we start at 7.30 in the morning. There is a conference between all the centers, and then everybody goes to work, followed by sports and physical training. We finish work around 7.30-8 in the evening. Then, it is your free time. Some people go to bed early, some people go to bed late, and then there is always somebody on the phone. You can call your friends and family, usually in the evening,” Mr Pesquet said.

The weekends are a mix of work and leisure time.

“On Saturdays, you clean the space station. In the morning, you vacuum and wipe all the surfaces. In the afternoon, you engage yourself with sports, and the rest of the day is free. On Sundays, you again make calls and do physical training. So, everybody does what they want. For me, it was taking pictures, but there are people who jot down details of their flight, or read, or watch movies. The good thing is we are busy all the time. When you are not busy, space stations sometimes look like a prison with a really nice view,” Mr Pesquet said.

Role of AI in space stations

Replying to a query from the audience on the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in space stations, Mr Pesquet said, “There is not much (role of AI) because the environment we live in is too complicated and too complex, as there are stuff everywhere. It really takes a human being to understand what is going on.”

Though NASA had developed a humanoid robot, named Robonaut, to perform some repetitive tasks, it added very little value.

“It added no value for the human being because there is a mess of things out there, a mess of cables everywhere. The added value from robots was not much. On the other hand, you have rovers and probes, which are 100 % automated but are still run by people on the ground. Right now, ISS is run by normal intelligence, or manned intelligence,” he added.