NASA astronaut Jack David Fischer visits Bhubaneswar, says space gives sense of humbleness

Bhubaneswar: NASA Astronaut Jack David Fischer has said that space gives a sense of humbleness and spirituality.

The 43-year-old astronaut, who made his first spaceflight in April 2017 as a flight engineer for Expedition 51/52 on the International Space Station was in Bhubaneswar to hold a discourse as part of Odisha Knowledge Hub Lecture Series, organised by the state government.

Introducing him to the audience, the state’s Development Commissioner R Balakrishnan said Fischer had been selected as a member of the Nasa Astronaut Group-20 in 2009 for his distinguished achievements in military service, astronautics and space engineering.

The spaceman, who returned to Earth with his team members on 3 September, 2017 after 135 days, 18 hours and 8 minutes of stay in the space, shared his experiences with students, academicians and research scholars at Friday’s session and also took questions from them.

The space has given astronauts from different countries a chance to come together to work for the growth of science and technology, he said.

“The sight of the boundary-less Universe with its innumerable astronomical bodies and movements make us feel how small and insignificant we are in this endless ocean,” he said.

Walking in the space gives an amazing and transfixing experience, Fischer explained. “As we went up, we saw a blue line surrounding the Earth indicating that life was within it,” he said.

Replying to a query about the existence of aliens, the astronaut said, “I cannot say that we are the only living beings in this boundary-less universe. There might be living beings in other solar systems.”