Students from various schools in Lucknow on Thursday spoke with astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who is currently onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The interaction was part of Isro’s Vidyarthi Samvad Programme and was held at City Montessori School. Shukla, the first Indian to reach the ISS, answered several questions from students, including what astronauts eat, how they sleep, what happens if someone falls sick, and how the body adjusts to life in space. He said sleeping in space was interesting because there was no floor or ceiling. “You will find someone sleeping on the wall, someone on the ceiling. We tie our sleeping bags to avoid floating away,” he said. On food, he said astronauts eat pre-packaged meals and choose what they prefer before the mission. He also mentioned carrying gajar ka halwa, moong dal halwa, and aam ras with him to space. Asked about illness, he said adequate medicines were carried onboard. On mental health, he said technology helped them stay in touch with family and friends, which made a difference. He described the launch of Axiom Mission 4 from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on June 25 as “amazing” and “dynamic”. He also explained how the body takes time to adjust to microgravity and has to re-adapt to gravity after returning to Earth. Group Captain Angad Pratap, who is part of India’s Gaganyaan mission, also attended the event to spread awareness about space programmes. Shukla is one of the four astronaut-designates for Gaganyaan.