Axiom-4 mission: 425 km above Earth, astronauts share bonhomie over fajitas, cake, and stories

As Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his three teammates from the Axiom-4 mission prepare to conclude their nearly three-week stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS), memories of bonhomie and close bonding in extraordinary circumstances are sure to linger long after their cosmic journey ends.

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“One of the most unforgettable evenings I’ve experienced on this mission was sharing a meal with new friends, Ax-4, aboard the International @Space_Station. We swapped stories and marveled at how people from diverse backgrounds and nations came together to represent humanity in space,” NASA astronaut Jonny Kim has posted on his X handle.

“For appetizers, we made rehydrated shrimp cocktails and crackers. Our main course featured savory chicken and beef fajitas, and the cosmonauts capped the night with a delicious cake made from sweet bread, condensed milk, and walnuts,” he added.

Kim, a US Navy flight surgeon, naval aviator and former Navy SEAL, is part of the seven-member Expedition-73, manning the ISS. On his first space flight, he has been sharing interesting snippets of life onboard the space station.

There have been other instances when the crew of Axiom-4 and Expedition-73 have come together for work as well as for social activities that include photography and filming crew activities.

On Friday, NASA said that it has a long-standing relationship with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) that has been built on a shared vision to advance scientific knowledge and expand space collaboration.

The space agencies participated in five joint science investigations and two in-orbit science, technology, engineering and mathematics demonstrations.

Shukla, who goes by the call-sign Shux, is the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS and the second Indian after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma to travel in space.

On ISS, Shukla conducted seven India-specific microgravity experiments aimed at generating critical data for future planetary missions and long-duration space habitation.

These include studying the survival, revival, reproduction and transcriptome of an Indian strain. investigating the impact of microgravity on human muscle cells, sprouting of Methi and Moong seeds to study crew nutrition and sustainable space farming and exploring the growth of two varieties for life support systems.

He also participated in several other joint experiments with the Ax-4 and Expedition-73 crew.

“Ax-4 will go into Saturday finalising science experiments including an electrical muscle stimulation study, testing suit fabrics that promote thermal comfort while exercising, and filming crew activities for a behavioral health study. On Sunday, they will begin packing science gear filled with research samples and loading personal items and other cargo inside Dragon for retrieval on Earth,” an update by NASA said.

The Dragon C-213 spacecraft, piloted by Shukla that will ferry the crew, is scheduled to undock from the ISS on Monday, July 14 for its 17-hour journey to Earth.

By this time, the Ax-4 crew would have spent 19 days on ISS since docking on June 26 after a 28-hour journey from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.