Mankind has always aimed for the stars. At the age when our misconceptions of the earth’s shape ended, and we became aware of the vast reality that surrounds us, the infinite space and what’s beyond infinity. From that moment till the day Russian astronaut Yuri Gagarin went into space, we have always aspired to look at what holds us from the heavens above. Space is the only place where we feel united, not as citizens of a particular country but as representatives of the earth itself. A similar moment is going to happen just after a few days and it’s going to be another moment where we would write history. After the successful moon landing and when the wishes of billions of people came true, that we have finally conquered the moon itself, mankind wasn’t just going to do that once.
It hasn’t even been more than 100 years since the moon landing occurred with so many calculations, we are aiming for commercial space flights. The news is filled with billionaires aiming for space and this article is another wonder that describes the dream of a young girl who aimed for the stars. Srisha Bandla is a 34-year-old Indian origin woman who would take part as a researcher experience for the Unity22 crew who would leave the earth on July 11. There are a number of things that need to be considered here. Firstly, she would be the second woman after Kalpana Chawla to be in space who was born in India. Secondly, her dream of becoming an astronaut has finally become reality and it was always her dream to experience what it’s like to be in space. She is excited way more than she looks as she has tweeted several times about the mission.
As for the mission, there are exactly three billionaires that have the same dream. One of them is the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla Cars and Space X. Space X has already done wonders on their part. We have seen that the engineers have already developed the first rocket that can launch itself and can come back and land safely at the same spot. This feat alone was considered to be impossible but by failing three times, man has made the impossible possible. He is already planning on sending humans to Mars, his dream is to make Mars habitable for humans. The second one is also one of the richest men in the world. The founder and developer of Amazon, The Washington Post, Alexa and other companies, Jeff Bezos has also dreamed about him being in space.
This man has already started preparations for the same with his company the Blue Origin, and he has expressed his concern and interest in space flights in many interviews. Our sources have confirmed that later this year, there might be an Amazon trip to space too. Jeff has even commented in one of the interviews that he would soon be traveling in space. The third person is Richard Branson. Sir Richard is a 70-year-old businessman, philanthropist, author, investor, and business magnate. This multi-talented man founded the company called Virgin Galactic, where the company has aimed for the stars since the beginning. Both this company and Blue Origin have been a part of the billionaire space race and it is highly likely that Sir Richard is going to win. The London businessman has just announced that he would be a part of the crew from the Virgin Galactic space mission which is scheduled on July 11.
I am so incredibly honored to be a part of the amazing crew of #Unity22, and to be a part of a company whose mission is to make space available to all. https://t.co/sPrYy1styc
— Sirisha Bandla (@SirishaBandla) July 2, 2021
As for our star, Srisha Bandla, who would have the honour to travel into space alongside Branson, has announced on Twitter that she would be flying into space with the Virgin Galactic crew. The crew has been named Unity22. Srisha has always dreamed about being in space. All her life she has dreamed of joining NASA and working as an astronaut. But there was one huge problem with her that she couldn’t complete her dream. The thing is, she has poor eyesight and this is something that would be a problem to her during the astronaut exam conducted by NASA. She was born in India and is of Tamil origin. Srisha Bandla was born in Guntur, which is located in Andhra Pradesh. Although being born in India, she was schooled and brought up in Houston, Texas. She would play the role of a researcher in the crew.
As for her academics, she has always been an outstanding student and graduated from Purdue University, West Lafayette, LA. Although she couldn’t be an astronaut, she has her degree as an aeronautical engineer. She started working in the Virgin Galactic in 2015 and for 5 years she rose to the position of the president in the research operations. Her whole family is well educated and her father is a scientist that moved to the United States for better research capabilities. He is an agricultural scientist with a huge influence over the Indian embassy in the States. Sources have confirmed that he is also working with them over some international issues. His daughter, the president of the research team, is very proud of him. Now it’s her turn to shine for her father. Apart from being the president, she is also an aerospace spacecraft designer and has worked on the L-3 communications in Greenville, Texas.
Since she is Indian-born, there are many people in India who tweeted in her favour, congratulating her on this mission. She is said to receive the country’s love for the same and is said to have all the blessings from her birthplace. Even the former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh tweeted in her favour, congratulating her and commenting on how women of Indian origin are taking the lead in technology and advancements. It is surely a great moment for Indians as she would be the third woman in space of an Indian origin. She has also tweeted in reply that she feels incredibly honored to be a part of the crew. The Unity22 crew is said to depart the earth on July 11, 9 days before the space flight of Jeff Bezos. Speaking of Jeff Bezos, many reporters have asked Richard Branson to give his statement on the billionaire space race.
The billionaire space race is said to be a race between the richest people in the world to reach space and start a business on commercial space flights. However, Richard has denied all the claims and has said that he actually just wants good wishes and good luck from the Amazon owner. In a recent press conference, the knighted London author has confirmed that he doesn’t have intentions in a race. On the other hand, the philanthropist has invited Jeff Bezos to see the departure and wish him good luck. He has also stated that he would also be present at the Blue Origin spaceflight and see the billionaire depart. On July 11, the Virgin Galactic crew is scheduled to take off with 6 members as the crew named Unity22. The spaceflight is said to occur at 7 am MDT or 9 am EDT.
