Rakesh Sharma Birth Anniversary

Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, AC, Hero of the Soviet Union, born 13 January 1949, who flew aboard Soyuz T-11 as part of the Intercosmos program. Sharma was the first Indian to travel in space. Sharma joined the Indian Air Force in 1970 as a pilot officer after joining the NDA as an IAF cadet in 1966. During the 1971 War, Sharma flew missions in his MiG aircraft with considerable success. He was a squadron leader with the Indian Air Force, when he flew into space in 1984 as part of a joint programme between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Soviet Intercosmos space program. He spent eight days in space on board the Salyut 7 space station.