In the past, two Indian origin women have gone into space, Kalpana Chawla and Sunitha Williams. Now another woman of Indian origin is all set to make India proud, Dr. Shawna Pandya. The 32 year old is a neurosurgeon and is all set go to space with 8 other astronauts in 2018. 3,200 people signed up for the Citizen Science Astronaut (CSA) program from which two candidates were selected and Dr. Pandya was one of them.
Dr. Pandya works as a general physician in Canada’s Alberta University Hospital. She is presently being trained for the two space missions that will take flight in 2018. The Doctor is currently visiting Mumbai and speaking to the media said that she will be on missions that include experiments in bio-medicine and medical science. The project is titled ‘Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere (PoSSUM)’ where she will be studying the effects of climate change. Shawana will also be included in other tasks the mission will undertake.
Dr.Pandya apart from medicine is also a trained opera singer, an author and also a world famous Taekwondo champion. The multi- talented doctor was trained in Muay Thai with a Navy SEAL. The talented medicor says, “If you prioritize your passions and commitments, it’s wonderful how much you can achieve.”
Speaking about the potential of Indians, she added, “When I talk to students, medical undergraduates, I realize they have the zeal to venture out but aren’t always aware of the ways in which they can. All we need is to get acquainted with everyday developments in science, be resilient and always try to achieve something bigger.”
Well, we wish the multi-talented doctor and future Astronaut best of luck for her venture and a safe journey back filled with success.
