Which Indian went to space in 2025?

Appeared in: RML PRE 2025

Explanation

Shubhanshu Shukla is an active Indian Air Force test pilot who was selected as an astronaut-designate for the Gaganyaan mission.
He is one of the four chosen candidates for India's first crewed spaceflight program.
Among the given options, he is the only individual currently part of an active, future-oriented human spaceflight program in India.
He is also considered a candidate for a joint NASA-ISRO mission to the International Space Station (ISS) planned for the near future.

Option A: Rakesh Sharma's historic space journey occurred in the past.
Option C: Kalpana Chawla was an American astronaut, not an Indian astronaut on an Indian mission. Her last spaceflight was in 2003, and she tragically passed away during the Columbia disaster.
Option D: Satyendra Pant is not a publicly announced astronaut candidate for any of ISRO's missions.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Indian Astronauts and Space Missions as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
This is a general knowledge question. For nursing exams, general awareness, including major national achievements in science and technology, can be a component of the test.
Staying updated with current affairs demonstrates a well-rounded knowledge base, which is often expected of candidates in competitive government examinations.
What if the question asked about the first Gaganyaan mission astronaut? As of early 2024, four astronauts have been announced, but the crew for the very first flight has not been finalized. The answer would depend on future announcements.

How to Approach the Question

First, analyze the question's keywords: 'Indian', 'space', and the year '2025'. This points to a current affairs topic about India's space program.
Notice the grammatical inconsistency: the verb 'went' (past tense) is used with a future year '2025'. Infer the intended meaning, which is likely 'who is scheduled to go to space'.
Evaluate each option based on your general knowledge of India's space history.
Recall or deduce that Rakesh Sharma and Kalpana Chawla are historical figures in space travel, making them incorrect for a 2025 mission.
Identify Shubhanshu Shukla as one of the recently announced astronauts for the Gaganyaan mission, India's upcoming human spaceflight program.
Conclude that Shubhanshu Shukla is the most plausible answer as he is an active astronaut preparing for future missions.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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Practise the full RML PRE 2025

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.