Astronaut Raja Chari: As India celebrates its Independence Day, wishes are pouring in not only from all over the world, but also from a well. Indian-American astronaut Raja Chari greeted the countrymen by posting a picture of the Indian national flag on the International Space Station (ISS) with a message for Indians living abroad.
The photo also shows Earth in the background. Mr. Chari recently returned home after a six-month mission to the ISS. He was among the four astronauts aboard the SpaceX spacecraft, which crashed safely in the Gulf of Mexico in May.
Indian Flag At Space Station
“On Indian Independence eve I’m reminded of Indian diaspora that I could see from @Space_Station where my immigrant father’s home town of Hyderabad shines bright. @nasa is just 1 place Indian Americans make a difference every day. Looking forward to @IndianEmbassyUS celebration,” Mr Chari said in his tweet.
Mr Chari, who works for the US space agency NASA, was selected as an astronaut in 2017. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, US and raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa. He is married to Cedar Falls native Holly Shafter Chari, with whom he has three children.
According to Chari’s biography on the NASA website, he graduated from Columbus High School in Waterloo, Iowa. From the US Air Force Academy in Colorado, he earned a bachelor’s degree in Astronautical Engineering. He was awarded a master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Hailing from Mahbubnagar in Telangana, Chari’s grandfather was a mathematics professor at Osmania University, Hyderabad. His father Srinivas Chari had studied engineering from the same university and later moved to America. The astronauts have been to Hyderabad several times, where their relatives live.
India is celebrating the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ on the completion of 75 years of its independence.
This day commemorates India’s independence from British rule. The celebration of Independence Day honors the sacrifice and tireless efforts of our courageous leaders and freedom fighters who laid down their lives for the sake of the country and the countrymen.
