- Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla received a haircut in microgravity aboard the ISS
- American astronaut Nichole Ayers gave Shukla the haircut during his stay on the space station
- Shukla spent nearly 30 days in quarantine before launching on June 25 after multiple delays
Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has become the first Indian to get a haircut in micro-gravity, while he was at his home away from home, at the International Space Station. American astronaut Nichole Ayers was seen giving Shukla a rare hairdo in space.
Astronaut Ayers remarked, "We said goodbye to our Ax4 friends today. I was just reminiscing about the haircuts from last weekend. After a long quarantine, I think it was nice for them. We joked about how I might have a future in the haircutting business when I get back on Earth, but the reviews are still out."
Ayers is a Major in the US Air Force and has spent 122 days in space. She has conducted spacewalks totalling about six hours. This would probably make her the most qualified hair stylist Shukla would ever get in his life.
Read: Shubhanshu Shukla Performs Zero-Gravity Tricks With Water On ISS
The normally very nattily dressed Indian Air Test Pilot had spent nearly 30 days in quarantine at the Kennedy Space Center as his flight repeatedly got postponed from the first announced date of May 29 to finally lifting off on June 25.
Incidentally, Shukla had no bath while he was in space. There is no running hot or cold water at the $150 billion orbiting laboratory, and the astronauts must dry clean themselves using wet towels. Upon his arrival, Shukla was initially seen with a stubble beard, but was later seen with a nice clean shave when he was looking down from the cupola of the station.
European astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who has spent over a year aboard the International Space Station, told NDTV, hygiene in space is another area of adaptation.
Read: "Even Today, Bharat Looks Saare Jahan Se Accha": Shux At His Space Farewell
"There's no running water, obviously. So, we use wipes, wet wipes, and dry wipes. We also have wet towels. Put a bit of soap, put some water on the towel, and then you can wash yourself. No showers, no bathtub, no spa. Very rough conditions," he said.
Pesquet reassured that despite the lack of showers, astronauts remain clean.
"You're actually very clean. It was one of the questions I had. I thought you must be pretty dirty when you come back, but you're not. First of all, because there's much less dust and perspiration, and things in the air, it's much more controlled. So, it's a clean environment. And secondly, also because you're wiping yourself with wet towels and it works really well," he added.
Among the memories Shukla is carrying back is of this rare haircut while travelling at 28,000 kilometres per hour around Earth.
