Thiruvananthapuram native Athira Preetha Rani is on cloud nine. She has been selected by NASA for their astronaut training programme. The programme is run by NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the National Research Council of Canada The training group consists of 12 trainees. The training will last for three to five years. Once completed, she would be the first Keralite to fly to the space. She would also be the third Indian woman after Kalpana Chawla and Sunita Williams. Athira has always been keen on space and astronauts Classes of ‘Astra’ encouraged her to study space. ‘Astra’ is a Thiruvanathapuram-based astronomical society.
