“There is no soul as such on the ISS.” How do astronauts train?

In the minds of ordinary people, astronautics is a romantic profession full of adventures. But the bright and relatively short period of work in orbit is preceded by difficult and tedious preparation “on the ground”.

The main thing is shoe covers

“The main thing is don’t forget your shoe covers, otherwise they won’t let us in,” the organizers instruct us when we are going to Star City. “From the Tsiolkovskaya station (direction towards Fryazevo from the Yaroslavsky station, - RIA Novosti) there is a path several meters wide. It’s there. one, and all the people will follow it. Follow them all."

The only path leads through a coniferous forest with unusually clean air after Moscow to a barrier and a checkpoint. This is the “border” of Star City - a closed territorial entity, a real city with seven thousand inhabitants.

You can only get inside using lists. We are inspected by guards with Roscosmos stripes on their jackets.

Already within the boundaries of Star City itself there is another entrance. This is the entrance to the holy of holies - the Cosmonaut Training Center (CTC) named after Yuri Gagarin.

Today there are 42 people in the cosmonaut corps of the Cosmonaut Center. Eight of them are still only cosmonaut candidates; they were recruited into the squad quite recently, in 2012. Another 11 have already been enrolled as test cosmonauts, but have not yet been in orbit, but are just waiting in line. And finally, two - to the ISS. All the rest are those who have been in space, some two or three times. Having successfully returned from orbit, they train and prepare again. Today we will see them.

About half of the squad lives here, in Star City. The rest are in Korolev and other cities in the Moscow region. They get to their hard and romantic work like other residents of the Moscow region: some by car, some by train.

That’s what it says in their work books: “cosmonaut”. And, of course, like all workers, astronauts receive a salary. True, the amount of their salary is established by a special presidential decree. It was last indexed at the end of last year. Currently, a cosmonaut candidate receives 60,900 rubles, a test cosmonaut receives 63,800 rubles, and an astronaut instructor (that is, an experienced cosmonaut who teaches others) receives 88 thousand rubles.

Higher and higher

There are three main beaten paths into astronautics. The first is to graduate from some good technical university and go to work at the Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia. After working there for several years and thoroughly studying spaceships, you can submit an application to the state commission for training astronauts.

The second “gate” is through higher medical educational institutions, where you can become a biology specialist. Now in orbit, people with an education either in this field or in physics are most in demand.

And finally, the third option is through military aviation. Military pilots with more than 350 flight hours and 160 parachute jumps are recruited to become cosmonauts. One of the former pilots and now cosmonauts is 44-year-old Air Force Colonel Anatoly Ivanishin. We meet him in Star City. “I served in Petrozavodsk. I found out that they were recruiting a corps of cosmonauts for Star City - I decided to try it,” he says.

It turns out that he became an astronaut at a fairly mature age. And not on the first try. The fact is that Ivanishin’s height is 182 centimeters. A little earlier, this would have presented him with an insurmountable obstacle - such tall people were not accepted as cosmonauts in Soviet times. In 1997, the commission rejected it.

However, a few years later, the “shortness” requirement was removed - as Anatoly himself says, at the request of the Americans, who did not have this restriction. In 2003, Ivanishin decided to take another risk - and now luck, or rather, a strict commission, smiled on him. After several years of training, in November 2011, Ivanishin flew to the ISS.

“Being an astronaut is interesting, it is still a unique profession,” Ivanishin explains his decision. “Today, the entire list of Russian and Soviet cosmonauts is 116 people. It seems not so little, but this is only a hundred people from all over the country. So space flights today, 50 years after the start of the space age, remain exclusive."

In Soviet times, it was believed that an astronaut must be between 27 and 30 years old. However, in recent years, when the number of people wishing to become astronauts has decreased, the health of the nation has deteriorated, and the comfort and safety of flights, on the contrary, have increased, this bar has been removed. Cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko, for example, flew to the stars for the first time when he was already 50 years old.

But a new requirement has appeared - fluent English, which is needed to communicate with Americans on the ISS.

Unified State Exam for an astronaut

So, your application is with the state commission. The selection consists of three stages. First, the applicant is checked by the competent authorities: the slightest problem with the law in the past (up to an unpaid traffic fine), negative entries in the personal file or problems with psychological characteristics, questionable moral character - all this can put an end to the applicant’s “stellar” future.

The next “circle of hell” is a complete and thorough analysis of the astronaut’s physical condition. Having discovered a disease in the applicant’s body, doctors decide whether to treat it, ignore its presence, or again reject the applicant. Moreover, the commission is conducted twice by different compositions.

And, finally, exams: the future cosmonaut is tested in general education disciplines (physics, mathematics, Russian language), and then in special ones. He is tested on his knowledge of the rocket structure, the stages of its flight, the motion control system and much more. It is curious that the documentation used by applicants to prepare for exams is secret - it cannot be taken home, photographed or even copied. You can only memorize it. And its volume is huge.

When the state commission announces recruitment every few years, it accepts about 350 applications. After the first medical examination, there are about 200 left, and after the second one, only 50.

When all stages are completed, applicants are enrolled in the cosmonaut corps and begin to prepare for flights. The course is designed to last several years, but there have been cases when cosmonauts waited 10 or even 15 years for their turn.

Spacesuit "Orlan" and spacesuit "Falcon"

The most interesting building of the Cosmonaut Training Center is the hydrolab. It is visible from afar and noticeable: the shape of the building is round.

This is where shoe covers come in handy. Immediately after entering the building you smell the water. There is a huge round swimming pool in the center of the building. In the middle of the pool there is a platform on which is an exact copy of the ISS, or more precisely, its so-called functional cargo side, FGB.

Cosmonauts will crawl along the FGB in the water, practicing actions in outer space.

Why is water needed? To create conditions for astronauts close to weightlessness, when a person does not feel the weight of his own body. To achieve the desired effect, lead weights are inserted into the wetsuit - for this, the entire suit is covered with pockets. Weights are also attached to the legs of the space traveler.

The depth of the pool is 12 meters, the water temperature is 30 degrees.

The funny thing is that after this the astronaut completely loses maneuverability. Divers help the astronaut maneuver in the “pool.” They also provide cargo to the astronauts and so on.

Today Fedor Yurchikhin and Mikhail Tyurin work in the hydrolab. Both are experienced cosmonauts: Yurchikhin has been in space three times already, and Tyurin twice. In 2015 they will fly to the ISS again.

Cosmonauts have two types of spacesuits - "Falcon" spacesuits, in which they fly in the ship to the station, and "Orlan" spacesuits - for going into outer space. On the ISS itself, astronauts wear shorts and T-shirts.

The spacesuits are Russian-made. “One of the advantages compared to the American suit is that the astronaut can put it on himself. But the disadvantages are that I won’t tell you,” a representative of the Cosmonaut Center tells us. In the hydrolab, cosmonauts train in real Orlans - exactly the same ones they later wear into space.

But first, the astronauts put on a special blue “water-cooling” suit, permeated with thin tubes. Cold water circulates through them, which cools the astronaut’s body so that he does not simply sweat. “It’s interesting that cold water circulates through them, but hot water is not provided, although in general in space it is cold, not hot,” laughs Mikhail Tyurin. “The secret is simple: body temperature is enough to warm up.”

But the astronaut can regulate the temperature of this water himself: make it warmer and colder, within 10-20 degrees. For this purpose, his suit has temperature sensors. True, in order to see them, he needs to look in a mirror specially mounted on his wrists - the sensor will be reflected in them. Now, during training, this water is connected to hoses extending from outside the pool. In space the system is closed.

The astronauts “enter” the spacesuit—it would be more correct to talk about this thing weighing 100 kg. A small crane lifts the astronaut and lowers him into the pool. The training begins.

Spaceship Wrench

Today Tyurin and Yurchikhin are working on an important operation: they need to remove a laser communication installation from the surface of the station - these are several cubic structures. On top it is topped with a thing whose size, shape and even color resembles a plywood cover for old sewing machines. The astronauts must cover the installation with covers and bring it into the docking compartment.

But that's not all. At the same time, astronauts carry with them a so-called “universal workplace” - an adapter to which various devices are attached. Next time they will put a telescope on the adapter, but for now it just needs to be put in place of the laser communication installation.

The difficulty of the training lies in the fact that the astronauts must engage in two installations at the same time. Each unit is equipped with foam floats - if it is accidentally released, it will float away. It turns out to be a complete imitation of how instruments behave in outer space - a little gape, and a device worth millions of dollars flies out of your hands and turns into space debris.

Ivanishin is working out the “descent mode” from orbit, as if he had already worked on the ISS and is now flying to Earth. Its flight is regulated by automation, and the astronaut’s functions include monitoring instrument readings. But in fact, the ship also provides for manual control: if the automation fails or does not work properly, a person will intervene.

The astronaut controls the composition of the air on the ship, oxygen pressure, and monitors engine readings. At a strictly defined moment, when the simulator-ship “approaches” the surface of the planet, the automation issues a braking impulse. It can also be adjusted - so that it lands not in the deserted taiga, but in the steppes of Kazakhstan.

Ivanishin spends an hour and a half in a rather uncomfortable position - however, the actual flight to the station and back usually takes two days, so you need to get used to it now. Such training also takes place two to three times a week: the astronaut should not lose his skills and bring his actions on the ship to automaticity.

In the meantime, Ivanishin is “flying”, I ask the most important question to Fedor Yurchikhin.

"Many people in childhood, especially in Soviet childhood, dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Your dream has come true. Is it really as romantic as it seems?"

“Yes, it was worth dreaming about,” he says. “It was my conscious choice and I went towards it all my life.”

Cosmonaut training at the Center

Cosmonaut training- this is a set of measures aimed at developing and maintaining in cosmonauts a set of certain knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for the reliable and safe execution of a space flight program and forming the basis of an astronaut’s qualifications.

Cosmonaut training consists of the following stages:

the first is general space training for cosmonaut candidates;
the second is the training of cosmonauts as part of specialization and improvement groups according to types of spacecraft or areas of specialization;
third - training of cosmonauts as part of approved crews for a specific flight on a spacecraft;
the fourth is the training of crews on board the spacecraft during space flight.

General space training aims to acquire astronaut candidates the knowledge, skills, abilities and qualities that form the basis of the cosmonaut profession. In the process of this training, astronaut candidates develop deep and stable knowledge in the field of sciences that form the basis of astronautics (the theory of spacecraft flight, control systems, the basics of space navigation, the principles of creating spacecraft and launch vehicles, launch complexes, etc.), knowledge of basic spacecraft and its systems, and also develops primary skills in operating these systems. Knowledge is acquired on the basics of scientific research and experiments and the basics of testing space technology.

Main goals group training are to improve the professional qualities of astronauts, their specialization in certain types of spacecraft and the formation of skills in their operation, development of methods for monitoring their condition and maintaining health and maintaining high performance. During this training, cosmonauts acquire the knowledge and practical experience necessary for training as part of crews.

At the third stage of preparation - as part of the crews, the cosmonauts develop sustainable skills to carry out the program of the upcoming space flight. During the preparation process, the specific features of the spacecraft and the rules of its operation, the flight program, and on-board documentation are studied.

Simulators and stands are used to practice the interaction skills of crew members when performing elements of the space flight program, including in emergency situations. Techniques for performing scientific experiments and research are being developed.

Cosmonaut training programs at all stages are formed from individual types of training in composition and volume, determined by the goals and objectives of training at a given stage of the corresponding group and crew.

Cosmonaut training includes the following types:

technical training on on-board systems and equipment of the spacecraft;
training cosmonauts to carry out scientific and applied research, experiments and applied work;
comprehensive training of PSC crews;
preparation for extravehicular activity (EVA);
medical and biological training;
preparation for actions when landing in extreme conditions of various climatic and geographical zones;
flight and special parachute training for cosmonauts;
psychological preparation;
humanitarian training.

COSMONAUT TRAINING

have been trained 422 people from different countries;
made a space flight 212 Human;

The number of people working in orbit between 1961 and November 2010 was 418 Human. In total, they spent in orbit 22 790 man-day. This amounted to more 62 years.

Training at the Training Center named after Yu.A. Gagarin passed astronauts from 33 countries

		Prepared (persons)				Prepared (persons)	Completed a space flight on Russian spacecraft (persons)
					Malaysia
					Mongolia
	Afghanistan
	Bulgaria

	Brazil
					Slovakia

	Germany
	Holland

					Czechoslovakia

	Kazakhstan

					The Republic of Korea

SPACE FLIGHTS AND COSMONAUTS RAID

The total number of launches of spacecraft with astronauts on board trained at the Cosmonaut Training Center was 127 . The most record years for the number of starts were 1980, 1997 and 2000. - By 6 starts, and in 2001 - 8 starts. Total number of people in orbit 224 cosmonauts and astronauts trained at the Cosmonaut Training Center, including:

Krikalev S.K. - committed 6 space flights;
Dzhanibekov V.A., Solovyov A.Ya., Strekalov G.M., - committed 5 space flights;
9 astronauts completed 4 space flight;
27 astronauts completed 3 space flight;
63 the astronaut made 2 space flight;
132 astronauts ascended into orbit by 1 once.

Behind 6 space flights cosmonaut S.K. Krikalev spent more than 804 days. The longest flight was made by cosmonaut V.V. Polyakov. - 438 days.

PREPARED EXPEDITIONS

During the period from 1961 to November 2010, there were 8 orbital complexes on which it worked 95 expeditions. The largest number of expeditions - 37 - worked on the Mir orbital complex, which was in orbit 5510 days - more 15 years. The total flying time of the expeditions at the Mir complex was 12 348 man-day ( 33,83 of the year).

SPACE EXITS

During the flights there were 133 going into space. Total time spent in outer space by astronauts 1131 man-hour. A.Ya. Solovyov went into space most of all. - 16 outputs with a total duration 3 days 7 hours 2 minutes, 11 exits were made by Avdeev S.V., according to 10 exits were made by A.A. Serebrov. and Onufrienko Yu.I.

How cosmonaut candidates are tortured before flying into orbit

Flight into space is associated with fantastic overloads, for which the astronaut must be prepared. Therefore, before the flight, the body of each applicant is subjected to severe tests - we are talking about the most difficult of them.

Centrifuge

Willingness for overloads is instilled in future cosmonauts with the help of a centrifuge - a huge installation that resembles a carousel with a special capsule at the end. It rotates at an insane speed, reaching 70 rpm. During centrifuge training, an ill-prepared person can lose not only the contents of the stomach, but also consciousness. American astronauts spent up to 10 hours in a centrifuge for 40 weeks before launching the Apollo spacecraft.

Pressure chamber

The astronaut must be prepared to face a lack of oxygen and sudden changes in pressure. This readiness is tested using a pressure chamber - a special compartment in which conditions are created corresponding to an altitude of 5 thousand meters, and the subjects are deprived of an oxygen mask. Under such conditions, all hidden pathologies of the body are usually revealed.

Thermal chamber

Astronauts' spacesuits are equipped with a thermal regulation system, but if it suddenly fails in outer space, the body must be prepared for elevated temperatures. Therefore, all astronaut candidates are tested in a thermal chamber in which the temperature is 60 degrees Celsius and the humidity is 50%. You need to survive in such conditions for one hour.

Sound chamber

Cosmonauts are people not only with excellent health, but also with an outstanding psyche. To test it, applicants are placed in a soundproof chamber - a room with weak artificial lighting and complete sound insulation. Do you think it's easy? Absolute silence is much scarier than you think. The world record for staying in an anechoic chamber is only 45 minutes, and the average person begins to rush out after 10 minutes. In addition, history knows many cases when, after being in absolute silence, a person went crazy.

Skydiving

For many, skydiving is fun, not a challenge, but not for astronauts. During a free fall from a height of several thousand meters, they must perform various tasks, for example, using signs laid out on the ground to determine or calculate the time of parachute opening. If you do this a little earlier than necessary, the exam will be failed. A little later than necessary - and you're dead. Of course, a conditional corpse, since if the parachutist does not open the parachute on time, the machine gun will do it for him.

Survival tests

Survival tests are the final stage of training, which is no longer associated with space overloads, but with earthly problems that may arise if an astronaut lands in the wild. Cosmonaut candidates are dropped off in the taiga, desert or ocean with a minimum supply of provisions and equipment. Their goal is to survive in these conditions for several days and be able to get to the camp where help awaits them.

NASA and Roscosmos begin a series of SIRIUS experiments on long-term isolation. How should astronauts be prepared today for flights into deep space? How to protect the crew from radiation and loneliness? Is it necessary to remove the appendix from those who will go to the Moon and Mars? An RG correspondent talks about this with the director of the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician Oleg Orlov.

Oleg Igorevich, Roscosmos and NASA agreed to jointly build a lunar station. It is possible that Russia will also develop a residential module. How to prepare people who will not only live, but also work in lunar orbit?

Oleg Orlov: Very important question. Why? Yes, we have colossal experience, a colossal reserve of ensuring long-term flights. Cosmonaut-doctor Valery Polyakov flew for 437 days: you can count it to Mars and back.

And after landing from the descent module, Polyakov reached the rescue tent himself! A triumph of space medicine?

Oleg Orlov: Undoubtedly. However, until now, crews have flown and are flying in Earth orbit. What is called, “nearby”. And the entire medical care system is built on the possibility of return if a life-threatening situation suddenly arises. At one time, for example, options for providing surgical care in space flights were developed. We even have some exhibits in the museum. But then all this was suspended. We fly in orbit - and it’s easier to land. And interplanetary flights will be autonomous and will have other fundamental differences.

Which?

Oleg Orlov: First of all, this is radiation. We know: at the Moon stage, the radiation load of astronauts will be higher than in Earth orbit, although within the professional norm in the absence of solar flares. However, we are already dealing with galactic radiation. Very high energy particles can cause severe biological harm. Moreover, when colliding with space station structures, they also generate secondary radiation.

Is it difficult to make technical protection?

Oleg Orlov: I think no. But no ship can withstand the weight of such protection. Therefore, the issues of significance of biological damage and restoration of functions become decisive. We are primarily talking about the brain. Another serious problem is a person’s presence outside the Earth’s magnetic field. This has been little researched. The scientific data that exists is not systematized and contradictory. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a reliable system of medical support for interplanetary flights and create a foundation for providing planetary bases.

Everyone is hearing about the recent most interesting Russian-American experiment on the International Space Station: Mikhail Kornienko and Scott Kelly spent a year in zero gravity. Why can’t we continue to practice long-distance flights on the ISS?

Oleg Orlov: Why not? Can. But what is the advantage of ground-based experiments? This is an opportunity to use a wider range of scientific instruments and equipment. At the station there are restrictions on weight and dimensions. This is a large statistical sample compared to a real flight. This is an opportunity to preliminary test new methods, apparatus and equipment.

Scientists will not let the “cosmonauts” sleep for two days. It is possible that communications will be disconnected for some period of time.

After all, we will fly to the Moon on a ship of a different generation?

Oleg Orlov: Certainly. A new manned spacecraft, the Federation, is currently being developed. And scientists are sure: its creation must be carried out under certain medical, environmental, and sanitary support. For example, the choice of materials for the construction of a ship. Which is better: metal or modern plastics? There is no clear answer. We must look from the point of view of the aging of materials, changes in their properties when exposed to weightlessness, radiation, etc. It is very important, say, to know how much they will “gas” and how this will change the atmosphere on board. We have certain methods.

As far as I know, the next meeting of the Russian-American working group on space biology and medicine will be held in December?

Oleg Orlov: Yes. The Americans confirmed: they are coming. Quite a large group. A broad discussion is also expected on the lunar program. Both in terms of medical support and in terms of scientific tasks. Let's start practical work. We agreed: first we will work out everything on Earth. Then as a training, as a platform for testing in real flight conditions - on the ISS. Currently, the Russian crew on the ISS has been temporarily reduced. The possibility of conducting annual flights largely depends on this.

How long does the isolation experiment program last?

Oleg Orlov: For five years. This is a series of experiments lasting from 4 months to a year. We agreed that this will be an open international scientific platform, a base for the development of our concept of creating an International Center for the development of a medical and biological support system for interplanetary flights. The program's partners were primarily colleagues from NASA's Human Research Program (HRP). There are other agreements - with the German space agency, negotiations are closely underway with the Japanese JAXA. They are connected to a 4-month isolation. There is a lot of work with Italians who want to experimentally test their technologies and equipment.

You start with a short experiment - 17 days. Why?

Oleg Orlov: This is a real scenario for a flight to the Moon: flyby, work in orbit and return. Trial option. The scientific task is to test the crew's behavior in extreme situations and study the body's response to stress factors. In past experiments, we simulated all sorts of emergencies that were unexpected for the crew. Here in the program everything is spelled out honestly. There will definitely be sleep deprivation: we will not allow the “cosmonauts” to sleep for two days. And we will study how they can do the job. We may turn off communications for a period of time. It must be said that the gender composition of the crew, namely: three men and three women, is also a “provocation.”

I heard that in one of the isolation experiments a scandal somehow broke out: a Canadian woman, the only girl in the crew, did not adequately accept a friendly gesture from a Russian. It was so?

Oleg Orlov: Was. There is also another problem: crew formation, relationships between small groups, etc. For some reason this issue has fallen out of the attention of scientists. Probably there was no such task. But now it has been installed.

I wonder if astronauts should have their appendix cut out?

Oleg Orlov: You asked a very good question. I have already mentioned that the problem of surgery in space flight has not been solved. And if only there was appendicitis. If we look at the table of the possibility of risks in the development of certain situations, then I probably agree: it is easier to remove appendicitis so that this risk does not arise during the flight. But other situations may arise that require surgery. So how? Now there are different technological approaches, including robotics. This is the most important topic.

I know that in Mars-500 the testers slept with their heads down for some time, at a bed angle of minus 12 degrees. This simulated a state close to weightlessness. Will this not happen in isolation experiments?

Oleg Orlov: We think. Perhaps the testers will sleep in this mode, and during the day we will support them with the help of stress suits.

As I understand it, all such experiments are aimed at assessing the level of functional reserves of the human body. Is it important to "catch" when this level begins to decline?

Oleg Orlov: We must learn to monitor this decline in time. Nowadays everyone is interested in finding markers of stress.

The air a person exhales can tell a lot about the state of the body. . Photo: Oleg Voloshin

What could serve as such a marker?

Oleg Orlov: For psychologists, for example, these are deviations in the speech interaction of crew members. For physiologists - some subtle things at the level of proteomic research. For example, a change in the protein composition of urine.

It turns out that this may be a marker of incipient metabolic changes that will appear much later. Or, for example, studying the air exhaled by a person: the changes that occur in the body leave a “trace” here. Today, even Helicobacter is diagnosed by changes in the composition of exhaled air - this is already clinical practice.

Who was part of the first ground-based “lunar” crew?

Oleg Orlov: The commander is cosmonaut Mark Serov, one of the developers of the Federation spacecraft. Among the testers is the only woman from the Russian cosmonaut corps - Anna Kikina. There will be two employees of the institute - candidates of biological sciences Natalia Lysova and Elena Luchitskaya. The crew doctor is our Ilya Rukavishnikov, who meets the cosmonauts after landing and conducts field experiments. The volunteer tester will be German citizen Victor Vetter, head of one of the Airbus DS projects.

Is it important that astronauts participate in the experiment?

Oleg Orlov: Undoubtedly. They have their own view of what is happening. By the way, on a promising manned spacecraft, we are working closely with colleagues from RSC Energia. They are designers, their engineering ergonomics are remarkable. But we need doctors and psychologists who will help refine the ship from the “man-machine” point of view. We agreed that a model of the “Federation” would be created on our base. We will work on life support system issues and control issues. Why is our scientific-experimental complex not a model for the same lunar settlement? To develop technologies that are “for the day after tomorrow”? Scientists, as always, are looking one step ahead.

Will all experiments take place in the famous IBMP “barrels”?

Oleg Orlov: Yes. Two compartments of the ground-based experimental complex will be used for the flyby of the Moon. Total volume - 250 sq. meters. In general, one of the most important questions for interplanetary flights is: what should be the volume of the spacecraft? There are some ideas. But there is a lot to understand. Which crew is the best? What control and life support systems? It is no secret that the ground-based experimental complex - those same “barrels” - was at one time built as a model of an interplanetary spacecraft. But it’s difficult to imagine that such a colossus will fly to Mars.

By the way, we are discussing with RSC Energia the need to conduct an isolation experiment on a very small scale. It will be under the real conditions of the “Federation” or the family of these ships. This is also a very serious task.

Business card

Oleg Igorevich Orlov, Director of the State Scientific Center of the Russian Federation - Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Graduate of the 1st Moscow Medical Institute named after. THEM. Sechenov and the Academy of National Economy under the Government of the Russian Federation. Specialist in the field of space physiology and gravitational biology, space medicine.

Author of more than 100 scientific works, including monographs, inventions and patents, textbooks. Member of the RAS Council on Space, as well as a number of other coordinating bodies of the RAS and Roscosmos. Member of international working groups on space medicine.

An astronaut is one of the most romantic and at the same time dangerous professions. It attracts people from early childhood, when children first learn about space and astronautics from the pages of primers and textbooks. It is not surprising that many children, especially boys, when answering the question “What do you want to become?” They answer “Cosmonaut!” Of course: navigating the vastness of endless, beautiful and undoubtedly dangerous space, full of mysterious secrets is simply an incredible dream!

Unfortunately, not all of our childhood dreams are destined to come true. Reality makes its own adjustments: someone, having dreamed about space in childhood, years later becomes an entrepreneur, analyst, lawyer, military man... But even among those who consciously sought to devote their lives to space exploration, only a few become astronauts. Their profession even now is shrouded in many questions. By what criteria are astronauts selected? How does it go?

Cosmonaut Training Center

Answers to these and other questions can be obtained during the (TsPK) named after Yu.A. Gagarin is a unique place where cosmonauts and applicants to join their ranks undergo education, training and rehabilitation. The cosmonaut training center was built very close to the capital of our homeland. During the excursion, visitors learn, for example, that cosmonaut training lasts about six years; cosmonaut candidates must have Russian citizenship, higher education, and have worked in their specialty for at least three years.

During the tour, visitors will see real ones. For example, the Soyuz TMA simulator simulates the operation of all operating systems of a real spacecraft; on the Don-Soyuz simulator, future cosmonauts practice the docking process with the ISS and emergency escape from the ship in the event of an emergency. Also in the specialized halls of the Cosmonaut Center you will be able to see full-size modules of the MIR and ISS stations, as well as space equipment and equipment.

And not only to see! After all, who said that a child’s dream is impossible to achieve? At the training center you can undergo training on space simulators: not only on the mentioned “Soyuz TMA” and “Don-Soyuz”, but also on centrifuges that train the vestibular apparatus. Separately, it is worth mentioning the “Exit-2” simulator, which allows you to try on the “Orlan” spacesuit, designed for going into space. It is also worth mentioning a special simulator for preparing space food, which allows you to heat and consume food in conditions of weightlessness, in which any usual actions have to be performed more carefully and attentively.

Flights in zero gravity

By the way, about weightlessness. One of the mandatory elements of astronaut training before they go into space is training in real weightlessness. But here’s a paradox: how to train astronauts if weightlessness is only in space? This issue was brilliantly resolved by the creation of a special laboratory aircraft, the Il-76 MDK. This aircraft, equipped with special instruments, performs parabolic maneuvers, allowing for the creation of weightless conditions on board. This is where astronauts train.