Life of astronauts in space. Getting there, almost all astronauts experience a feeling of discomfort and discomfort.
Mir worked in orbit for 15 years: the base unit was launched on February 20, 1986. During this time, 31 manned ships, 64 cargo ships, 9 times - the American Shuttle docked with Mir. On board the Mir, 68 cosmonauts and astronauts worked (some of them multiple times) from Soviet Union(Russia), as well as from Austria, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Syria, Slovakia, USA, France and Japan.
24 flights were performed under international programs. The first international crew began working at the station back in 1987. Therefore, in fact, for 14 years out of fifteen, the Mir orbital complex was an international station.
On March 23, 2001, the orbital complex was carefully deorbited. The modules of the complex mostly burned up in the atmosphere. And the most durable parts reached the Earth and sank into pacific ocean. For a decade and a half of service to mankind, Mir has not even fully exhausted its resource. Some experts believe that glorious history The complex could be extended for a few more years. About two hundred enterprises of our country took part in the creation and maintenance of the life of the complex.
Mir was so well made that its design formed the basis of the International Space Station. The service module of the International Space Station is almost a copy of the Mir base unit.
After the Mir orbital complex was sunk, scientists and designers different countries realized that such structures should be created by joint efforts and be international. It was the cooperation of states that made space more accessible. Many countries do not have cosmodromes, they cannot build rockets, but they also want to participate in manned flights, they want to develop space science. For this, an international partnership is needed. Now everyone is well aware of how much effort, money and time it would take for a country that alone would decide to build a modern orbital complex.
On November 20, 1998, the Proton rocket launched the Zarya module, manufactured at the Khrunichev State Space Research and Production Center, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome into near-Earth orbit. From that day began the history of the International Space Station. The United States, Russia, Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency, which has its own cosmonaut detachment uniting representatives of different European countries, became partners in its creation and operation.
In 2000, the Russian Zvezda module, which was made on the basis of the base block of the Mir orbital complex, was docked with Zarya. So we can say: "Mir" and the ISS are relatives. To date, modules from other countries are operating as part of the ISS. The station has grown and become larger than Mir, but is still being completed. Thanks to this, the capabilities of the station are constantly increasing. If earlier only three astronauts could stay on the ISS for a long time, now six astronauts constantly live and work at the station at the same time. And sometimes visiting expeditions come to them for a short time. And then up to a dozen astronauts work on board!
WHERE AND HOW ASTRONAUTS LIVE
The first space city. - Khovanka. - Housing problem
First space city
The master plan for the residential part of the Green Town was developed in 1963 by the 1st Central Military Project of the Ministry of Defense and approved on May 29, 1964. This date is considered the birthday of Star City, although it received its star name later. According to the historian of Star City L.V. Ivanova, the first in 1965 were put into operation two panel houses out of nine planned in this series. Although these houses had good plumbing and parquet, not everyone liked the apartments. Houses were erected where the astronauts should live. The master plan provided for the construction of three eleven-story brick houses according to a project unique for that time in our country: a single-entrance building, in which there were only three- and four-room apartments large area - 90–120 square meters, ceilings over three meters high, huge windows and loggias. The apartments have kitchens with an area of 14–17 square meters with built-in hanging cabinets; imported, Czechoslovakian, ceramic tiles are laid around the entire perimeter of the walls. Qualitatively equipped separate bathroom. Many built-in wardrobes in the corridors, oak parquet and solid oak doors - all this gave the apartments at that time a special significance and solidity.
On December 26, 1965, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev visited Zvezdny. He walked around the town, assessed the almost finished tower, expressed his comments and wishes, but on the whole he approved of the house. True, he did not like the interior layout. He was supported by the wives of the astronauts, and the builders took into account their proposals. And two weeks later Sergei Pavlovich was gone.
Architects and builders did a lot to ensure that the cosmonauts' apartments had a lot of air, sun, and space. At the beginning of 1966, the builders presented the first tower - house 2 - for delivery. As usual in such cases, commissions worked, fixing shortcomings and imperfections. Some of them were eliminated by the builders immediately, others took time. In the meantime, future new settlers with their wives and children inspected and took a fancy to the apartments. In February 1966, the cosmonaut families moved to permanent residence from the temporary housing of the Chkalovsky garrison. In March, they celebrated a general housewarming.
In 1967, house 4 was commissioned according to the same project. “By autumn, in the residential area of Star City, we, the new members of the cosmonaut corps, were offered a choice of apartments in a newly built eleven-story building. Moreover, the allocation of living space was made according to the principle: those who had one child in the family were given a three-room apartment, those who had two children were given a four-room apartment ”(see in the list of references: Porvatkin N. S. The thorny path of a test cosmonaut ...). The newcomers who moved in lived a normal life. However, the bulk of the workers remained at Chkalovskaya.
Between the two houses - for the astronauts and the leaders of the center - a transition was built, a kind of "conference hall", where it was planned to spend leisure time for the astronauts with their families. This transition-extension was called differently, but Gagarin's definition - "insert" - took root. In this "insert" for decades, astronauts met New Year, celebrated important events, celebrated weddings, held farewell ceremonies. Here for many years children receive musical education, learn the art of painting. Near the houses, on the initiative of the residents, a sports ground was built independently.
For young people, a dance floor in the form of an octahedron with benches was built near house 2 in the forest. In the evenings, young people danced there to the orchestra.
Fairs were periodically organized in the gym, where various industrial goods were traded. There was no other place at first.
For the heroes of the Soviet Union opened a table of orders.
The second well-known town of cosmonauts appeared in the north of Moscow between the Exhibition of Achievements National economy(now - the All-Russian Exhibition Center) and a television center in Ostankino, on Khovanskaya Street, which once led to the village of Leonovo, which belonged to the Khovansky princes. In the late 1970s, the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a resolution on the construction of the “Civil Cosmonaut Complex”. It was planned to hand it over in 1982-1983. The construction was financed by Stroybank. But suddenly the construction stopped - funding stopped. Stroybank had such a right: in the event of design discrepancies or other violations, suspend the allocation of funds until the situation is clarified. It turned out that one of the military cosmonauts did not like that not even apartments were being built on Khovanka, as in Zvezdny, but three-story cottages with a garage below. In addition, each cottage had a small plot on which there was a place for a garden. The message that “disgrace is happening” on Khovanka was the cause of the misunderstanding. Cosmonauts Vladimir Viktorovich Aksenov and Valery Viktorovich Ryumin tried to rectify the matter, met with the deputy chairman of Stroybank, gave a complete justification for the project, and on Mondays for two years went to the builders for RAM.
Life in space is the biggest dream science fiction. It is also a dream that many brave men and women have been able to realize thanks to the many shuttles and space station missions carried out by various agencies.
However, it is not difficult to forget that the time they spend in space is not only walks in open space and scientific experiments. During their missions, astronauts must adapt to a completely different lifestyle.
10. Physical changes
The human body begins to behave very strangely in space microgravity. The spine, freed from the constant attraction of the Earth, immediately begins to straighten out. This process can add up to 5.72 centimeters to a person's height. The internal organs move up inside the torso, which reduces the waist by several centimeters. The cardiovascular system changes appearance even more person. After the pull is gone, the powerful leg muscles (which push blood up against gravity) begin to push blood and fluids up into the upper body. This new, equal fluid distribution greatly enlarges the torso, making the leg girth much smaller. NASA jokingly calls this phenomenon "chicken feet."
In essence, the normal human body turns into a cartoon strong man with thin legs, a thin waist, and a disproportionately large upper body. Even facial features become cartoonish as the blood flow to the upper body makes a person's face look puffy and puffy.
This may all sound pretty scary, but it's actually not that scary and doesn't cause any harm.
9. Space Adaptation Syndrome
Cosmic adaptation syndrome is essentially two or three days of terrible malaise, which begins when the force of gravity disappears. About 80 percent of those who go into space suffer from this syndrome.
Since the body weighs nothing in microgravity, the brain gets confused. Our spatial orientation (how our eyes and brain can tell where things are) is usually based on gravity. When this power disappears, our brain cannot make sense of the situation, and the changes that suddenly occur in the body only add to the confusion. The brain deals with this situation, causing the person to feel a terrible ailment similar to seasickness (which is why this condition is also known as space sickness). Symptoms can include everything from nausea and mild discomfort to incessant vomiting and hallucinations. Although conventional motion sickness medications can help in this situation, they are generally not used because gradual natural habituation is preferred.
Sen. Jake Garn, a former astronaut, holds the record for the worst case of space adaptation syndrome in history. It is not clear what really happened to him, but his teammates persuasively noted that "we should not tell such stories." In its part, astronauts still unofficially use the "Garn Scale", where one Garn is a state of terrible malaise and complete incompetence. Fortunately, most people don't go beyond 0.1 Garn.
8. Sleep problems
It's easy to assume that sleeping in dark space should be pretty simple. Actually, it's quite a big problem. The fact is that a person who wants to sleep must fasten himself to the bunk in order to avoid floating in space and hitting various things. The space shuttle only has four sleeping beds, so when more people are on the mission, some astronauts must use a sleeping bag strapped to the wall or just a chair. Once they reach the space station, things get a little more comfortable: there are two single crew cabins, complete with large windows for observing space.
Life in space (at least in the small part of it that people have visited) can also lead to massive interruptions in sleep and wakefulness. The International Space Station is located in such a way that, being in it, you can see sunsets and sunrises 16 times a day. And people get used to this 90-minute day for a very long time.
Another, no less big problem is that the inside of spaceships and stations is actually very noisy. Filters, fans and all systems are constantly noisy and buzzing around you. Sometimes even earplugs and sleeping pills are not enough for sleep until the astronauts get used to the noise.
However, if you look at things optimistically, the quality of sleep you get in space can be much better than on Earth. Sleeping in zero gravity has been found to reduce sleep apnea and snoring, resulting in much more restful sleep.
7. Personal hygiene problems
When we imagine heroic astronauts on their missions, hygiene is not the first thing that comes to mind. However, imagine a bunch of people living indoors for a long period of time. With that in mind, it's easy to see why astronauts should take personal hygiene very seriously.
Obviously, in a weightless shower, this is not even an option. Even if you had enough water on board, shower water would simply stick to your body or float around in tiny balls. That is why each astronaut has a special hygiene kit (comb, toothbrush, and other personal hygiene items) that attaches to lockers, walls, and other fixtures. Astronauts wash their hair with a special no-rinse shampoo that was originally developed for bedridden patients in hospitals. They wash their bodies with sponges. Only shaving and brushing teeth is done in the same way as on Earth... except that they have to be extremely careful. If even one shaved hair gets lost, it can get into the eyes of other astronauts (or even worse, get stuck in an important part of the equipment) and cause serious trouble.
6. Toilet
The most common question asked by people who have been in space is surprisingly not "What did the Earth look like?" and not the question "How did you feel in the absence of gravity?". Instead of these questions, people ask "How did you go to the toilet?".
That's a good question, and the space agencies have spent countless hours trying to make the process as easy as possible. The first space toilets worked with a simple air mechanism: air sucked excrement into a container. It also had a special vacuum tube for urination. The earliest shuttles also used simpler versions called "empty tubes". As shown in the film "Apollo 13", the urine from this tube fell directly into space.
One of the most important systems in the toilet was the air filtration system. The air that the excrement was in was the same air that had to be breathed in, so a failure in the filters could turn an enclosed space into a very unpleasant place. Over time, toilet designs have become more diverse. When women entered the space race, a special urination system with an oval "collector" was created for them. Rotating fans, storage methods, and waste management systems have been added and improved. These days, some space toilets are so sophisticated they can even turn urine back into drinking water.
Want to know a fun fact that will embarrass your astronaut friend? People planning to go into space have to practice using the space toilet with a very specific device called a position trainer. This is a training toilet with a video camera under its edge. The astronaut must sit correctly ... looking at the monitor at his bare ass. It is considered one of the "deep and fearfully kept secrets about space flights».
5. Clothes
The most famous space suit, of course, is the spacesuit. They are different sizes, colors and shapes, from Yuri Gagarin's primitive SK-1 to NASA's bulky, solid AX-5 Hardshell. On average, a suit weighs approximately 122 kilograms (in its normal state with normal gravity), and it takes 45 minutes to get into it. It is so bulky that astronauts must use the Lower Torso Assembly Donning Handles to put it on.
However, there are many other things about space clothing that are worth knowing about. Life in space requires a much smaller wardrobe than on Earth. After all, how can a person get dirty there? You rarely go outside (and if you do, there is a special suit for this), and the inside of the shuttle or station is absolutely clean. You also sweat a lot less, because with zero gravity, there is practically no load. Astronaut teams usually change clothes every three days.
Clothing has also played a big role in NASA's fight against human waste. The original plan was to install toilet devices directly into the suits. When that proved impossible, the agency created special "maximum absorbency clothing" to serve as an astronaut's emergency toilet. In fact, these are special high-tech shorts that can absorb up to two liters of liquid.
4. Atrophy
Although the proportions of the human figure become cartoonish and similar to the shape of the body of Superman, microgravity does not make us stronger. In fact, it works in the opposite direction. On Earth, we use our muscles all the time, not just to lift things and move around, but simply to fight gravity. Absence in space muscle activity under conditions of weightlessness quickly leads to muscle atrophy (muscles begin to shrink and weaken). Over time, even the spine and bones weaken because they do not need to support weight.
To combat this degradation and maintain muscle mass, astronauts have to exercise a lot. For example, the crew of the ISS (International Space Station) must train in a special gym for 2.5 hours every day.
3. Flatulence
Flatulence can be very unpleasant and embarrassing. And when you are in space, it can also become a real threat to your health. At least in 1969, that's what NASA thought when they were studying a subject called "intestinal hydrogen and methane in humans on a space diet." It may sound funny, but the question was very real and valid. Flatulence is much more than just a bad smell. It produces significant amounts of methane and hydrogen, which are flammable gases. The second part of the problem is that space food is very different from the normal diet of earthlings. The food that the first astronauts ate caused severe gas formation. Their rampant flatulence was considered a potential explosion risk, so poor scientists had to analyze their gases in order to create diets that cause less gas.
Today flatulence is not considered a huge risk to life. However, pay attention to what you eat while indoors. spaceship, never hurts. Nobody likes that guy who passes gases in the elevator for months.
2. Space can mess up the brain 
Astronauts are generally very resistant to psychological pressure, after all, space agencies spend psychological tests to make sure people can handle the stress and don't go crazy during the mission. However, life in space can still be dangerous for the brain. In fact, space itself can cause serious problems for people who live there for long periods of time. The problem is cosmic radiation: the background radiation from the universe that essentially makes the cosmos microwave oven low intensity. Earth's atmosphere protects us from cosmic radiation, but once you're outside of it, there's no effective shield against the radiation. The longer a person spends in space, the more his brain suffers from radiation. Among other things, it can accelerate the onset of Alzheimer's disease.
Therefore, when humanity eventually prepares to conquer Mars and other planets, the flight may well cause irreparable damage to our brains.
1 Monstrous Germs
"Sick" homes are buildings that suffer from a major mold problem and therefore pose a health hazard to their occupants. They are unpleasant to live in, but at least the inhabitants can always move to a new place or go outside to get some fresh air.
"Sick" spaceships and stations do not provide for such a possibility.
Mold, germs, bacteria and fungi are a serious problem in space. Large enough accumulations can damage sophisticated equipment and cause health risks, and no matter how well the shuttles are sanitized before they leave the atmosphere, these little abominations will always find a way to follow us.
Once they get into space, the microbes stop behaving like regular mold and become something like video game creatures. They develop into moisture, which eventually condenses into hidden, free-floating globules of germ-infested water. These floating concentrations of water can be the size of a basketball and are so brimming with dangerous microbes that they can even damage stainless steel. This makes them a terrible hazard to the crew and the space station itself if proper safety measures are not in place.
When development began outer space, every child dreamed of becoming an astronaut and flying into deep space. Only a few managed to do this. Is it so easy to adapt to life in orbit? What difficulties await there?
For normal life a person needs: sleep, good nutrition, personal hygiene products, the absence of factors harmful to health and psychological comfort that communication and interesting work provide. The living conditions of astronauts are significantly different from those on earth, despite the fact that many special devices have been developed to make life easier for a person in orbit.
Getting there, almost all astronauts experience a feeling of discomfort and discomfort.
These are symptoms of the so-called space sickness. They develop against the background of loss of orientation of body parts. The absence of gravity, the main landmark of the vestibular apparatus, causes an emotional shock, and it takes time to get used to it.
Sleeping well in orbit is difficult. The sun rises and sets every 90 minutes
Sixteen sunrises and sunsets can be observed by astronauts per day. Therefore, they go to bed and wake up on an alarm clock with a pre-installed 24-hour system. You can sleep without a pillow and a mattress, the main thing is to buckle up so as not to fly away in a dream. Falling asleep in orbit is difficult because of the noise of the operating equipment.
The greatest difficulties arise when it comes to maintaining personal hygiene.
Of course, it is difficult to get dirty on the orbital station, and in conditions of weightlessness there is practically no physical activity, which leads to low sweating, but it is necessary to wash your face in the morning, brush your teeth, shave, and cope with physiological needs.
The skin is cleaned with special wet wipes. A shower model has been developed that has a roof from which water flows, a bottom with a device for fixing the feet, and polyethylene walls. Hair is washed with a shampoo that does not require rinsing.
Video: How to take a shower in space?
Teeth are cleaned with toothpaste that does not foam. It is not spit out, but swallowed. You can shave with an ordinary machine, but at the same time use a cream that glues the hairs so that they do not scatter throughout the station.
Video: How do astronauts brush their teeth?
The space toilet does not flush, but sucks up feces, in order to learn how to sit on it correctly, you have to go through a whole course of training on a simulator with video cameras. They tried to create a mini-toilet in a spacesuit, but then limited themselves to shorts that absorb up to two liters of liquid and ordinary diapers.
The station is equipped with a room for eating - "space kitchen"
All cutlery is attached to the table, and food is served in briquettes and cubes, bread in the form of small loaves for one bite. And if you want to enjoy cookies, then they are packed in a thin film that melts in your mouth so that there are no crumbs left. Salt and pepper are dissolved in liquid. Here you can not sprinkle, but rather pour the dish with salt.
Video: Astronauts eat in orbit
Of harmful factors acting on astronauts, cosmic radiation can be noted, causing vision problems. Back pain due to stretching of the spine in weightlessness. Growth in such conditions can increase by 5 centimeters. Muscle atrophy, including the intestines, this leads to excessive flatulence.
Mold, microbes and bacteria, despite the disinfection of the premises, still manage to enter the station and multiply in drops of condensed liquid. These droplets can reach large sizes, and the number of microorganisms in them is a serious risk to the health of astronauts.
Life in orbit is devoid of comfort, it is hard work that causes universal admiration and respect!
Natalia Naumova 12.04.2017
On April 12, 1961, a man entered Earth orbit for the first time. Yuri Gagarin proved by his example that it is really possible for a person to conquer space heights and return home alive. Gagarin's flight, of course, was the result of the painstaking and long work of hundreds of scientists, engineers, mechanics, and ambitious researchers from all over the USSR.
Zvyozdny Gorodok - a secret and isolated settlement near Moscow - has been the epicenter of space research in the USSR since the middle of the last century. The town grew out of the Cosmonaut Training Center located there since 1960, later renamed the Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center. It was there, in Star City, that Larisa and Sergey Averyanov had a chance to work. Larisa Evgenievna and Sergei Sergeevich each worked on their own projects for almost twenty years: Larisa Evgenievna first worked at the royal enterprises where spaceships were built, and later was involved in the lunar program of the USSR. Sergei Sergeevich, in turn, worked at the cosmonaut training test center.
Cosmonaut V. A. Dzhanibekov (in uniform in the center), cosmonaut A. A. Volkov and Sergei Averyanov (far right)
For two years, the Averyanovs have been living in Australia, in the city of Brisbane. On the eve of Cosmonautics Day, we could not help but take advantage of such a unique opportunity and asked Sergey and Larisa for a meeting in order to hear firsthand about how life was in Star City, how cosmonaut recruitment was carried out, and ...
Star City.
- Tell us, please, what is Star City?
Larisa Evgenievna (L. E): The settlement began in 1964. Initially, there were only four houses in Zvezdny: two ordinary five-story Khrushchevs, where the attendants lived, and two eleven-story towers, where the astronauts lived. And around the forest and a high fence. Now there are already fifteen houses in the town, and also a school, Kindergarten, House of Cosmonauts, a music school and a very good sports complex.
In our house, on the same site with us, Hungarian and French astronauts coexisted at different times. In general, astronauts from Mongolia, Romania, Bulgaria, Cuba lived and trained in the town, and then NASA astronauts began to come.
How did you enter the town?
LE: Entry into the city was always carried out only with passes. And if someone had a birthday during the working week, then it was possible to get into the city only on Saturday or Sunday, before that it was necessary to issue official permits to the guests. The regime is the regime.
When asked what holiday is more important for the inhabitants of Star City: New Year or Cosmonautics Day, Larisa Evgenievna and Sergey Sergeevich answer without hesitation and almost in unison: Cosmonautics Day. Larisa Evgenievna adds that the holiday has always included ceremonial meetings, awarding medals and certificates. The day was spent open doors so that the younger generation could see with their own eyes the conditions in which astronauts train and live on Earth.
– Have you ever personally communicated and worked with astronauts?
LE: Of course, Sergei Sergeevich worked directly with them, in the medical department. Participated in selections, trainings, tests on numerous simulators.
Sergei Sergeevich (SS): I must say that being an astronaut is a huge job. In addition to iron health, you need to have a healthy head - to be resistant to difficult psychological and stressful situations. There were, for example, such tests in the isolation chamber: you are locked in a closed space, you don’t see or hear anything, you just work, solve various problems, test something. There are sensors everywhere. For three days, the future cosmonaut is credited with a normal schedule: he works during the day, sleeps at night. Then for three days he is not allowed to sleep at all: they turn on a “sleepless” mode. If a person begins to fall asleep, a siren turns on or the chair on which he sits moves away, or the mental load increases significantly. For the next three days, the schedule is inverted: the astronaut sleeps during the day and works at night. During such periods, silence, loneliness, extreme psychological and mental stress fall on a person, since he must work with equipment all the time. Thus, the future astronaut is tested for endurance: after nine nights of a crazy schedule, he will cope with the simplest tasks.
- What attitude do you think was in the USSR to astronautics?
SS: It was an achievement of our country, we were in all seriousness ahead of the rest, the pride was incredible. Everything was unknown, everything was ahead. A lot of funds were poured into astronautics, at that time there was still little of their own equipment, so they had to buy some expensive imported medical equipment, but they made the simulators themselves for their own ship.
LE: Each crew and cosmonaut has their own personal history. There were successful launches and landings, and there were not so good ones. Our failures were not publicly announced anywhere: it ended happily - and thank God! The beginning of cosmonautics in the USSR is a trial and error method in business: the correction of various systems, algorithms was carried out constantly after each flight.
SS: When I first started working in Star City, in 1971, the Soyuz-11 crew, consisting of Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsaev, crashed. During landing, the cabin depressurized, and they all died. The disaster was the reason that not only the start, but also the landing in the future was carried out only in spacesuits.
Initiation into pioneers at the Cosmonauts House Museum
- On March 14, 2017, Roscosmos announced a new recruitment for the cosmonaut corps, it is planned that the selected candidates will fly to the moon for the first time in Russian history. Have you ever dreamed of joining the ranks of astronauts?
SS: My wife doesn't know, but I don't. This is hard work, although terribly interesting: imagine, a person loses up to several kilograms in underwater training!
LE: I wouldn't want to, I like it here on Earth. Although I must say that I am very happy that the country again has the strength and opportunity to strive into space. Previously, we were all very patriotic - flying into space was the dream of any boy.
When it comes to the training of cosmonauts, Sergei Sergeevich plunges into the past with visible pleasure and talks in detail about exactly how the cosmonauts went through pre-flight training.
SS: First, there was a recruitment from among the pilots, as they are already partially adapted to flying: they know the skills of piloting, the skills of behavior in extreme situations. Then those who passed the first selection were examined by experienced doctors from Star City. Further, future cosmonauts became "listeners": they began to purposefully train them, they were engaged in general space training and trained their vestibular apparatus.
Conducted, for example, like this the simplest test: a person was put in a swivel chair, which stood on rubber dutiks and supports. The chair began to rotate for 1 minute, then the supports were removed (like the landing gear of an airplane) and we watched how the person keeps his balance. Or here is such a test: you sit in a chair, around you there is a closed space in the form of a cylinder-drum, the walls of which are painted with black and white stripes. Everywhere there are sensors that collect information about the state of the pulse, the reaction of the eyes. The drum starts to rotate, and the chair stops. This creates the illusion that you yourself are also spinning. Then, as in the previous test, the support is removed, the drum stops - and again the test of the vestibular apparatus. By the way, it is quite possible to train the vestibular apparatus.
After all the tests, the candidates passed State exam, after which they became already full-fledged astronauts. Further, for those who passed the exam, a period of even more complicated general space training began. Practice was carried out on docking simulators, simulators of a spacecraft and an orbital station in huge hangars, experiments in a hydro laboratory (a huge pool, inside which is a model of the station), acquaintance with weightlessness in "flying laboratories" (aircraft in a state of sharp dive. - Editor's note). Psychological tests were also carried out, with the help of which psychologists and special units made up the future crew, which jointly undergoes all subsequent training.
The crew usually starts training three years before launch. Closer to the date of departure, already narrowly focused training begins to simulate those experiments that will be carried out in space. Two weeks before the launch, the crew flies to the spaceport. There they are already going to the assembly building, where there is a rocket with their ship; they get accustomed there, try on their individual spacesuits, and establish interaction with the launch team. I've even instinctively straightened my hair now. This is due to the fact that shortly before the flight, the astronauts visited hairdressers, as they fly not for one day, but for six months. At the very end of the whole process, the crew signs a contract and goes to the start.
- Tell me, is half a year in space a standard period?
LE: Yes, but now they began to fly for six months and space stations operate constantly, and before the launches were irregular, the stations were mothballed. Recently, an experiment was completely conducted, our cosmonaut and the American flew for exactly a year, now the consequences of such a long stay of a person in space on his life systems are being studied, how weightlessness affects the body.
– What future is open to an astronaut who, for some reason, no longer wants or cannot fly into space?
SS: If the soul lies in something, then a person will definitely find where and how to do what he likes. In Moscow at VDNKh there is a Museum of Cosmonautics, its (former. - Editor's note) Director Alexander Lazutkin is a former cosmonaut himself. Some of the cosmonauts help young people master space technology, some work at enterprises, some public organizations and funds, and someone goes into space-related business.
LE: The first detachments of cosmonauts were Gagarin, Titov, Tereshkova, they all received higher education, they all graduated from either the Zhukovsky or the Gagarin Academy. Valentina Tereshkova, you know, she was a simple weaver, but then Valentina not only worked hard on herself, on her education, but also graduated military academy. She was promoted to the rank of Major General! She traveled a lot around the world, was on friendly terms with Fidel and Raul Castro. Wherever she came, she always tried to address the people in the language of the country she visited. Valentina Tereshkova even managed to visit Australia. She is an incredibly hardworking person who I have deep respect for.
Fidel Castro, V. Tereshkova with her husband A. Nikolaev, cosmonaut V. F. Bykovsky in Star City, 1970s
Is there a maximum age for flying into space?
LE: There are no age restrictions for foreigners.
SS: Age is age, but experience is more important. Here, for example, Yurchikhin (Fyodor Nikolaevich. - Ed). He arrives from one flight, rests for two or three months, and again strives in every possible way to get into a new crew in order to go back into space. Fedor has already flown four times and is about to fly for the fifth. This is his dream and calling: to fly, fly, fly.
Fyodor Yurchikhin, it must be said, is very interesting person: he not only performs his direct official duties on board the ISS, but is also listed as a correspondent for the Kosmonavtika TV program on the Russia-24 channel and the Time to Space! on the children's TV channel "Carousel". In March 2017, during his fifth flight, Fedor Yurchikhin took the Spotty robot with him to the ISS as part of a joint project between Roscosmos and the VKontakte social network. The robot is used for communication between astronauts and VKontakte users.
After the conversation, I got the impression that although they ended their careers in astronautics, the couple in no way lost interest in it. How much enthusiasm in their words, what a sparkle in their eyes!
“The main motive of my life is to do something useful for people, not to live in vain, to move humanity forward at least a little”. It seems given "rule of life", voiced by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky, the founder of Soviet cosmonautics, is also applicable to the fate of Larisa Evgenievna and Sergei Sergeevich. By the way, the monument to Konstantin Eduardovich is located very close to us - on the territory of the Brisbane Planetarium, on Mount Kutta. You can dream next to the great scientist and learn more about space exploration there.
Hello, my dear!
What do you think I can write about on Cosmonautics Day? Well, of course, oh, the place where Russian cosmonauts and foreign astronauts live and work. And where I live. I already wrote about our town, repeatedly posted photos. But on such a holiday it is not a sin to write about the Star once again. A small photo post about the main attractions of our town through the eyes of a person who grew up and lives here.
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So, what is our Star City famous for? What is he?
Star City - the city of astronauts. Cosmonauts and astronauts live and prepare for space flights here. From here they go to Bakonur to make their flight to the stars, and here they return.
We are located near Moscow. Only 23 km. to MKAD. In a good scenario, this is a 20-minute drive. True with good layouts in last years tension. Now the town is directly related to Moscow, and earlier we were part of the Shchelkovsky district.
Zvyozdny is divided into 2 parts: residential and office. Not only cosmonauts live in the residential part, but everyone who in one way or another is or was involved in preparing for space flights, as well as their families. On the territory there are residential buildings, the House of Cosmonauts, a school, a kindergarten, a shopping center, a post office, hotels, etc. Everything is completely traditional. 
In the working part of Star City there is the Cosmonaut Training Center named after Yu.A. Gagarin - educational buildings, simulators, laboratories, etc.
Today I will show you the residential - lyrical part of our town.
The territory of Zvyozdny is closed for free visiting. It's been that way for as long as I can remember. At one time the town was opened, but as a result it was closed again. It is very uncomfortable. As long as I live, all my life I dream of freedom.
They enter and enter the territory only with passes through the checkpoint. Here is a photo of the checkpoint building.
In the center of Star City stands the first attraction of our city - the House of Cosmonauts. It houses the Museum of Cosmonautics, a cinema hall, a library and many different institutions.
The Alley of Cosmonauts leads to the House of Cosmonauts, along which solemn processions for all holidays always took place - meetings of astronauts after returning from orbit, parades on May 9, passage to the Gagarin monument during graduations, holidays, etc. In the picture below, the Alley of Cosmonauts is on the right.
Nearby is a U-shaped building, which houses a post office, Sberbank, a cafe, a souvenir shop, a Dixy store, a pharmacy, etc.
At the entrance to the building is a sculpture of an astronaut in flight.
And in this house (No. 5) I lived the first 16 years of my life. It is located side by side with the House of Cosmonauts.
The territory of Zvyozdny is essentially a large green park. Perhaps that is why many guests of our town get the impression of similarity with the territory of the sanatorium: flowers, trimmed shrubs, trees, paths, a lake with swans and ducks .... Well, why not?
And here is the above-mentioned Astronauts Alley (see the photo below).
Behind the lush trees stands another attraction of Star City - house number 12, which is popularly called "fig to space". Apparently this house strongly resembles in its shape the fingers folded into this figure.
For children in our town - grace. Several equipped playgrounds, and even lawns - do not count!
One of the main attractions of Zvezdny is the monument to Yu.A. Gagarin. It is surrounded by a birch grove, nearby stands house number 2 - the house where the first cosmonaut of the planet lived.
The monument was created in 1971. Gagarin is depicted on it ordinary person who just went for a walk from home. In his hand, which is wound behind his back, the most Russian simple flower is chamomile.
I noticed that in recent years there have been few flowers near the monument. Sometimes there is a lonely basket, falling from every gust of wind. And earlier, flowers lay constantly on the marble stand of the pedestal .... Not a single wedding cortege passed by ... Now, apparently, they are passing by ...
Every person has in his head image of childhood, the brightest pictures of his young life. For me, childhood is the flower meadows of Zvezdny, filled with bright sun, blue bells, daisies, clover in tall grass and grasshoppers chirping around. Clover and daisies remained, but I haven’t seen bluebells for a long time.
But along this path, going to the right, I went to school for 10 years ....
Star City Lake is also our attraction. A paradise place, where it is good both in winter and in summer.
The gazebo on the lake was built relatively recently - several years ago. A very pretty building.
Our swans are amazingly beautiful. I would like to introduce you to them better.
