Who is an astronaut for children? Who is an astronaut? Flights of Soviet cosmonauts and cosmonauts of foreign countries on the Vostok, Voskhod, Soyuz spacecraft and Salyut orbital stations
Universe and haut - to swim) - a person who flew into space on a spaceship. The word “cosmonaut” itself comes from cosmonautics - the science of interplanetary travel - both of these words, as well as the cosmodrome, first saw the light of day in the scientific work “Introduction to Cosmonautics” by A. A. Sternfeld, published in 1937. This word was officially approved only shortly before the first space flight took place: before that, representatives of this profession were called astronauts both in the USSR and in the USA. It is curious that the founder of the science of space travel, K. E. Tsiolkovsky, used the word “astronavigation” in his works, which is actually synonymous with the Greek word “astronautics.”
The profession of an astronaut is special; it places very high demands on a person. An astronaut must first of all have excellent health. He has to work in unusual conditions: during insertion into orbit and especially when returning to Earth, considerable overloads are applied to him. And in orbit, he finds himself in conditions of weightlessness, completely unusual for an ordinary person.
An astronaut must be a courageous and courageous person, resourceful in any situation, able to quickly understand and make the right decisions in a rapidly changing environment. He must have high flying skill, have an excellent understanding of space technology, and must not only have a good knowledge of the research and experimental program, but also be able to work with scientific equipment.
The first cosmonauts in the USA (since 1959) and the USSR (since 1960) were recruited from among military pilots and test pilots, but the needs of astronautics for various specialists grew and soon doctors, engineers, scientists and representatives of other professions flew into space.
During the time that has passed since the beginning of space exploration, many records have been set. They have been rewritten and improved several times. And yet some of them will forever go down in history.
On April 12, 1961, the Soviet Union launched the first ever spacecraft-satellite Vostok with a person on board into orbit around the Earth. This man was Yu. A. Gagarin, his flight lasted 108 minutes and he proved to the whole world that a person can live and work in space.
On March 19, 1965, A. A. Leonov became the first cosmonaut to leave the Voskhod-2 spacecraft in a special spacesuit and spend 12 minutes in outer space.
On January 15, 1969, A. S. Eliseev, B. V. Volynov and E. V. Khrunov made a flight on the Soyuz 5 spacecraft, during which they docked with the Soyuz-4 spacecraft launched the day before, and then A. Eliseev and E. Khrunov went into outer space and transferred to the Soyuz-4 spacecraft under the control of a pilot-cosmonaut
Profession astronaut
Target: formation of ideas about space, interest in the profession of astronaut.
Tasks:
Enrich and systematize knowledge about the work of an astronaut, about space flight;
Develop skills in working with Internet resources;
- develop communication skills through work in groups;
Arouse interest in the profession of an astronaut and the desire to be like an astronaut - strong, healthy, hardy, smart;
Develop curiosity, imagination, thinking;
Foster a sense of pride in Russian cosmonauts.
Equipment:
computer with multimedia installation;
pictures and photographs of astronauts and about space;
book exhibition;
drawings on the theme “I am an astronaut”;
5 hoops
Handout:
Balloons according to the number of students;
White cardboard, blue paper, glue, scissors
Preparatory activities of students:
excursion to the Planetarium;
children are divided into 3 groups and look for poems and information about the astronaut profession;
drawings on the theme “Space”;
Students are given a table with three columns: 1- I know; 2-I want to know; 3-found out. The first two columns of the table are filled out before class time, the third during the course.
Progress of the class hour
Epigraph :
We are all children of space,
both smart people and fools. Victoria Roshchina
1. Organizational moment.
The song performed by Valeria is “The Little Prince” (Who Invented You, Star Country).
Teacher: - Guys, tell me the professions that you know.
And there is another profession - this is the profession of “astronaut”.
2. Introduction to the profession of an astronaut.
Let's get acquainted with the origin of this word.
Word "astronaut " comes from the Greek words meaning "space" and "seafarer". That is, it turns out that the astronaut floats in space, making flights to conduct scientific observations and experiments.
Now I will tell you about this interesting, complex, and sometimes even dangerous profession.
2. Communication of new material.
Student: - People have dreamed for a long time
Fly into space
Circle the planet
Fly to the moon.
Looked to the stars
And in the silence of the night
Daredevils invented
The path to your dream
Teacher: - People have always dreamed of flying to the stars. They came up with different ways to rise into the sky. For example, people invented the hot air balloon.
What else did they invent to fly into the sky?
How can you call the transport you listed in one word? (Air).
But all this transport was not so strong and could not reach the stars. And the man “designer” invented a powerful, strong space rocket.
Rushing in the blue sky
Helicopter with one propeller,
And the flight is even faster
the plane makes
And even faster - this one
Interplanetary...(rocket)!
Now I will show you with the help of a balloon how fast a space rocket flies.
Each student takes one balloon. Inflate the balloon and then unclench your fingers.
Teacher: - What happened to our balls? (They flew up sharply).
Did you like the way our balls flew?
A space rocket is moving as fast as a ball.
Student:
The rocket has a driver
Zero gravity lover,
In English - astronaut,
And in Russian it means cosmonaut.
Teacher: - The first cosmonaut to fly on a space rocket was Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, and he was called “Cosmonaut No. 1”.
A Russian guy took off in a rocket,
I saw the whole earth from above.
Gagarin was the first in space...
What score will you be?
Yu. A. Gagarin made his flight on April 12, 1961 on the Vostok rocket. Since then, every year in our countryApril 12 is World Aviation and Cosmonautics Day.
Let's listen to V. Troshin's performance of “The Cosmonaut's Song,” which Gagarin sang during the flight.
The world's first female cosmonaut was Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, who made a solo space flight on the Vostok-6 spacecraft, which lasted three days.
Nowadays, not just one person flies into space, but a whole team of three or four astronauts.
In 2014, an international space flight took place. In the space rocket were: Konchi Vakete, Oleg Artemyev, Mikhail Tbrin, Rick Mastracchio, Steve Swanson and Alexander Skvortsov. They conducted various scientific research under international programs (since the crew included representatives from different countries), they met cargo ships, and also launched a Peruvian minisatellite into outer space by means of a crew spacewalk.
Teacher:- A spaceship carries an astronaut into space.
Where do you think an astronaut lives in space?
An astronaut in space has a space home called an orbital station. The orbital station looks like a huge bird that has spread its wings and flies above the earth. The rocket brings the astronauts to the station, and itself flies away and burns up in space.
Now there are three main specialties for astronauts
(1 group) - Test cosmonaut . This is a spaceship pilot. His task is to pilot the aircraft, take off, land, coordinate the work of all systems and crew actions. Test cosmonauts are recruited from among military pilots.
(2nd group) - Cosmonaut-engineer. He maintains the ship's technical systems, coordinates pre- and post-flight preparation of the aircraft, and participates in the development and testing of new technical systems. During the flight, performs all necessary repair work.
(3rd group) - Cosmonaut-researcher ..He is responsible for the health of the crew members, conducts experiments, and studies the behavior of living organisms in conditions of weightlessness. Research cosmonauts are required to be included in long-term expeditions.
Teacher:- What do you think astronauts do at the orbital station?
They study the stars, the surface of our earth, check the weather, photograph the Earth, etc.
There is weightlessness in the orbital station. All objects are light and a person becomes light as a feather.
Student:
Nothing has weight in space.
Everything becomes weightless there.
Kettlebell can fly like a feather.
Light as a butterfly, a hippopotamus.
How do you think astronauts eat in zero gravity if everything flies: plates, mugs, spoons, forks?
The astronauts do not cook their own food; the food is delivered to them by a cargo spacecraft. The food is pureed and placed in tubes, like toothpaste. When astronauts eat, they squeeze the food directly into their mouths. Let's imagine and tell you what dishes can be in these tubes.
To work, the astronaut leaves the orbital station into outer space. In outer space it is dangerous for human health - there is no air and it is very hot. Therefore, astronauts wear special protective clothing - a spacesuit.
But the space tourist -
The spacesuit is silver, like the stars.
Do you think anyone can become an astronaut?
In order to become an astronaut, you need to be a courageous and confident person, because unexpected situations often arise during a flight.
So what tests and difficulties does a future astronaut need to go through?
(1 group) In order to become an astronaut, you need to undergo many tests and special training. The Cosmonaut Training Center is located in Star City near Moscow. If you are in good health and academic performance, you can apply to join the cosmonaut corps, even as a student. But it is worth knowing that people with higher education, physicists, biologists or military personnel are allowed to be tested. Artists and accountants are not taken into space, since scientific experiments and experiments need to be carried out at the station.
(2nd group) An astronaut must know space technology, be able to pilot his spacecraft and carry out repair work on the orbital space station. The chance to become an astronaut is available to people between 27 and 30 years old, up to 175 cm tall and weighing up to 75 kg. You need to have excellent health: perfect vision, absence of chronic diseases and bad habits. And it is imperative to be fluent in English, since this is the language used to communicate on the International Space Station.
(3rd group) At the first stage, about 350 people are selected from questionnaires. Tests are arranged for them in physics, mathematics and the Russian language. Then applicants undergo a strict medical examination, after which approximately 50 people remain. The most recent test takes place at the very center of cosmonaut training, here they look to see whether a person can withstand difficult tests. For example, a future cosmonaut is locked for 5 days in a closed space, where he cannot communicate with anyone and where complete silence reigns and they watch how he behaves. As a result, only 8 of the most persistent lucky ones remain, who are enrolled in the cosmonaut corps for pre-flight training. But even here, not everything is so simple. They prepare to go into space from 5 to 10 years. Classes are held in classrooms, gyms, and on a rapidly rotating centrifuge (“space carousel”). Future cosmonauts pay a lot of attention to flying on airplanes, parachute jumping, working in a “zero-gravity hydropool”, learning to endure overloads and weightlessness, heat and cold.
Teacher: - How do you think astronauts communicate in outer space with the orbital station and with the Earth? (Via walkie-talkie) .
The signal sounds.
Here comes a signal from Earth. It's time to go home.
And the astronauts return home in a special capsule with a parachute.
How much have I told you about astronauts?
Do you want to go on a space journey?
I will now turn you into astronauts. One, two, turn around, turn into astronauts!
P/game “Fast rockets are waiting for us, for walking around the planets...”.
(“Fast rockets are waiting for us, for walks on the planets, we’ll fly to whichever one we want. But there’s one secret in the game, there’s no place for latecomers. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, let's go (children take places in the hoop, 4 people each)
The path is over, the rocket has landed!
Before us are forests and fields!
Hello, our home planet!
Hello, our native Earth!
Teacher: - On Earth, astronauts are met by doctors, they check their health, military personnel, friends and journalists who interview them.
You too, just arrived from space. Are you healthy?
Are you ready for the interview?
Summary of the class hour:
What is the name of your profession?
Who was the first male astronaut?
What is the name of the first female cosmonaut?
What was the name of the first rocket?
What is the name of your space home?
Can you run and jump at the orbital station? Why?
Why are you flying into space? What are you doing there?
What do you wear when going out into outer space?
Can a weak and sick person fly into space? Why?
Do you love your profession?
We have learned so much today about the profession of an astronaut. Raise your hand, who wants to become an astronaut when they grow up?
We are trying to express our attitude towards the profession of astronaut, using the techniquesyncwine.
Astronaut.
Brave, smart
Flying, training, studying.
I want to become an astronaut!
Space. Spacesuit. Rocket.
And as a memory of our class hour, we will make a spaceship for ourselves (applique “Rocket”). “Cosmic” music sounds.
Student
To become an astronaut,
We have to work hard.
Start the day with exercise,
Good to study.
The weak can't handle it
Star roads.
They can take it on the ship
Only strong, dexterous ones.
Let's guys try to be like astronauts.
Reflection:
Mark yourself on the “Ladder of Success”. If you understand everything and can talk about a profession related to space, draw a little man on the top step. And if you are not completely confident in your knowledge - at the 2nd or 3rd step, and which one, everyone will decide for themselves.
Who drew the little man on the bottom step? Why?
Who is on the 2nd or 3rd step? Why?
Who's on top? Why?
Thank you!
Do you dream of becoming an astronaut? If yes, then this story is for you!
Word " astronaut" comes from the Greek words meaning "space" and "seafarer". That is, it turns out that the astronaut floats in space, making flights to conduct scientific observations and experiments. In order to become an astronaut, you need to be a courageous and confident person, because unexpected situations often arise during a flight. Cosmonaut number one was Yuri Gagarin.
In order to become an astronaut you need to pass many tests and special training. The Cosmonaut Training Center is located in Star City near Moscow. If you are in good health and academic performance, you can apply to join the cosmonaut corps, even as a student. But it is worth knowing that people with higher education, physicists, biologists or military personnel are allowed to be tested. Artists and accountants are not taken into space, since scientific experiments and experiments need to be carried out at the station.
An astronaut must know space technology, be able to pilot his spacecraft and carry out repair work on the orbital space station. The chance to become an astronaut is available to people between 27 and 30 years old, up to 175 cm tall and weighing up to 75 kg. Must have excellent health: perfect vision, absence of chronic diseases and bad habits. And definitely, freely speak English, since it is the language used to communicate on the International Space Station.
At the first stage, about 350 people are selected from questionnaires. Tests are arranged for them in physics, mathematics and the Russian language. Then applicants undergo a strict medical examination, after which approximately 50 people remain. The most recent test takes place at the very center of cosmonaut training, here they look to see whether a person can withstand difficult tests. For example, a future cosmonaut is locked for 5 days in a closed space, where he cannot communicate with anyone and where complete silence reigns and they watch how he behaves. INin the end there remain 8 of the most persistent lucky ones who are enlisted in the cosmonaut corps for pre-flight training. But even here, not everything is so simple. They prepare to go into space from 5 to 10 years. Classes are held in classrooms, gyms, and on a rapidly rotating centrifuge (“space carousel”). Future cosmonauts pay a lot of attention to flying airplanes, parachuting, and working in a “zero-gravity hydropool.” , learn to endure overloads and weightlessness, heat and cold.
Now there are three main specialties for astronauts
-Test cosmonaut. This is a spaceship pilot. His task is to pilot the aircraft, take off, land, coordinate the work of all systems and crew actions. Test cosmonauts are recruited from among military pilots.
-Cosmonaut-engineer. He maintains the ship's technical systems, coordinates pre- and post-flight preparation of the aircraft, and participates in the development and testing of new technical systems. During the flight, performs all necessary repair work.
- Cosmonaut-researcher..He is responsible for the health of the crew members, conducts experiments, and studies the behavior of living organisms in conditions of weightlessness. Research cosmonauts are required to be included in long-term expeditions.
Lesson summary on the topic “Profession of an astronaut”
Target: Enrich and systematize knowledge about the work of an astronaut, about space flight.
Tasks: Arouse interest in the astronaut profession and the desire to be like an astronaut - strong, healthy, hardy, smart.
Develop curiosity, imagination, thinking.
Foster a sense of pride in Russian cosmonauts.
Equipment: laptop, pictures on a space theme, a recording of “space” music, balloons, 2 hoops, cardboard rocket templates, glue and napkins for hands.
Progress of the lesson:
Children listen to “cosmic” music and sit on chairs in a semicircle in front of the monitor.
Educator:
- Guys, today we continue to get acquainted with professions, tell me the professions that we have already met? (children's answers).
- And there is another profession that we will talk about today. Listen to the riddle and I hope you can guess who it is about.
He is not a pilot, not a pilot
He's not flying a plane,
And a huge rocket
Children, who can you tell me this is?
That's right, astronaut!
Today we will talk about the profession of “astronaut”. Now I will tell you about this interesting, complex, and sometimes even dangerous profession.
People have always dreamed of flying to the stars. They came up with different ways to rise into the sky. For example, people invented the hot air balloon. What else did they invent to fly into the sky? (Children's answers). How can you call the transport you listed in one word? (Air). But all this transport was not so strong and could not reach the stars. And so people invented a powerful machine.
Guess what kind of car people invented?
This bird has no wings
But one cannot help but marvel
As soon as the bird spreads its tail -
And will rise to the stars. (Rocket.)
And the rocket was invented by scientific designers, under the guidance chief designer of rocket and space systems, academician S.P. Queen.
(Repeat)
1 “Space rocket” Educator:
Now we will use balloons to see how fast a space rocket flies. We inflate the balloons, and then unclench our fingers.
What's going on with the ball? (He flew up sharply) The space rocket is moving as fast as a ball.
2 “The first cosmonaut” Educator:
The first cosmonaut to fly on a space rocket was Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin (repeat)
In a space rocket
With the name "East"
He is the first on the planet
I was able to rise to the stars.
Sings songs about it
Spring drops:
Will be together forever
Gagarin and April.
- Yu. A. Gagarin made his flight on April 12, 1961 on the Vostok rocket (repeat with children) The flight did not last long at all - only 108 minutes. However, the supplies of air and food on board the Vostok would allow one to spend 10 days in space. Gagarin landed on a collective farm field near one of the regional centers of the Saratov region - the city of Engels. In the area of the village of Smelovka, search services found him just 1 hour later.
3 "The first woman astronaut"
June 16, 1963 - the first woman went into space - Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova,who made a solo space flight on the Vostok-6 spacecraft, which lasted three days.
Guys, would you like to fly into space?
Contest. Build a rocket.
To fly into space, we need rockets. You and I must build them. So, whoever builds a rocket the fastest will be the first to fly to travel around the planets. The guys are on the table, assembling rockets (the boys are called “Vostok”, and the girls are called “Vostok 6”)
Phys. just a minute.
“Fast rockets are waiting for us for walking around the planets...”
Fast rockets are waiting for us, for walking around the planets, we’ll fly to whichever one we want. One, two, three, four, five, we will take off into space. Let's fly (children take their places in the hoop).
4 “Orbital station” Educator:
- A spaceship carries an astronaut into space.
- Where do you think an astronaut lives in space? (Children's answers)
- An astronaut in space has a space home called an orbital station (children repeat in chorus). The orbital station looks like a huge bird that has spread its wings and flies above the earth. The rocket brings astronauts to the station, and itself flies away and burns up in space.
Nowadays, not one person flies into space, but a whole team of three or four astronauts, and these can be astronauts from different countries.
5 “Spacesuit” Educator: - To work, the astronaut leaves the orbital station into outer space. In outer space it is dangerous for human health - there is no air,therefore, astronauts wear special protective clothing - a spacesuit (repeat).
Currently, three types of space suits have been created and tested in real conditions. These are emergency rescue suits, suits for spacewalks and suits for working on the surface of celestial bodies. The last type of spacesuit was used during flights to the Moon.
All space suits have a sealed shell and a system for providing the astronaut with oxygen, a system for absorbing carbon dioxide and water vapor. The thermal insulation of the spacesuit is provided by a multilayer shell, and its heating or cooling system is usually smelted in the form of tubes through which the coolant fluid circulates. The space suit helmet contains a communication device, as well as drinking water and (if necessary) food supply systems. The suit also has a sensor system that allows you to monitor the physical condition of the astronaut. Thus, a spacesuit is not only “space clothing” but, in essence, a small individual spacecraft that ensures human life and work in space.
6 “Work on the orbital station” Educator:
- What do you think the astronauts do at the orbital station? (Children's answers).
They are engaged in research activities: they study the stars, the surface of our earth, check the weather, photograph the Earth. Zero-gravity conditions make it possible to conduct a wide variety of experiments that are unimaginable on earth; research allows us to think about the construction of orbital factories in the near future.
Sooner or later, humanity will have to begin exploring near-Earth space - first the Moon, and then other planets. Already today, leading space powers are developing projects to create lunar cities and develop the subsoil of the Earth’s satellite.
Astronauts work 10 hours a day.
7 “Weightlessness” Educator:
- In the orbital station - weightlessness (repeat with children). All objects are light and a person becomes light as a feather. The concept of “weightlessness” is actually very familiar to us. We experience it every time, just by jumping - at the moment when we are flying down, and our speed becomes equal to the acceleration of free fall. We experience weightlessness when swinging on a swing - at that moment when it freezes for a second before falling down. We experience weightlessness on board a ship, rocking on the waves. The astronaut is in a state of weightlessness the entire time he is at the orbital station.
8 "A Cosmonaut's Dream" Sleep according to the schedule takes 8 hours, but in practice many people rest for only 4-5 hours, and this is enough for them. You have to sleep in sleep masks and with earplugs (these are special earplugs) so that the noise of numerous mechanisms does not interfere.
Astronauts sleep in special sleeping bags, fastened with belts. And if you don’t fasten them, then due to the state of weightlessness they will fly.
Relaxation.
Let us also try to sleep like astronauts in a state of weightlessness. (Children, accompanied by music, depict the poses of sleeping astronauts)
9 “Space food” Educator:
How do you think astronauts eat in zero gravity if everything flies: plates, mugs, spoons, forks? (Children's answers)
- Cosmonauts do not cook their own food; food is delivered to them by a cargo spaceship. The food is pureed and placed in tubes, like toothpaste. When astronauts eat, they squeeze food directly into their mouths; what kind of food can be in these tubes. (Children's answers)
Astronauts are given 2-2.5 hours a day to eat food.
10 “Return to Earth” Educator:
Astronauts can stay in space for a very long time, from several months to a year .
- Here's a signal from Earth. It's time to go home.
How can the astronauts return after their rocket burned up in space?
And the astronauts return home in a special capsule with a parachute.
- On Earth, astronauts are met by doctors, they check their health, military personnel, friends and journalists who interview them.
We have learned so much today about the profession of astronauts. Let's check how attentive you were and what you remembered.
11 “Fixing the material”
The teacher asks the following questions:
Who built the first rocket?
Who was the first astronaut and what was the name of his rocket?
-What is the name of the first woman astronaut and what was the name of her rocket?
- What is the name of the astronauts’ house?
-Can you run and jump at the orbital station? Why?
- What do you wear when going into outer space?
- How do astronauts eat? How do astronauts sleep?
Well done!
12 “Final” Educator:
Maybe some of you will also want to become an astronaut?
First you need to do well in school, then graduate from a higher educational institution. And then go to become an astronaut.
In Russia, cosmonauts are trained at the Cosmonaut Training Center named after Yu.A. Gagarin in Star City, near Moscow. During the training process, the astronaut has to visit various organizations and enterprises related to astronautics, where he receives additional knowledge.
Cosmonauts can be absolutely physically healthy people who can swim, run, and ski with the prefix “fast.” But heroes are not selected as celestials either. It is better if it is a person of average build, weighing from 50 to 90 kilograms and no more than 190 centimeters tall.
Today the entire list of Russian and Soviet cosmonauts is 116 people. It seems not so little, but it’s only a hundred people from all over the country.
Hard, painstaking work requires constant tension of will, nerves and enormous internal discipline. But we can be proud of our cosmonauts - brave people and excellent professionals who bring great benefit to their country.
Let's guys try to be like astronauts.
Alexey Steinert
Profession astronaut
Introduction
“Humanity will not remain on Earth forever,
but, in pursuit of light and space, first
timidly penetrate beyond the atmosphere, and then
will conquer the entire solar space."
K. E. Tsiolkovsky
When I was offered to write this book, I agreed without hesitation: what could be more interesting than writing about the romantic and heroic profession of an astronaut! Children dream about it, teenagers think about it, and no, no, and even adults fantasize about it, sitting day after day at work, staring at monitor screens. But only a few actually decide to take the difficult path to space. What is the reason? Are there really almost no people willing to join this heroic profession? Or do people not believe in themselves so much that they are afraid to even try to become astronauts? In fact, everything is not so simple and unambiguous. The profession of an astronaut is considered closed to outsiders in our country due to historical reasons, the roots of which go back to the formation of astronautics in the USSR.
...On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in world history to fly into outer space. After this event, the USSR for some time left its main competitor, the United States, far behind in the race for space exploration. Gagarin became the national hero of the “Country of Soviets”, making a career as an astronaut the dream of many Soviet schoolchildren. The following space records were also for the USSR: in the same 1961, the youngest cosmonaut, 25-year-old German Titov, flew. In 1963, the first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, went into space. And in 1965, Alexey Leonov made the first spacewalk. All these events were more than enough for the USSR to receive the status of a space superpower. The profession of an astronaut has become elite, prestigious and desirable in it. The United States was able to adequately respond to Soviet records only eight years later, when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin set foot on the surface of the Moon on July 21, 1969. The program, initiated by President John Kennedy, achieved success - but it turned out to be so complex and costly that after it the Americans never decided to repeat the lunar “adventure”.
Already in the 70s of the 20th century, astronauts became heroes on a global scale. It goes without saying that obtaining such a title was very difficult. However, the approach to recruiting cosmonauts in the USSR and the USA was seriously different. People of both civilian and military specialties could become NASA astronauts - the main thing is that they meet a number of criteria and are able to pass a tough competitive selection with many requirements. In general, this is logical: it is clear that space training will be easier for the military (especially pilots). But in space it’s not just the military that is needed: there is a need for engineers and doctors, biologists and physicists - in a word, for people of different specialties. And NASA has always understood this. However, in our country, since the times of the USSR, the profession of an astronaut was considered the lot of the lucky few from the military space industry, which was simply impossible for a civilian - for example, a doctor or an engineer - to get into. And most people could only dream about astronautics, periodically reviewing some Star Wars...
Moreover, even if a person belonged to the military space industry, met all the necessary requirements and had a burning desire to become an astronaut, there was no guarantee that he would even be able to take part in recruitment into the cosmonaut corps. The thing is that no one knew the rules of the game: there were none at all. It was impossible to come and ask to be an astronaut - people were recruited into space, as they say, by decree from above. If you were lucky and came to the attention of experts, then there were opportunities. A necessary acquaintance could become a chance for a ticket to space. But it was still a matter of chance. And in this regime, Soviet and then Russian cosmonautics existed for decades.
Everything changed only in 2012, when Roscosmos, for the first time in Russian history, announced an open competition for recruitment into the cosmonaut corps. Selection criteria and requirements for candidates, lists of personal and medical documents submitted for consideration by the competition commission were made public. Now, according to the rules, the fate of candidates is decided by experts from the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, representatives of the Rocket and Space Corporation (RSC) Energia, as well as employees of the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAN).
According to Rosstat estimates, as of January 1, 2017, about 147 million people permanently reside in Russia. In 2012, the data was slightly different - but this is not significant. Another thing is important: how many people from all over the country wanted to become astronauts. Millions? Hundreds or tens of thousands? Alas, no. On October 8, 2012, at Roscosmos, at a meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission for the Selection of Cosmonauts, the results of the first open recruitment were summed up. As it turned out, the Competition Commission received a total of 304 applications from those wishing to take part in the competition from all over the country. 51 people were admitted to the full-time stage of the competition, of whom only nine completed all tests at this stage with positive results. At the same time, eight applicants, including one woman, were allowed to undergo general space training. Here are their names:
✓ Fedyaev Andrey Valerievich, military pilot;
✓ Ignatov Ignat Nikolaevich, test engineer;
✓ Sergey Vladimirovich Korsakov, manager;
✓ Oleg Vladimirovich Blinov, leading engineer;
✓ Dmitry Alexandrovich Petelin, design engineer;
✓ Nikolay Aleksandrovich Chub, top manager;
✓ Dubrov Petr Valerievich, software engineer;
✓ Kikina Anna Yuryevna, radio presenter.
304 people want to become astronauts in a country that ranks ninth in terms of population in the world is certainly a sad figure. Of course, this state of affairs may be partly explained by the fact that Roscosmos’ open enrollment was the first of its kind and not everyone who would like to fly into space knew about it. Whether this is so will become clear during the second recruitment: initially it was supposed to take place in 2016, but now it has been postponed to 2017. In a word, we'll wait and see. But still, something suggests that there will not be a radical difference in the number of applicants, even if recruitment for cosmonauts begins to be advertised on all key television channels.
Why? The answer is simple: the closed nature of the profession over the long years of the existence of cosmonautics in the USSR, and subsequently in Russia, began to scare away those dreaming of space. You can dream about anything - even about the career of an astronaut, even about the career of a wizard. But in order to realize such dreams, you need to be sure that the expenditure of effort, time and money, if not guaranteed to lead to your cherished goal, will at least provide a serious chance of success. However, the behind-the-scenes of the Russian cosmonautics remained such for many years that the road to space was opened to the lucky ones, to those who managed to be in the right place at the right time. Today, it would seem, the rules of the game have changed (more precisely, rules have appeared in the game). But people need to get used to it and understand it. Perhaps the attitude towards the cosmonaut profession in Russia will change when the first manager, programmer or radio presenter actually flies into orbit. When these people will spend weeks and months on spaceships and orbital stations, and then begin to give press conferences and receive awards from the hands of top officials of the state. All these things will become a real, concrete example of the fact that EVERY resident of Russia who meets the necessary criteria can truly become an astronaut, and interest in astronautics in the country will begin to revive again.
And really, why not? Of course, the profession of an astronaut is a real “pearl” in the list of heroic professions. But the people who belong to it do exactly the same work as “mere mortals.” They, like everyone else, get up on an alarm clock, maintain hygiene, eat three times a day and read books in their free time (all the nuances of life in space will be described in detail in this book). Actually, this kind of routine makes it psychologically easier to endure a harsh and full of challenges life away from your home planet. Of course, to work in space you need a certain knowledge and level of education - but this is acquired both while studying at universities and during classes at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City near Moscow.
So, perhaps, the only criterion that truly blocks a person’s path to space is his state of health. If a person who wants to become an astronaut has problems with the body that cannot be corrected with the help of medicine, then the path beyond the Earth is really forbidden to him. Such a person may not physically be able to withstand the overload of space travel - and this is too great a risk. But again, we are talking specifically about illnesses. Poor physical shape can be made good with the proper desire and diligence. In a word, the list of reasons that can really prevent a person from becoming an astronaut is relatively small. There would be desire and faith in one’s strength.