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THEY ARE CHOSEN TO BE COSMONAUTS
USUE students met with Ural test cosmonauts. Crew commander Sergei Prokopyev and flight engineers Dmitry Petelin and Andrei Fedyaev set a record for the flight duration under the ISS program, spending 370 days 21 hours and 22 minutes in space.
The meeting took place within the USUE project “Heroes Among Us”.
“Such events provide an opportunity to meet and talk with unique people. For the first time in the history of space exploration, the Russian crew comprised residents of the Urals, our fellow countrymen. And thanks to Sergei Valeryevich Prokopyev, the USUE flag was in weightlessness. Now it is stored in our museum,” USUE rector Yakov Silin notes.
Sergey Prokopyev is an innate of Sverdlovsk, Andrey Fedyaev was born in Serov, and Dmitry Petelin is a native of Kazakhstan, but studied in Chelyabinsk. Everyone has been waiting for a space flight for almost 10 years. Before becoming a member of the cosmonaut corps, one must get a flight or engineering education.
“In my life, everything happens with the second shot. After school I dreamed of entering a flight school, but failed the qualification. Not to waste time, I went to a vocational technical school to become an electrician, and a year later, I entered the Balashov Military Aviation Institute. Afterwards I served in Kamchatka and, from the air, escorted foreign submarines on IL-38. In 2010, I tried for cosmonauts, but only 2 years later I joined the cosmonaut corps. We were together preparing for the flight in September 2022. Our colleagues jokingly called our crew Ural Dumplings,” Andrei Fedyaev test cosmonaut, reserve major, says.
September 21, 2022, the crew of the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. It was assumed that the crew would spend six months at the ISS, but they had to stay longer.
“The ship was hit by a micrometeorite, which resulted in the radiator's damage and disrupting the cooling system. Planned spacewalks were postponed and our flight was extended until September 2023. As a result, we spent almost 371 days at the ISS, which became a new record,” test cosmonaut, Hero of the Russian Federation Sergei Prokopyev shares his memories.
The cosmonauts said that workdays at the station are practically no different from life on earth. Working hours from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. GMT. All tasks are scheduled up to a minute.
“In space we study how different microorganisms and algae grow. For example, there are currently quail's eggs at the ISS. Scientists want to find out how radiation and weightlessness will affect them. Besides, we photograph the consequences of natural and man-made disasters: earthquakes, ocean pollution, volcanic eruptions. When you see the damage caused to nature, you understand how fragile our planet is,” test cosmonaut Dmitry Petelin said.
The curiosity of USUE students was focused on how everyday life is arranged at the ISS, whether the cosmonauts enjoy free time, how the heroes manage being away from their families, and if there is a language barrier with foreign colleagues.
“I am delighted! It took me some time to realize that these were real cosmonauts sitting in front of me, people for whom space is not just a word, but a reality. It’s great that, being representatives of a serious profession, they remain open, sincere, and cheerful people,” Alexandra Chunareva, a 2nd year student at the USUE Institute of Digital Management Technologies and Information Security, shared her impressions.
The crew returned to earth in September last year. Now the cosmonauts are undergoing rehabilitation, preparing for new flights and engaging in educational activities, working closely with the Russia’s Knowledge Society.
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