Head of the Cosmonaut Training Center Maksim Kharlamov: For flights to the Moon and Mars we will need geologists, archaeologists and doctors
Who trains cosmonauts today? How will crews fly from the Vostochnyi Cosmodrome? Genetic selection for cosmonauts – science fiction or reality? And how are teeth treated in orbit? The RG correspondent talks about the secrets of “closed space” with the head of the Cosmonaut Training Center Maksim Kharlamov.
RG: Maksim Mikhailovich, one of the most important extreme space events: for the first time, the first female cosmonaut from Belarus, Marina Vasilevskaya, flew to the ISS. Did you see her off at Baikonur?
Maksim Kharlamov: As always. And we see off the crews and meet them. Twenty seconds before the launch of the Soyuz MS-25, the automation sounded all clear. This has never happened in Russia during the launch of manned spacecraft.
RG: What did you experience?
Maksim Kharlamov: You know, there’s always a special excitement when you see a rocket standing there, ready to launch, and how it’s being refueled. We were confident in the preparedness and endurance of the crew. At launch, doctors record the condition of the cosmonauts second by second. So Marina’s pulse remained 70! The blood pressure rose for us, the mourners. In fact, launch postponements, when the crews were already in the ships, happened before: in 1969 and 1971. The cosmonauts then launched the next day. I wouldn’t even call such situations abnormal – we saved the equipment and people, postponing the launch to a reserve date is normal. This also happens to our American colleagues in modern reality.
RG: Is the launch of the heavy Angara A-5 from Vostochnyi a significant event?
Maksim Kharlamov: Undoubtedly. The future of the Russian manned program is connected with it. Test flights are always more psychologically stressful because they involve increased risks. Yuri Gagarin’s famous phrase: “Let’s go!” has its own story: a command, during the training of the first cosmonauts to control the Vostok such was given every time by the instructor, test pilot Mark Galai.
RG: Who trains cosmonauts today?
Maksim Kharlamov: Indeed, this is a fact. By the way, Mark Galai was not an employee of the TsPK: he worked at the Flight Test Institute and was seconded. And now, first of all, the Center’s employees work with the cosmonauts. Instructors of comprehensive training for the manned transport spacecraft Soyuz, teachers of systems. As a rule, these are former graduates of military schools and space-oriented universities, who received additional training from us for several years. Test flights are always more psychologically stressful because they involve increased risks.
Who is an instructor? He accompanies the cosmonaut, starting from his enrollment in the detachment, and then after his appointment to the crew. Actions at the start, during the flight, in preparation for the descent and on the descent itself are practiced here on Earth. And a lot depends on his knowledge, ability, I would say, talent to convey complex information. Therefore, on the one hand, he must have technical competencies and be a competent engineer. On the other hand, to be a very good teacher. And also a good operator who, in critical situations, quickly figures out how to act and how to help.
RG: Aleksei Leonov said that during training they practiced actions in three thousand emergency situations. And now?
Maksim Kharlamov: I will give an example of Soyuz the ship, it describes more than 700 failures. And all of them are part of the so-called calculated emergency situations for which we prepare. The crew’s procedure may be standard in the event of failures of different systems. Therefore, actions are practiced in groups of emergency situations – there are approximately 70-80 of them. But those that instill skills in a much wider range.
RG: A cosmonaut remains a piecemeal profession. How many people are in the squad? Who is the most experienced?
Maksim Kharlamov: There are twenty-six people in the Roskosmos detachment. The most experienced is Oleg Kononenko, the commander of the detachment who is currently on board the ISS. We will celebrate his 60th birthday in June. As you know, he has already become the absolute record holder for the total stay of a person in orbit. And now he’s only widening the gap. Last September, he set off on his fifth flight, with 736 days under his belt. It will spend a whole year in orbit, the descent is scheduled for September. And by this time his flight time will be 1110 days! By the way, 60-year-olds have flown here before – Pavel Vinogradov, Gennadii Strekalov.
RG: Who is the youngest?
Maksim Kharlamov: Harutyun Kiviryan. He is 31 years old. Hasn’t flown yet. Like seven other people, he is undergoing training.
RG: I know that in the past, an cosmonaut often had to wait years for his first flight. And did anyone leave the squad without ever reaching the start?
Maksim Kharlamov: The work is long and intense, the demands are high, and health reasons are compromised. But in the last few years it has been possible to shorten this interval. Konstantin Borisov, who flew on the American spacecraft Crew Dragon, recently returned from the ISS. He made his first flight a little over five years after enlisting in the detachment. Such cases have happened before.
RG: Aleksandr Grebenkin also flew to the station to replace Borisov in the Crew Dragon crew. And Aleksandr Gorbunov is preparing for the cross-flight agreement signed between Roskosmos and NASA?
Maksim Kharlamov: Yes. The estimated launch date for the next American spacecraft carrying a Russian cosmonaut is no earlier than August.
RG: Is further extension of the cross-flight agreement being discussed?
Maksim Kharlamov: The existing agreements are valid until mid-2025. And despite any sanctions, the extension is being discussed. Crossflights are a serious safety net for the space station and everyone on board. Cosmonauts and cosmonauts. This increases the reliability of the system. The instructor must be a very good teacher. And also a good operator who, in critical situations, quickly figures out how to react.
RG: Are American astronauts currently training at Zvyozdnyi?
Maksim Kharlamov: And not only American ones. Nothing has changed in terms of training for the International Space Station. We have agreed upon the programs. This is exactly how Russian cosmonauts fly to training sessions in the United States.
RG: Tell me, what is Anna Kikina, so far the only woman in the Russian cosmonaut corps, doing now? She was recently awarded the title of Hero of Russia.
Maksim Kharlamov: Anna Kikina is preparing as part of a group. When an cosmonaut, after returning from orbit, has not yet been assigned to his next flight, he is at the stage of maintaining professional skills. Anya is a fighting woman. In addition to training, he is actively involved in popularizing space. Very popular in public terms. And I’m very determined to fly again.
RG: Maybe to the Russian orbital station?
Maksim Kharlamov: Why not? Of course it can.
RG: The next open selection for the cosmonaut corps recently ended. Are you waiting for a replenishment?
Maksim Kharlamov: Let’s clarify: we have stopped accepting documents. And the selection itself continues, now face-to-face. According to our calculations, we will finish it somewhere around the 20th of April. Currently, five people have passed all stages of selection, including medical.
RG: Are there any women?
Maksim Kharlamov: One for now. She has an engineering education and works in the space industry.
RG: The Oryol spacecraft simulator is being developed at TsPK. Is it already “in hardware”?
Maksim Kharlamov: Documentation is being developed. But in the near future we will begin to manufacture specific elements. The developer of the manned transport vehicle (PTK) simulator as a whole is the Training Center. But we have experienced co-executors who helped us create simulators, for example, for the spacecraft Soyuz and the International Space Station.
RG: Will the simulator be on the same scale as the ship?
Maksim Kharlamov: One to one. With absolutely identical controls in order to maintain the “man-spacecraft” interaction, This is an absolute principle.
RG: In general, do cosmonauts express their wishes, what should the new ship on which they fly should be? Let’s say, in terms of ergonomics?
Maksim Kharlamov: Of course. The cosmonauts participated in the development of the preliminary design and testing of some systems. They gave their recommendations when the concept of the ship’s controls was being formed. Including, say, what kind of control handles there will be: a joystick or like on, the Soyuz how they will be located …. So in the new ship there is part of the work of active cosmonauts. Wishes not only for the ship, but also for the new Russian orbital station, which will replace the ISS. The designers of RSC have received Energia and are implementing proposals from the cosmonaut corps such as zoning: separate workplaces, rest and training areas. Thus, a recommendation was made to optimize the placement of noisy equipment.
The comments also concerned the ergonomics of the controls, the internal space (in particular, more windows), improving the on-board systems and structures of the orbital complex, and ensuring the safety of the crews. All this is explicitly stated in the documentation. In the course of further work on the creation of the ROS, it is planned to involve a team of cosmonauts to confirm the correctness of the choice of design and layout solutions, as well as for an ergonomic examination of the project.
RG: So the cosmonauts act as experts?
Maksim Kharlamov: That’s how it should be. New modules for the station, a new spacecraft and even a simulator should be developed taking into account the opinions of those who will work with this equipment. Therefore, our experienced cosmonauts with an engineering education, such as Oleg Kononenko, Oleg Artemyev, Andrei Borisenko, Oleg Skripochka and others, became representatives of the Cosmonaut Training Center at industry enterprises.
RG: in the development of the station’s interiors: color, light, free space …. For the first time, design students from Stroganovka were involved
Maksim Kharlamov: They work under the supervision of experienced designers and developers. The guys, of course, have imagination, this is great, but the flight of imagination is limited by safety requirements and the functionality of the equipment.
RG: Will the ROS simulator appear at the Cosmonaut Training Center?
Maksim Kharlamov: Necessarily. There are several options for its placement. Let’s choose. We actively participated in the development of the preliminary design of the ROS. We also worked on simulators: what they should be like, for what tasks.
RG: Will there also be mock-ups in the hydro laboratory of the center?
Maksim Kharlamov: Just like the Mir station and the ISS. All mock-ups will be in the hydrolaboratory, where elements of action in outer space are practiced.
Will the space pistol return? There is a branch of the center at Baikonur.
RG: Will the Eastern Cosmonaut Complex be any different at the cosmodrome?
Maksim Kharlamov: De jure, there is already a branch on the Eastern branch: an office, the territory for development has been determined. Together with the state corporation we are working on the construction task. I think the design will be completed in 2025 and the cosmonaut complex will be built in 2026-2027. There will be no fundamental differences. Everything has been polished over decades at Baikonur. We maintain a conceptual approach to the number of objects, their placement, as well as the requirements for the crew’s activities in the pre-launch period. Thus, cosmonauts must be comfortable playing sports. There must be a medical pre-launch preparation area – this is a very important aspect. There must be the necessary training facilities. New modules for the station, a new spacecraft and even a simulator should be developed taking into account the opinions of those who will work with this equipment
RG: Will the cosmonauts, just like now, fly to the cosmodrome two weeks before the launch?
Maksim Kharlamov: This period is determined not by the crew training period, but by the dates allocated for the “fittings” of the Soyuz ship. The first is approximately 11-12 days before the launch. The second – in 5-6 days, depending on the situation. Both “fittings” take place in spacesuits that have already been approved for flight. For now, we are using the previous deadline to form our position. But a lot depends on what the work plan on the new ship will be.
RG: As far as I know, the route from Vostochnyi will pass over the Arctic Ocean. If this is so, how will the crew be protected in the event of an emergency?
Maksim Kharlamov: The safety of cosmonauts is the main priority both in orbit and on Earth. As you know, the launch of the satellite Bion is being prepared: a capsule with animals will fly in the same new polar orbit as ROS. It is important for scientists to assess the risks – increased radiation, galactic radiation, etc. And find ways to parry. We are studying all the issues related to the survival of cosmonauts, for example, during an early landing. How to evacuate them. What part of the excretion takes place over land, over water, over ice. What technology can be used there? This is all being analyzed. Survival training will most likely take place in the Far East. In the tundra, forests, mountains. And in winter, too, at the lowest temperatures.
RG: What is included in a cosmonaut’s portable emergency reserve today – the so-called NAZ?
Maksim Kharlamov: The functionality is unchanged: assistance in survival. In addition to food and water, there are matches, a first aid kit, fishing gear, a walkie-talkie, sunglasses, and a flare gun. There is a machete that can be used to cut down trees and dig the ground. Well, if something happens, protect yourself from a wild animal. A new NAZ, with more modern equipment, is also being developed.
RG: Once upon a time, the NAZ included a pistol specially designed for cosmonauts. Will it be returned?
Maksim Kharlamov: In the form it was, no. But I know that RKK Energiya is carrying out the work, Once upon a time, the TP-82 transforming pistol was removed because it no longer complied with the law. It was replaced with PM, which our officers had. Then, when the Cosmonaut Training Center became civilian, the pistol was completely excluded.
RG: The chief designer of the Russian orbital station, Vladimir Kozhevnikov, does not rule out that at some point crews will simultaneously work on both the ISS and the ROS. Will this affect your preparation in any way?
Maksim Kharlamov: No way. We have enough potential, the basics of preparation are the same.
RG: Artificial gravity in long flights is no longer science fiction, but a practical task for scientists. The Institute for Biomedical Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences says that cosmonauts are taking part in the creation of a short-range centrifuge? This is true?
Maksim Kharlamov: So. The centrifuge is very important. It will play its key role in maintaining the cosmonaut’s performance in orbit. But the cosmonauts, our doctors, and our scientists are also actively participating. We cooperate very closely.
RG: Maksim Mikhailovich, now Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub are making an annual flight. Once upon a time, cosmonaut-doctor Valerii Polyakov, after 437 days in space, managed to reach the rescue tent himself. He told me: there is a clear indicator: if you produced 1.5 liters of sweat per day, it means you worked as you should. In addition, Polyakov wore special suits and followed a special diet. Is the regime of Kononenko and Chub different from other crew members?
Maksim Kharlamov: In general, no different. Physical education is mandatory every day. Of course, each cosmonaut adapts the program a little to suit himself, to suit his physiological sensations. It is also adapted according to the recommendations of doctors who monitor the health status of cosmonauts.
Kononenko will become the first cosmonaut to break the 1,100-day mark in zero gravity.
RG: Why are such records needed?
Maksim Kharlamov: This is not a record for the sake of a record. We clearly understand that long-term flights are the future. Therefore, the accumulation of statistics is important. And by how the body perceives such a flight, and how preventive measures compensate for the negative impact. There is a symbiosis of tasks here.
RG: Are annual flights still planned?
Maksim Kharlamov: Not yet. But the option of increasing the flight duration beyond six months is being considered. Eight months is being discussed, for example.
RG: With an eye to long-distance flights, did you propose to conduct the “Constellation” experiment? Immediately after returning to Earth, you put the cosmonaut in almost control of the Martian rover ….
Maksim Kharlamov: Yes, we have been doing this for a long time. This is already part of our activities, which shows good scientific results. We started small: we decided to analyze how a long flight affects an cosmonaut’s ability to effectively perform dynamic manual modes. Docking, descent. Then they added control of a robot, lunar rover or rover. We created a simulator. Then they added the ability to evaluate extravehicular activities …. Now the widest range of studies is being carried out, covering almost all of the professional activities of an cosmonaut. We can already talk about what the controls of on-planetary vehicles should look like, and what is needed so that an cosmonaut can control them more effectively in a spacesuit. Such knowledge will be necessary when we begin to develop technology for working on the surface of the Moon and Mars. And this is no longer such a distant prospect.
RG: Tell me, it was probably no coincidence that Kononenko and Chub were chosen for the annual flight?
Maksim Kharlamov: Their qualifications certainly made it possible to do this. There wasn’t even any question here. I must say that we do not assign a specific crew for a specific flight. But we have a professional psychological commission. It analyzes the condition of each individual cosmonaut, his professional and psychological preparedness, and performance indicators in “extreme” conditions, and issues recommendations on crew compositions.
RG: By the way, how are cosmonauts selected to fly on American spacecraft? Doesn’t language knowledge prevail?
Maksim Kharlamov: There are no special selection criteria, such that some will go to the Russian ship and others to the American one. Everyone speaks English at the required level. This is rather an ongoing work on how to most optimally distribute resources and use the cosmonaut’s potential.
RG: Do cosmonauts really grow during a flight?
Maksim Kharlamov: This is a medical fact. But all this is compensated by rehabilitation measures. On Earth, gravity “returns,” and with it the question of how to bring the spine to its original state with the least risk. Doctors and sports instructors work with the cosmonaut.
RG: Maksim Mikhailovich, the crews, according to tradition, fly to the cosmodrome on different sides. Are these special planes?
Maksim Kharlamov: We have two Tu-204s, but they don’t always fly together. Last time the main crew flew a Tu-204, and the backup crew flew a Tu-134. Yes, these are specially equipped aircraft. They are probably no longer important for the flight to Baikonur, but for the return from the landing site. Cosmonauts fly only lying down; there are separate cabins for each crew member.
RG: What other equipment is in the fleet of the Cosmonaut Training Center?
Maksim Kharlamov: The L-39 jet, which is used for flight training, like a helicopter. There are two Il-76 MDK – air laboratories that allow you to simulate weightlessness in flight.
RG: Explain, why does an cosmonaut need to be able to fly an airplane or helicopter?
Maksim Kharlamov: This is an important aspect of professional training, just like parachute jumping. Because the main thing for an cosmonaut is daily, every minute preparedness for any kind of emergency situation. This is a huge psychological stress. And flying a jet plane is also a certain state of tension and stress. And in this state, the cosmonaut must be able to quickly navigate and make the right decisions.
RG: On the IL-76 MDK, when it flies in a parabola, weightlessness occurs for literally 20 seconds. What can you do in these seconds?
Maksim Kharlamov: A lot. You can understand your feelings, how your body perceives weightlessness. You can learn to move correctly so that later at the station you can fly from handrail to handrail without injuries, bruises or bumps. You can practice certain actions, say, how to connect one part to another …. During training, the plane usually makes ten “slides,” these are ten modes, in total – 200-250 seconds of weightlessness. It is during such classes that the cosmonaut, for example, learns to put on and take off the Sokol spacesuit and practices other important skills. Everyone performs at least a dozen such flights.
RG: The idea of genetic selection of cosmonauts is widely discussed in scientific circles. What do you think about it?
Maksim Kharlamov: Like science. There is probably something behind this: genetics is already changing many of our ideas about the possible and the impossible. As knowledge in this area accumulates, it is possible that such a method will gain the right to exist. But it definitely must be studied, its effectiveness must be proven. Now, without any genetic methods, we can present statistics: how many cosmonauts we select, how many of them reach the flight, how many perform two, three, four or more space flights. And the effectiveness of the current system can be easily assessed.
RG: Isn’t it necessary for an cosmonaut to have, say, an appendix cut out before a long flight? Or maybe the movie Challenge could become a reality?
Maksim Kharlamov: No, not necessarily. Just as it is not necessary to remove the tonsils and adenoids. Prevention means are constantly being improved.
But, for example, cosmonauts are taught how to put fillings, and if necessary, they can even remove a tooth: there are special dental units for such a microsurgical operation.
RG: Was this something like this in practice?
Maksim Kharlamov: Removal – no. And they put fillings.
RG: Maksim Mikhailovich, is the cosmonaut’s portrait changing? After all, it’s not just military pilots and industry specialists who come. The same Borisov worked as an analyst before the detachment. Kikina was a rescuer ….
Maksim Kharlamov: In 2012, we announced the first open recruitment to the cosmonaut corps. That is, theoretically, any citizen of Russia can submit an application if he meets the requirements of age, health and has a higher technical education. For example, Konstantin Borisov, in order to pass our filter, received another higher education: he graduated from the MAI master’s program and studied aircraft life support systems. For the sake of a dream, he left a successful job in consulting.
Anna Kikina worked as a swimming instructor, tour guide in Altai and program director at Siberia-Altai radio, she graduated with honors from the Novosibirsk State Academy of Water Transport with a degree in “Protection in Emergency Situations”, hydraulic engineer. She was selected for the squad just during the first open competition.
But Nikolai Chub was a successful entrepreneur. He is an engineer by training, graduated from SRSTU with a degree in Management and Informatics in Technical Systems. As you can see, people are very diverse. But even through open competitions, officers still come to us. For example, Aleksandr Grebenkin, he is now also on the ISS, before enlisting in the detachment, he served in the Russian Air Force.
We took into the detachment engineers from RKK Energiya, previously, who absolutely knew space technology well. Now the requirements for the breadth of technical knowledge are slightly different, because there is a certain experience, there is on-board documentation, there is help from the Earth, etc. However, I do not rule out that these strict requirements may return when flights are carried out, for example, to the Moon or Mars. You can never predict or describe a complete list of possible emergency situations. Therefore, there must be the most prepared people.
On the other hand, we will definitely need geologists, archaeologists, and doctors. That is, specialists from whom professional knowledge of space technology is not required. They should not manage, repair or fend off emergency situations. They must fly to the place, complete their target task and return. And their preparation for space flight will be narrowed exactly to these requirements. We are engaged in such research.
RG: You have been training cosmonauts for more than thirty years. Have you ever had a desire to fly?
Maksim Kharlamov: No. And not because I’m not a romantic. My first specialty is an engineer of radio-electronic equipment. When I got here by assignment after military school, I learned the selection requirements. I realized that I didn’t pass, and I couldn’t have any ambitions about it. Everyone does their own thing. We on Earth are engaged in our “star business”: we train cosmonauts and help them perform important and complex work in orbit.
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