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Pull the guy to the mountains …

Roskosmos news, 4/1/2022

The Turkey and Turkey mountains in the Krasnodar Territory have long been loved by hikers and professional rock climbers due to their features: they allow you to see and master almost all possible variants of mountainous terrain. Cosmonauts are also regularly dispatched to storm the Caucasus Ranges to practice actions in the event of an emergency landing of a ship in a mountainous area. All members of the squad pass such a test at least once in their entire career. This year, the 2018 cosmonaut recruitment group became the conquerors of the peaks.

Sheer rock. To take impregnable heights, you need to find ledges in an almost vertical wall that you can grab onto only with your fingertips, and slowly crawl up. At the same time, despite the assurance, adrenaline rolls over even the most desperate daredevil. The clouds are already at the bottom, and the top is still far away. But, having correctly distributed the load, you climb further, straining all the muscles of the body …

Getting to know the mountains

Five days this autumn, an intensive course of “mountain survival” lasted for test cosmonauts of the Roscosmos detachment Konstantin Borisov, Aleksandr Gorbunov, Aleksandr Grebenkin, Aleksei Zubritskii, Sergei Mikaev, Kirill Peskov and Oleg Platonov.

After theoretical training, during which the guys studied the methods of action in the mountains in various situations, practical classes began. First, they practiced ascent and descent in a special hangar of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and on a real mountain slope, using climbing equipment and improvised means that are in the descent module of the Soyuz MS spacecraft.

On the third day, they were waiting for a training transition along mountain paths: a 15-kilometer route ran along steep grassy slopes and stone screes, through crevices and mountain rivers. The training program ended with a two-day “mountain survival” with an overnight stay in the grotto, during which the scenario of a possible emergency landing was played out.

Deceptive hospitality

“In the event of a landing in the mountains, the cosmonauts must first assess the situation. If they understand that there will be no search and rescue forces in the near future, and the site on which the descent vehicle is located is unsafe, then they need to either go up or go down to some platform where they can set up camp and wait for help,” said Anatolii Zabruskov, head of the TsPK department for extreme types of training of cosmonauts.

That is why the mountain training program includes determining the safest places for camping, overcoming mountain and water (rivers, streams) barriers, making various types of fires, building shelters, providing self- and mutual assistance, including medical. Cosmonauts also need to learn how to organize a rest stop, stock up on the necessary amount of water, cook food using a portable emergency supply (NAZ, НАЗ).

It is no coincidence that “survival in the mountains” is carried out after training in the desert and in the wooded and swampy areas in winter, when the cosmonauts already have the primary skills of self-preservation. Having experience allows them to focus on the features of rough terrain. Although the mountains beckon with their grandeur and breathtaking landscapes, this hospitality is deceptive.

Every action of the cosmonauts was practiced here to the point of automation. For example: how to move correctly along the “stone sea” (significant disorderly accumulation, scattering or heap of unrolled stone blocks); how to fix a safety rope around large stones and trees in order to protect yourself and a friend walking in a bundle; how to tie various types of knots and stretch rope railings for safe passage of the route.

The cosmonauts worked not only with improvised means available in the descent vehicle, but also with standard climbing equipment.

“In mountainous areas, there is a possibility that the helicopters of the rescue squad will not be able to land near the location of the crew. In this case, the rescuers can drop equipment for the cosmonauts so that they themselves reach the site, from where it is possible to pick them up. They also trained to use everything that is in the descent vehicle to save life: NAZ, parachute, its lines,” said Anatolii Zabruskov.

Do without drama

When launching a rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the possibility of an abnormal landing in a mountainous area is small. However, it is worth remembering April 5, 1975, when cosmonauts Vasilii Lazarev and Oleg Makarov ended up in the Altai mountains due to the accident of the Soyuz launch vehicle. Then the Soyuz descent vehicle almost fell into the abyss. Once at an altitude of 1200 meters on a snowy slope, the “capsule” began to slide down. 152 meters before the cliff, the dangerous descent was stopped by a parachute caught on a tree. The cosmonauts were evacuated by helicopter only the next day.

That is why training in the mountains is a mandatory part of the cosmonaut training program. And if we take into account the launch in the future of manned spacecraft from the Vostochnyicosmodrome, then we must keep in mind the likelihood of landing in the mountainous terrain of the Far East in case of an emergency or emergency.

Knowingly

Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksei Zubritskii notes that in terms of the sense of risk, “mountain survival” is similar to special parachute training, and moving using climbing equipment is comparable to a spacewalk.

“Similar fixation rules. As in the VKD, ВКД extravehicular activity, внекорабельная деятельность, Vnekorabel’naya Deyatel’nost’. – Ed. You have two halyards, and here there are two fasteners. You must first fix one point, then start working with another, move it and return to the first. If there is not one point, it is considered an incorrect and unsafe fix,” he explained.

Despite the fact that some of the participants in the training had experience of long foot throws, climbing peaks and even rock climbing, “mountain survival” gave them a lot of new things.

“Of course, at first it was easier for me when they taught me how to move correctly, work with climbing equipment, and tie basic knots. But it was still a great rehearsal. And when we were told that a kind of professional equipment should be made from parachute lines, it became very interesting. I didn’t even know that it was possible to tie thin ropes into knots in a special way so that they would keep you on a cable,” Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov, who at one time was engaged in a climbing wall and was fond of mountain tourism.

The cosmonauts’ training took place under the guidance and close supervision of instructors, a general practitioner and a TsPK psychologist, with the participation of specialists from the “Centrospas” of the Ministry of Emergency Situations from the village of Agoy.

“The involvement of the local EMERCOM squad is valuable for us both as specialists involved in search and rescue operations during crew launches and landings, and as instructors for training cosmonauts. Thanks to this, we maintain our mountain training skills at the proper level. In addition, local instructors help build different routes based on weather conditions and the situation in the mountains, and it is constantly changing: either there is a rockfall, or some mudflows come down in another place,” said Anatolii Zabruskov.

For example, the “exercise” with the victim, which is traditionally included in the program, was worked out by the cosmonauts using different types of “transport.” If during the “winter trainings” the “Kazbek” chair from the descent vehicle is usually used to move the “wounded”, then here the guys made the sled draggers from branches and parachute lines.

“We all planed stretchers, bandaged them in various ways. We learned how to properly move the victim if he is unconscious or has a suspected fracture. We carried the “sick” together, and alone, and with the help of drags. The instructors of the Ministry of Emergency Situations also showed us how to make all kinds of arbors lower harness, consisting of a waist belt, leg loops, a safety ring, loops for hanging equipment and adjustment buckles. – Ed., carrying, if we have climbing equipment at our disposal,” noted Aleksei Zubritskii.

A friend is known in the mountains

The guys describe the movement on the rocky terrain as one of the tensest moments of “mountain survival.”

“You are paired with a man who carefully laid a safety cable in front of you between stones and trees. You understand: if you fall, the tension of this rope, which leads to the one walking in front, will keep you from falling. But fear still tickles unpleasantly somewhere inside and you need to learn how to defeat it and trust your friend as yourself,” recalls Konstantin Borisov.

How can one not recall the famous song of Vladimir Vysotskii from the movie Vertical? “Pull the guy into the mountains – take a chance! Don’t leave him alone …"

The cosmonauts especially remembered the overnight stay with the whole group in the grotto. Relatively speaking, the crew this time consisted not of three, but of seven people. Otherwise, the cyclogram of the training was the same: they organized a watch near the fire in the cave, every hour they got in touch with the search group, reported their location. In the morning they were allegedly found, but the helicopter could not land. Therefore, according to legend, rescuers landed on them, who escorted them on foot to the place of evacuation.

Believe in your strength

Aleksey Zubritskii, test cosmonaut of the 2018 recruitment: “I think that after a six-month flight, I will not really want to climb mountains due to my physical condition. Most likely, if this happens, you will have to wait for rescuers. But if there is an emergency situation at the launch vehicle launch stage, then it may be necessary to make some kind of independent transition. And now it will be safer and more competent in terms of the distribution of efforts, the creation of insurance, the provision of self- and mutual control.”

Regularly and without injuries

This was the end of the conquest of the tops of the Turkey and Turkey mountains in the Tuapse region for this group of cosmonauts, leaving not only vivid memories, but also the confidence that they would be able to save their lives and health in the mountains. The TsPK instructors were also satisfied with the work of their wards.

“The program was quite intensive. Three participants already had initial mountain training experience. However, there was a lot for them as well. In general, the guys were very positive, understanding the training. Everything went smoothly, without injury. They completed the assigned tasks with good quality,” summed up Anatolii Zabruskov.

In the meantime, these cosmonauts still have years of training and testing ahead of their first flight. So, in February 2022, they will have another “survival” – in the Kazakh steppe. And a month earlier, other winter training sessions for crews will be held at the TsPK – on actions in the event of an emergency landing in a wooded and swampy area.

Linked from Cosmonaut survival training