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Cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov interviews – May 2022

Pyotr Dubrov: “Work in open space is physically difficult”

6/5/2022

Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov, who set a record among Russians for the longest stay on the International Space Station (ISS), has started the second stage of rehabilitation after returning to Earth. During the space expedition, he received two new modules, made four spacewalks to integrate them with the station, performed a number of scientific experiments, and took part in the filming of the feature film Challenge. Pyotr Dubrov told TASS about rehabilitation after a flight, work in open space, scientific experiments on board the ISS and how to take blood from a vein in space.

TASS: You spent 355 days in orbit (from April 9, 2021 to March 30, 2022). What were your first thoughts after landing?

Pyotr: My main thought was – I’m finally home. I realized that our planet requires respect, because it was not very easy, but, fortunately, rehabilitation is going well.

TASS: Have you already completed the period of acute rehabilitation?

Pyotr: The acute stage, as a rule, takes several days, now the sanatorium-resort stage has already begun.

TASS: Where does it go?

Pyotr: He is in a sanatorium in Sochi.

TASS: You took part in the filming of the film Challenge, will you take part in the filming on Earth?

Pyotr: During the stay of Yulia and Klim on the ISS, we managed to film everything that was planned. Filming on Earth is about to begin. And yes, I will also take part in these shootings.

TASS: Do I understand correctly that shooting on Earth has not yet begun for you? Will they be after rehabilitation?

Pyotr: Of course, in the first place all post-flight work related to experiments, communication with specialists, rehabilitation, and then we will deal with this project.

TASS: General Director of Channel One, Konstantin Ernst, said that the space part of the film is already in the works. Were you allowed to see it?

Pyotr: No, I haven’t seen it yet.

TASS: Who are you playing in the film?

Pyotr: I have a wonderful role – I play myself!

TASS: Which adaptation is harder: to space or back to Earth?

Pyotr: If we talk about physiological adaptation, it is a little more difficult to get used to weightlessness in the first flight: this is a completely new environment for the body, for which it is practically not ready, after all, we live in gravity almost all our lives. And the opposite is a little easier, the body quickly remembers and adapts, only individual effects of weightlessness (for example, on the cardiovascular system, bone tissue) will be restored for a slightly longer time.

TASS: What is it like to be the record holder for the longest stay on the ISS?

Pyotr: In fact, there have already been a lot of much longer flights: the flight of Valerii Polyakov, Vladimir Titov with Musa Manarov. Therefore, it is difficult to call my flight a record, only on the condition that it was on the ISS. This is a certain achievement, but not a record.

TASS: What was the most difficult for you in orbit?

Pyotr: It was probably difficult to enter into a certain rhythm of work in orbit. It is quite intense, full of a wide variety of work – both technical and scientific: some work related to the re-equipment of the station, preparation and execution of extravehicular activities, that is, this is a schedule that you need to get used to.

TASS: You have done several spacewalks and worked inside the ISS – which job did you like best?

Pyotr: Of course, every spacewalk is a landmark event in orbit that requires serious work, serious preparation, which begins on earth, during training on the Vykhod-2 simulators, hydrolaboratories, during meetings with specialists, when planned work. In orbit, equipment, spacesuits, an exit compartment are prepared in advance, a cyclogram, циклограмм, of work, and places of work are being studied. All this takes quite a long time. A very difficult task. The exit itself is considered to be the pinnacle of the cosmonaut’s skill. Not all, unfortunately, this work falls on the expedition.

TASS: During the first extravehicular activity (EVA), внекорабельной деятельности (ВКД), Vnekorable’noi Deyatel’nosti (VKD), do they give time to get used to weightlessness?

Pyotr: No, there is no time for getting used to the VKD. The cyclogram is quite dense, especially since we had it connected with the preparation for the reception of the module. Therefore, there was almost no time for getting used to, adapting. Needless to say, this was not necessary. Our training on the ground paints a pretty good picture of what we will encounter in flight during a real exit. We were already ready for almost everything that could be waiting for us there, with the exception of what was impossible to simulate.

TASS: Did you manage to admire the Earth during the VKD, when you had a short break in work?

Pyotr: Oh sure. Working in outer space is physically difficult, from time to time we are given time to catch our breath, rest, and recover before the next transition. Therefore, it was time to “hang” a little, to admire the Earth.

TASS: Is it different from what you saw in the pictures?

Pyotr: Undoubtedly. When you look at any object live, it is always different from what you see in the photographs. Especially when you look at our planet from space. This is a view that not many people have been able to see with their own eyes.

TASS: Is the Earth really a planet of clouds?

Pyotr: I fully agree with this opinion. Clouds cover most of the surface. At certain periods, looking out the window, one could see only clouds. Sometimes their size and area were simply amazing. They covered a huge part of the planet’s surface. Very rarely, looking out the porthole, one could see a large open space. Over hot regions, such as Australia, there are fewer clouds.

TASS: The most readable news is usually about emergency situations on the ISS, while the cosmonauts do a lot of scientific work that remains behind the scenes. How long did your scientific work take? What experiments did you enjoy doing the most?

Pyotr: As a rule, some special events taking place in orbit are reported in the news. Often this is due to some kind of emergency situations. And the usual chore may not be as interesting, so it is rarely reported. In fact, the number of experiments we perform is unevenly distributed over the course of an expedition. Most of it falls on periods when a cargo ship arrives or a crew arrives to take over. In the first case, they bring experiments that need to be performed and send the results to Earth in the form of photographs or some kind of report files. Experiments are delivered on a manned spacecraft, the results of which will need to be launched together with the crew, and specialists on Earth will already analyze them and draw conclusions. During such periods, there may be two to four experiments per day.

In the intervals of science, we are much less involved, as a rule, we are more engaged in technical work, and before the VKD, more time is devoted to preparing for a spacewalk, so it’s not every day that we get the opportunity to perform some kind of scientific experiment. Basically, these are medical and biological experiments, studies of our body in space, studies of methods for preventing stay in outer space. Such experiments usually go on for quite a long time.

TASS: Can you name the experiment that you liked the most?

“Personally, I would be interested in working with some materials in space; an electric vacuum furnace has arrived on the Nauka module, which can melt crystals and alloys under weightless conditions. It would be very interesting to work with these, but, unfortunately, no such work was planned for our expedition.

From what we managed to do, there were quite interesting experiments that explored the capabilities of us, cosmonauts, as operators during a long flight, when we performed some typical operator tasks of controlling the spacecraft, solving cognitive tests, and in the process of this we were filmed enough a large number of indicators: electrocardiogram and others. During a long flight, the indicators change. Experts on Earth are studying how weightlessness affects our ability to perform operator tasks, including controlling a spacecraft. Based on this, some methods and methods are planned for preventing the impact of space flight factors, perhaps to improve well-being.

There was also a rather interesting experiment, within the framework of which it is planned to study methods of how to reduce the time for a person to adapt to weightlessness, to reduce the intensity of the effects that a person experiences during this adaptation.

TASS: Are we talking about training or about medications?

Pyotr: I think there will be some kind of a set of measures. Maybe training, maybe medication support, maybe some kind of stimulating, electrically stimulating effects. This is studied by specialists, and recommendations will be made based on the results.

TASS: Are there any experiments on board the ISS that are related to the collection of venous blood, how is it going? Is it different from a similar operation on Earth?

Pyotr: Of course, there are such experiments, they are carried out throughout the entire flight, they took blood from my vein five or six times, now it is difficult to remember the exact number. Approximately the same number of times – blood from a finger. We undergo appropriate training, we take it from our own fingers, and from a vein – usually from each other.

TASS: Do you need a special tool?

Pyotr: No, we do not use special devices, the same butterfly needles that are used on Earth. Of course, there are certain features: the need for fixation during the blood sampling process in order to accurately and accurately insert the needle into the vein. There are certain difficulties in the process of blood filling, because in orbit it can be a little more difficult to find a vein and get into it. There are some peculiarities.

TASS: The flight of the Nauka Multi-Purpose Laboratory Module to the ISS was quite difficult. Did you see it during an autonomous flight?

Pyotr: We were lucky to receive this module, we wanted to photograph it. Initially, according to the ballistic rendezvous scheme, it had to pass under the station twice in lower orbits before rendezvous and docking. Unfortunately, as we know, there were several emergency situations after its launch, because of this, the rendezvous scheme had to be changed, and as a result, we could not see the module until the moment we entered the near section.

TASS: After emergency situations, was there a fear that the module might dock incorrectly or “crash” into the station?

Pyotr: There was no such fear, because, as in the case of cargo ships, when docking an object with the Russian segment of the ISS, we always control the process, we prepare the remote control panel for teleoperator control. Oleg Novitskii and I were ready to take control at any moment if there was even the slightest suspicion that there was a risk to the station. We would have done all the necessary work manually: withdrawal or docking.

TASS: Before joining the cosmonaut corps, you worked as a programmer, did these skills come in handy on board, maybe you had to update the software?

Pyotr: The software at the station is updated regularly, as a rule, this is due to technical updates. The crew hardly notices them. The very essence of the updates is made in such a way that the crew does not have to retrain, so that they perform all the necessary actions as always. From a technical point of view, some functions are added, in particular, after docking new modules, of course, it was necessary to update the service software on the control laptops so that they would learn about new features, new modules. Everything went smoothly, there were no problems, everything works.

TASS: How much does the psychological support service help in your work?

“Their work is important: it helps not to feel cut off from home, because besides the fact that they send some films, music, organize conferences with friends, relatives, if we have any requests, they can organize almost any conference: with school, university. If you ask them to do something, they are very helpful.

TASS: What was the most unusual surprise they did?

“The best part was that for my birthday they were able to contact many of my friends. Some of them I have not seen for some time, because I live in Star City, Звездном городке, and they are in Khabarovsk – it is difficult for us to maintain contacts. It was very nice to receive such a video greeting from them, a video greeting on my birthday. It was the most pleasant surprise.

TASS: What did you do in your free time?

Pyotr: We have a very wide range of things to do: there is a library (both paper and electronic), a large film library, a lot of music, you can find something for everyone, and, of course, photographing our beloved planet, searching for interesting places. More than once I photographed my hometown both at night and in the daytime. I hope I will have the opportunity to present these photographs to Khabarovsk.

TASS: Is it possible that a cosmonaut could get bored of looking out the window?

Pyotr: I think this is simply impossible. The Earth is never the same, every second it changes: a different form of clouds, different places. Even in a year it is impossible to get used to and stop wanting to look out the window. The Earth certainly looks amazing from above.

TASS: Could you watch the latest releases on the ISS?

Pyotr: Of course, we were uploaded films that have already been released officially. The psychological support group regularly sent us new films, serials, recorded news programs for us, we were aware of everything that was happening on the planet. In addition, films were sent to our partners, almost every week we gathered with the entire crew of the station and watched a film, which each member of the crew chose in turn. We watched foreign, Soviet and Russian films. It was possible to find subtitles. Russian subtitles were selected for American films, English subtitles for ours. Everyone could understand and enjoy the viewing process.

When the new Spider-Man movie came out, the lead actor recorded a big greeting for our partners, we all watched it, it was very nice.

TASS: In November 2021, the cosmonauts treated you and Anton Shkaplerov to homemade rolls with pepper grown on the ISS. How different are space rolls from earth rolls? It was delicious?

Pyotr: Pepper, surprisingly, is very similar to the one we eat on Earth. It was a bit unusual that it wasn’t quite uniformly spicy, but maybe it’s just that variety, in terrestrial conditions peppers also sometimes grow with such characteristics. It was very unusual and nice to try space-grown food. If even such a complex plant as pepper has been grown in space, it means that we are technically capable of growing most of the plants we are used to and adding new products to the cosmonaut’s diet.

TASS: Would you like to acquire such a space garden in the Russian segment?

Pyotr: Of course, this would be a very interesting experiment and help for the cosmonauts, because it is like a certain psychological relief – to monitor the plants, help them grow, see how they develop, begin to bear fruit; helps to feel a little at home, on Earth.

TASS: Since last year, all cosmonauts have been members of the scientific and technical councils of Roscosmos enterprises, are you already a member of some?

Pyotr: When such registration was carried out, I was in flight, therefore I could not take part. This process has just been launched, it has not yet been tied to any particular one.

TASS: Did you take part in the discussions when the cosmonauts offered something for some enterprises?

Pyotr: In-flight crews focus on the tasks of the flight. They try to remove such tasks from them. Therefore, we did not take part in such meetings during the flight.

TASS: When will you return to training after rehab?

Pyotr: While the specific date is unknown, first of all, it is necessary that the doctors give the go-ahead. After rehabilitation, there will be a medical commission that will determine how well the body has recovered and whether it is ready to start training again, because some of them require significant effort, you need to know that the body has fully recovered.

TASS: Will you be interested in flying to the ISS again if the business trip is less eventful?

Pyotr: When an interesting task is set for a space flight, the flight becomes much more interesting, you can do something that has never been done before. It is the task that determines what we must accomplish in the process of space flight. Of course, the tasks are different, not always in flight something unique, unusual, like in my case the reception of new modules and a large number of VKDs. Despite this, even an ordinary flight can be quite interesting, there can be unusual experiments.

TASS: Would you like to become a crew member during the first manned flight of the Oryol?

“Of course, it would be a very interesting task. This ship has been developed for a long time, I also took a little part in some of the work. I really want to see it in flight. If I happen to pilot it on this flight, it will be very cool.

TASS: What, in your opinion, should be the task of an cosmonaut during the first flight to the Moon?

Pyotr: It is in the first flight that the main task should be to work out the equipment, the ship, ballistic traffic patterns. Of course, there will be scientific tasks, but in the first flight, the most important thing is to ensure safety and work out all the technologies for such flights so that in the future they become regular and, perhaps, a little simpler.

TASS: Would you like to take part in this?

Pyotr: Such tasks are always interesting, any cosmonaut will be glad to take part in such a flight.

Interviewed by Ekaterina Moskvich

Pyotr Dubrov: “Feel the infinity of space”

8/5/2022

Returning at the end of March 2022 from an almost year-long flight, Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov told Russian Space Magazine about his first emotions at the time of landing, about working in outer space, about participating in the scientific and educational project Challenge, and also about how handy his job as a programmer was on board the International Space Station.

The Earth demands respect

RSM: It is believed that how much time an cosmonaut spent in weightlessness, so much will recovery take. Do you think this applies to you?

Pyotr: I don't have such experience in the past, so it’s hard to say. My feeling is that the pace of recovery is the same as if it were a six-month flight. Let’s see what the doctors say in six months.

RSM: At the post-flight press conference at TsPK, you said that when you returned, you preferred to drink a rosehip drink. Why that?

Pyotr: I just tried to imagine what I would want immediately after landing, given that the state will be approximately the same as in the first days upon arrival at the station, when my body needed time to adapt to weightlessness. The taste of wild rose is relaxing, helping to tone up. Right at the landing site, they gave me a cup of rosehip broth. And it really helped me feel better.

RSM: Pyotr, what did you feel when you first touched the Earth with your feet after a year in unsupported space?

Pyotr: At first they didn’t let us get up, they carried us in our arms. The first time after landing, I touched the Earth with my feet already in a tent not far from the landing site. At that moment there was heaviness and there was a feeling that our planet requires respect. You can’t take it lightly.

RSM: Did you manage to admire our planet during your spacewalks? What does it look like from a height of more than four hundred kilometers?

Pyotr: Sometimes we had to pause during extravehicular activities to catch our breath, for example, after a long hard transition to a new workplace.

Or when, after some of our actions, specialists on Earth needed to perform various checks. In these cases, there were breaks in work, and I found the opportunity to look at our planet. And, you know, the most unusual impression was that the distance to the Earth was not felt at all. The 400 km that separated the ISS from our planet were not felt. It seemed that the Earth was very close, a couple of hundred meters away. It’s like it’s just a painted poster floating below. This feeling is created due to the fact that there is no atmosphere in space and the Earth can be seen very clearly.

RSM: And the stars are also better seen from space?

Pyotr: Not always. In the bright part of the orbit, the Earth is so bright that the eyes, getting used to its light, practically do not perceive the faint glow of the stars. Moreover, in a bright area, we lower a special protective glass (light filter. - Ed.) So that the sunlight does not blind the eyes. Therefore, the stars on the sunny side are practically invisible. But on the dark side, when we open this light filter, of course, both the number of stars and their very appearance are impressive. It is very different from what we are used to seeing from Earth. In space, they are unblinking, cold, and between them there is a deep black space...

When we look at the sky from Earth at night, water vapor and suspended particles in the atmosphere scatter light, give light, and in space you see blackness without the light noise of the atmosphere and you understand that in front of you is infinity itself. This boundless outer space is literally felt and leaves an indelible impression.

The pinnacle of craftsmanship

RSM: Not every expedition and not every cosmonaut gets to work outside the station. And you had as many as four exits …

Pyotr: Work overboard is perhaps the most difficult, requiring extensive training. In terms of complexity, I think, a spacewalk can be called the pinnacle of an cosmonaut’s skill.

RSM: Can you remember what emotions you experienced when you first went into outer space?

Pyotr: Emotions in such work fade into the background, because you always need to do a lot in a fairly short period of time. But some moments are remembered, of course. The first look through the open hatch, the first view of the Earth through the glazing of the spacesuit.

RSM: When you took the first step out of the hatch, was it like a parachute jump?

Pyotr: On the one hand, it’s a bit similar, because you also go out into the unknown. The edge of the door in the plane, by the way, is somewhat similar to the hatch of the station module. But at the same time, in space, you do it slowly, you understand where you need to move, you are constantly in contact with the station. Rehooking the carabiners, moving your hands, you always feel the support. In a parachute jump, on the contrary, your only support is the air flow, in which you need to orient yourself very quickly. Of course, haste never leads to good, therefore, despite the speed during the jump, the movements must be accurate, measured, and verified. In this sense, special parachute training is very important for an cosmonaut.

But still, the pace and intensity when working in space and in the air flow during a parachute jump are very different.

RSM: Pyotr, you already answered our publication in January on the question about the record for staying on the ISS. Has your attitude towards this achievement changed since returning to Earth?

Pyotr: Not at all. I still think that this is a very conditional record. According to the ISS program, yes, this is some kind of achievement. But in fact there were many longer flights. Suffice it to recall the long-term space expeditions to the Mir station by Valerii Polyakov, Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov.

Unusual role

RSM: It seems that you are not in danger of “star disease,” despite such a long and eventful expedition. By the way, how did you feel about participating in the filming of the first feature film in space?

Pyotr: It was very unusual. I never wanted to be an actor, for me this is an unfamiliar activity. I had to get used to it. Moreover, it was necessary to continue to carry out work on the station, to conduct experiments, the materiel of which arrived on a ship with a film crew. Therefore, they combined shooting for the Challenge project with regular regular activities. This created some difficulties.

RSM: How do you like the role you play in the film? Did you like it?

We did a lot of takes. In each take, everything is different: somewhere better, somewhere worse. And which one the director will choose is unknown. Let’s wait for the final installation work, then it will be possible to understand what the result is.

RSM: How realistic is the scenario, in your opinion?

Pyotr: As in any feature film, there will be many assumptions, author’s findings and ideas that cannot be realized in real life. Immediately I ask the audience not to be too judgmental, after all, this is an artistic feature film, primarily designed to receive some kind of emotions and positive impressions. We tried to make the technical part as close to reality as possible.

RSM: Are you already preparing for the filming of the Earthly part of the film?

Pyotr: In April, preparatory work for this filming at TsPK began, but so far without our participation. We should start filming in the summer. And now – rehabilitation and preparation of a post-flight report on the results of the work done. And the main priority for me is to continue what I started at the station.

In his element

RSM: Do you mean the activity in your first profession as a programmer?

Pyotr: Yes, I did something while on the station, and I would like to continue working now to create software for the board, which will facilitate the work of the crew.

RSM: Can you tell us in more detail what changes you have already made to the ISS software?

Pyotr: I have finalized the schedule according to which the cosmonauts work every day. On the eve, the entire list of work for the next day is sent, and this is what the cosmonaut builds on in his daily activities on board. He looks at what is next in terms of what documents to work on. I tried to make the schedule more convenient and perfect, to add functions to reduce the time for the cosmonauts on some routine operations, such as searching for a radio message or flight documentation.

RSM: And what does it look like now? You click on the link and the required document opens right away?

Pyotr: Yes exactly. Now the plan contains links that you can open and immediately get the necessary information for work. And you can filter and see, for example, only your work. This is important because the schedule contains the plans of the entire crew of the station, and when there are a lot of people on board, for example during a shift change, it can be difficult to find your work for the day, which is lost in the crowd. This filter helps you focus on your tasks. It’s easier to plan your day.

RSM: Are these innovations already being applied on board the ISS?

Pyotr: Yes. It took me about six months to develop and debug. Oleg Novitskii was the first to try out the updated schedule. Then Anton Shkaplerov and Aleksandr Misurkin gave positive feedback. Therefore, I am sure that this is necessary, and I will continue to work in this direction. We have been working at the station for months, and there is a vast field for innovation in terms of software.

RSM: Do you have anything else to suggest?

Pyotr: I will continue to improve the tools that the crew works with daily – radiograms, on-board instructions. Now they are actually simple books in electronic format. But they can be made interactive, more ergonomic. They contain a large amount of information. We need to think about how to filter out the data that is needed for a particular job, and how to ensure that the changes that the Earth makes are dynamically reflected in the flight documentation.

You can also consider more convenient options for interacting with TsUP. Now the exchange between the crew and the Earth is mainly carried out through voice communication. But you can think of some means through the existing broadband communication system and other types of electronic communications that will facilitate the work of the crew. Together with specialists on Earth, we will think and propose.

In moments of rest

RSM: Pyotr, you had a very eventful space flight: the arrival of new modules, two visiting expeditions, spacewalks. But still, do you know the feeling of loneliness on the ISS?

Pyotr: No. In my opinion, there is even more communication there than on Earth. At home, for example, you can find a moment to be in peace, enjoying peace and quiet. And in space you are always next to people. Cabins are nearby, for lunches and dinners you constantly intersect with colleagues, not to mention joint work. Yes, and with relatives every week held video conferences. So I didn’t feel lonely.

RSM: Maybe, on the contrary, you wanted to retire?

Pyotr: Yes, sometimes I wanted to go somewhere to the porthole: to admire the Earth, to relax psychologically.

RSM: What is your favorite place to stay on the Russian Segment of the ISS?

Pyotr: Perhaps, the place where you can relax, meditate, looking at the Earth, listen to the sounds of the station, without concentrating on work, is the hermetic adapter of the Nauka module. This is part of the laboratory module, which can be hermetically sealed with hatches. It has two portholes. One large, which looks in the direction opposite to the direction of flight. And one small one, located in the hatch cover of the lock chamber. When the camera is used for its intended purpose, through this small window it will be possible to control what is happening inside. In the meantime, it offers a very beautiful view of the station. Now this is probably the porthole located farthest from any structures, because Prichal is a rather long module. From there you can see almost the entire American segment and part of the Russian one. This view is also impressive, like the beauty of our Earth.

RSM: Having spent almost a year in flight, you probably celebrated all possible holidays on board. What is the most unusual gift you have been given?

Pyotr: There were many gifts both from home and from colleagues. It’s hard to even pick out anything. Festively decorated pennants, emblems associated with our flight. Mark Vande Hei made me a space passport for my birthday: he printed out a small document on a printer, which describes the events of our expedition. And there is such a phrase that at the time of the presentation of this passport, I was the youngest 44-year-old cosmonaut in orbit (smiles).

Thomas Marshburn donated comfortable gloves with LED flashlights at the fingertips for working in narrow behind-panel spaces. Very comfortable.

But the most unusual gift was a cake. For my birthday, the crew members made a small cake from different products that were on board and decorated it with colored creams. It consisted of wafers with maple syrup and honey in between, so it was very sweet. I can imagine how difficult it was to make, because the waffles are crumbly. But the result was amazing.

RSM: Probably, some of the gifts were brought to Earth?

Pyotr: Yes, but not all, as there are weight restrictions of up to one kilogram. Those things that I took with me on the flight – photographs of relatives, several flags, pennants of my native Khabarovsk – I stamped at the station to confirm that they were in orbit. When I get home, I will give them to my relatives, friends, as well as to the school, lyceum, university where I studied.

RSM: When do you plan to visit your hometown?

Pyotr: I hope it will work out in the second half of August. And in the near future, the next stage of rehabilitation will begin – a sanatorium. We will go to Sochi, where we will stay until mid-May.

RSM: Thank you for the interesting conversation, Pyotr! We wish you a speedy and complete recovery, a pleasant stay and that all your plans come true!

Linked from Cosmonaut Group