Who chooses the spacecraft commander and how the psychological compatibility of the crew is determined?
In practice [psychological compatibility of the crew is not determined]. Representatives of space organizations are usually going and they say: "Ivanov will fly from us, Petrov will fly from us, Sidorov will fly from us". Then notify the astronauts that they are now in one crew. But then it begins painstaking and in something hard work on the formation of a psychological climate inside this small group.
At the first stage, we prepare individually: each in its program. Some year and a half before the flight begin joint training on actions in emergency situations. During training just acquainting. Met in the classroom, somewhere talked, then after occupation, someone was visiting or went to the bar. Italian Paolo Noople drove us to Andrea Bocelly concert. Says: "Opera singer famous, my friend". Went. And we were behind the scenes, talked, met with his wife. Americans love to invite to visit themselves, ours – too, so you definitely arrange family evenings.
Over compatibility it is necessary to work, it is necessary to think through the details, find out people. After all, you do not have the opportunity to change your crew. You can’t declare: "Remove Ivanov, give Petrov". The only thing you can say is: "I can’t, I do not fly with them, remove me". But for each of us, the flight is still a dream and your favorite thing, so we will better deal with the coagger. Therefore, I am sure: for each of us, it was especially important to build respectful, kind and friendly relationships in the crew to facilitate the interaction when we will be in orbit. And for friendship guys, by the way, thank you very much.
How do you choose the crew commander? Since now only the our "unions" fly, the crew commander and the ship is definitely appointed our.
The ISS commander is determined by the order: Today is our, in the next expedition – the turn of the American and so on, despite the level of professionalism and health. In my second expedition, when I was a commander of the Soyuz MS-05 ship, my space flight experience was 166 days, the American counterpart Randolf Breznik – a little more than ten days on the Atlantis shuttle. But he became a commander of the station, because the American turn came. However, the ISS commander is a purely formal position, unlike the commander of the Soyuz ship, which is mainly prescribed by the existing experience in space in space.
What are the requirements for entering the crew? It all depends on the coincidence. In the ship "Soyuz" three places, one occupies a foreigner colleague. Two – commander and flight engineer. The management of the center of training cosmonauts is watching how many applicants for which place is. You can be a wonderful person and a unique specialist, but there are ahead of the guys who are waiting for their turn – from an earlier set, older in age. But even if you passed all the exams and standings, all the trials and training was passed, waited for a queue, you may not take the crew by weight of the reasons. Injury or disease that requires long treatment. Testing some new technique that you did not have time to study. Cancellation of the mission to which you were preparing. I told me that me, for example, was going to deduct at all, because the Americans because of the catastrophe of the Columbia Shuttle bought all the places of astronaut scientists for many years ahead. Something similar happened and with those guys who were gained for the flight of the first cosmonaut journalist – the plans changed, and everything, no options. If this situation is developing, you need to look and think if you are ready to start everything from scratch, change the space specialty to more popular and seek the second chance.
In his book "Is it possible to score a nail in space and other questions about cosmonautics" Roskovosa Roskosmos Fiction Cosmonaut and the world’s first spacecraft scholar Space Space School Sergey Ryazansky answers readers. How to become a cosmonaut? Why the rocket flies and does not fall? How is life organized on the ISS? What difficulties arise when entering outdoor space? By reading the book, readers will learn all about astronauts and cosmonautics – from the structure of missiles and access to open space to weekly cleaning in MSK.
