space is calling
"Space Calling" is a documentary project that explores the development of a cosmonaut's personality—from childhood dreams to spaceflight. Learn about the stages of cosmonaut training in Russia and the inner workings of the space industry.
episode 1. Selection for the cosmonaut corps
"May the Force be with you!" – did Alexander Misurkin, as a child, ever imagine that this phrase from the Star Wars saga would come in so handy? Like any boy, in the 1980s, he dreamed of becoming a Jedi, but he realized early on that the Millennium Falcon wouldn't be operational anytime soon, so he decided to settle on a more down-to-earth profession and become an astronaut. In this episode, you'll learn how an abstract dream turned into a tangible plan, how the selection process for the astronaut corps unfolded, the challenges he faced in the medical office, how he struggled with the condescending attitude of his colleagues, and how he thought, "Sasha, may the Force be with you!"
episode 2. General Space Training
In the second episode of our documentary project, we visit the Yury Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, the place where all cosmonauts begin their journey to the stars. We'll learn about general space training: what subjects cosmonaut candidates study, how they learn to survive in the wild and master parachute jumping, what an isolation chamber is, and why the tests in it are the candidates' greatest fears. We'll even learn more about the state exam, after which we receive our cosmonaut certification and begin preparing for flight.
episode 3. Training of astronauts as part of the crew
In the third episode of the documentary project "Space Calling," we continue to tell the story of how cosmonauts prepare for a mission to the ISS and begin specialized space training. Here we practice enduring G-forces in a centrifuge, prepare for a spacewalk in the hydrolaboratory, learn to work in the Orlan spacesuits, and await assignment to the crew.
episode 4. Life and Work on the ISS
In the fourth episode of the documentary project "Space Calling," we'll finally visit the ISS and tell you how adaptation to zero-gravity conditions is going, what Mission Control does, who prepares food for Russian cosmonauts, and how the station handles emergency situations. I'll talk about the most serious problem I personally encountered on board the ISS and how I prepared for a spacewalk with the legendary Fyodor Nikolaevich Yurchikhin.
episode 5. Experiments and scientific discoveries in space
In the fifth episode of the documentary project "Space Calling," we'll tell the story of Fyodor Yurchikhin and I's then-record-breaking spacewalk in 2013, the scientific experiments we conducted on the ISS, and how scientists on Earth are working with the data we obtained. In this episode, we'll return to Earth from the ISS and discuss the difficulties we encountered during our descent, how we adapted, and what gravity feels like after six months in zero gravity.
episode 6. The Future Generation of Astronauts
In the final episode of the project, we'll join the show's characters in a glimpse into the future and dream a little: will we ever fly to Mars? When will trips to the Moon be available for the price of a trip to Thailand? What new knowledge about the Universe do we gain during space expeditions, and how does it change our lives? What inventions are astronauts testing in orbit? Let's figure out together what our brave new world will be like.