Unearthly challenges. How astronauts train

Almost every second man in childhood dreamed of becoming an astronaut and conquering the boundless expanses of our galaxy. This little-studied romance has always been somehow particularly attractive, but it is quite difficult to earn a place among those who will go into space. The profession of an astronaut involves constant stress on the body and extreme tests of strength and endurance. Training plays a crucial role in preparation for the flight. Even the most athletic person will be hard to endure all the trials that astronauts go through every day. But still, it is realistic to get close to their ideal parameters.

Who is taken in astronauts?

To date, it is not necessary to be an exact copy of the legendary Yuri Gagarin. In the Soviet Union, the future cosmonaut had to be a member of the party, have a record of military pilot and be no taller than 170 cm. Moreover, the candidate had to have the title of master of sports and have a good physical fitness. The requirements have changed a lot since those times and have become more loyal. Cosmonauts also still have height and weight restrictions, but now they have become much higher (up to 190 cm). The state corporation Roscosmos posted on its website a list of requirements for those wishing to join the ranks of the conquerors of the universe:

• Russian citizenship (dual citizenship is prohibited);
• men and women up to 35 years old;
• knowledge of English;
• higher education in engineering, science or flight specialties;
• good physical fitness and absence of chronic diseases;
• stress resistance.

Since 2012, the Russian Federation has been holding open enrollments, which means that not only military pilots and employees of the rocket and space industry have a chance to become an astronaut. Although engineering and flight specialties are still in priority.

General physical training of astronauts

Huge muscles do not play an important role in the physical form of an astronaut. He must be strong, agile and endurance to feel comfortable in weightlessness. Therefore, most of the training includes a variety of sports to improve these indicators. These include track and field, swimming, parachuting, diving, gymnastics and skiing.

Astronauts spend two hours in the gym three times a week, emphasizing multifunctional training. Iron exercises are performed mostly with light weights to keep muscles toned. To get the highest score for sports training, a cosmonaut candidate under the age of 35 must fulfill the following norms:

• 3 km run – no more than 12 minutes and 20 seconds
• 800-meter freestyle swim – no more than 19 minutes
• 5 km ski race – no more than 24 minutes
• pull-ups – 14 times
• 100-meter race – no more than 13.2 seconds
• long jump – not less than 2.5 meters
• diving under water – not less than 25 meters.

The standards look quite feasible. Perhaps some of you may even want to test your strength and pass the first stage of selection. But these trainings are only a small part of the long training that astronauts have to undergo before the flight.