Vasileuskaia Is Not Astronaut: Journalists Discover Important Details

It's all about preparation.

Maryna Vasileuskaia is not an astronaut but a space tourist, writes Nasha Niva.

Usually, it takes 5-7 years to prepare an astronaut, while Maryna Vasileuskaia was trained in just 6 months. How did this happen?

There is a simple explanation: Maryna was trained not as a real astronaut, but as a space tourist. On the website of Glavkosmos (commercial operator of Roscosmos), you can find advertisements for commercial flights to the ISS.

There are two options for the program: basic and advanced. The basic one includes a medical examination, a training course based on an individually developed program at the Yury Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center, a flight to the ISS aboard the Soyuz MS spacecraft, a stay on the ISS (it is noted that the standard period of stay there is 10 days, but it can be extended if the customer wants), landing in Karaganda (the work of search and rescue services is included in the price) and post-flight rehabilitation.

Specialists develop an individual program for space tourists not to get bored with the ISS. The advertisement promises that the tourist will become part of the team and will be able to participate in real scientific experiments — and then, apparently, tell on television that took part in developing the “kefir for astronauts”.

The opportunity to play sports in weightlessness, as well as take beautiful photos and share them online is mentioned as a pleasant bonus.

The additional program includes weightlessness training before the flight, the development of a "guest set" of space meals, a stay on the ISS for up to 30 days, spacewalk, the development and implementation of a scientific program for execution on board the ISS.