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| Cosmonaut Training Centre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Cosmonaut Training Centre |
| Native name | Moscow Cosmonaut Training Centre |
| Established | 1960 |
| Location | Star City, Moscow Oblast, Russia |
| Type | Training facility |
Cosmonaut Training Centre is a Russian spaceflight training facility located in Star City, Moscow Oblast, established to prepare cosmonauts for human spaceflight on programs such as Vostok program, Voskhod program, Soyuz program, Mir, and the International Space Station. The centre has evolved through interactions with organizations including Soviet Space Program, RKK Energia, and Roscosmos to support long-duration missions, extravehicular activity, and international crewed operations. Its curriculum and infrastructure reflect contributions from engineers, physicians, and scientists associated with institutions like TsKBEM, Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, and major aerospace design bureaus.
The facility originated in the early Cold War era amid competition between the Soviet Union and the United States during the Space Race, following achievements by figures such as Yuri Gagarin and programs like Vostok program. Established under directives from agencies including Soviet Space Program leadership and influenced by design bureaus like OKB-1 and RKK Energia, it consolidated training previously conducted at multiple sites. During the 1960s and 1970s it supported missions developed by Sergey Korolyov, Valentin Glushko, and Konstantin Feoktistov, and adapted to changes after incidents such as the Soyuz 1 and Soyuz 11 accidents. In the 1980s and 1990s the centre integrated long-duration flight preparation for Mir crews and incorporated international partners during programs including Interkosmos and cooperative efforts with European Space Agency, NASA, and JAXA. Post-Soviet transitions involved cooperation with commercial entities, continued work with Roskosmos, and preparation for continued International Space Station operations.
The centre operates under authorities associated with Roscosmos and inherent links to enterprises like RKK Energia, TsNIIMash, and medical research institutes such as Institute of Biomedical Problems. Administrative divisions include departments for flight operations, medical support, training simulation, and scientific research that coordinate with manufacturers like Salyut Design Bureau and mission control organizations including Mission Control Center (Korolyov). The organizational hierarchy integrates instructors drawn from veteran crews of Soyuz TMA and Soyuz MS flights, medical officers affiliated with Academy of Medical Sciences of the USSR, and engineers connected to programs like Buran and Progress (spacecraft). International liaison offices manage partnerships with agencies such as NASA, ESA, CSA, and Roscosmos counterparts.
Programs cover basic cosmonaut selection courses, primary spaceflight training for Soyuz missions, long-duration mission preparation for Mir and International Space Station expeditions, and specialized instruction for extravehicular activity and scientific payload operations. Syllabi incorporate spacecraft systems familiarization from Soyuz and Progress (spacecraft), orbital mechanics scenarios referencing achievements of Sputnik 1 and operational lessons from Salyut stations, and survival training influenced by historical incidents like Soyuz 11. Crew resource management and international crewing practices developed alongside partnerships with NASA Shuttle-Mir Program and International Space Station mission planning. Medical and psychological regimens derive from studies by the Institute of Biomedical Problems and include countermeasures for microgravity effects studied on missions such as Bion and experiments aboard Skylab-era collaborations.
On-site infrastructure includes centrifuges, neutral buoyancy pools, hypobaric chambers, and mockups of spacecraft like full-scale Soyuz and Progress replicas and modules replicating Zvezda and Zarya elements of the International Space Station. Training assets reflect engineering heritage from RKK Energia, hardware developed for Salyut and Mir, and simulators analogous to those used by NASA for the Space Shuttle program. Medical facilities host telemetry suites and analog environments used in research projects with institutions like Academy of Sciences of the USSR and modern successors. The centre’s facilities have supported extravehicular activity rehearsal in neutral buoyancy pools and centrifuge studies comparable to those conducted at Johnson Space Center and European counterparts.
Candidates are selected from pools including military aviators from branches historically associated with Soviet Air Forces, civilian specialists nominated by institutes such as Moscow Aviation Institute and research organizations like Institute of Medical and Biological Problems. Selection emphasizes flight experience comparable to criteria used by NASA and ESA during collaborative missions, medical clearance reflecting standards from the Institute of Biomedical Problems, and psychological screening derived from cosmonaut corps protocols established by leaders like Yuri Gagarin and Valentina Tereshkova. International participants have been drawn through programs such as Interkosmos and bilateral agreements with agencies including European Space Agency, NASA, and national space agencies across Asia and the Americas.
The centre conducts biomedical, physiological, and human factors research in conjunction with institutes such as the Institute of Biomedical Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, and international partners like NASA and ESA. Collaborative projects have included long-duration life science experiments, countermeasure development for bone and muscle loss studied during Mir expeditions, and hardware validation for modules designed by RKK Energia and European industry partners. It hosts joint training exchanges and contributes expertise to multinational programs including the International Space Station, cooperative ventures like Shuttle–Mir Program, and bilateral research agreements with agencies such as JAXA and CSA.
The centre trained inaugural figures including Yuri Gagarin and subsequent pioneering cosmonauts such as Valentina Tereshkova, Alexei Leonov, and Gherman Titov, as well as crews for pivotal missions like Vostok 1, Voskhod 2, Soyuz 1, Soyuz 11, and long-duration expeditions aboard Mir and the International Space Station. Later alumni include participants in joint ventures such as Shuttle–Mir Program crews and multinational Expedition crews to the International Space Station, contributing to missions commanded by veterans from organizations like RKK Energia and Roscosmos. The centre’s graduates have received awards including the Hero of the Soviet Union and Order of Lenin and have engaged in scientific programs spanning decades of human spaceflight history.
Category:Space training facilities Category:Human spaceflight