Indian astronauts learn Russian to work with the equipment of the "Union"

He said that four Indian astronauts are undergoing training in Russia, and the program is the same for everyone.

“They are preparing with the same functionality, now there is no distinction between“ commander ”,“ flight engineer 1 ”or“ flight engineer 2 ”, as is typical for ships of the Soyuz type. Their program includes general space training, which we give to our astronauts, but in a reduced volume. In addition, it envisages consolidation of theoretical knowledge on the basis of studying the practical design of a specific Soyuz spacecraft, ”he said.

He stressed that studying the theory is not enough to subsequently operate the ship.

“Therefore, they will study the design of the ship, all its systems sufficiently deeply in order to subsequently apply this basis of the engineering approach to the study of the ship, to use this knowledge in the study of the development ship of the Republic of India,” he added.

As Vlasov emphasized, the CPC has a full staff of translators and teachers of the Russian language.

“Teaching is officially conducted in Russian with translation, despite the fact that most of our instructors speak English. There is a bulk of information for which the translation must be official. We teach in Russian. The translation is in parallel, they (Indian astronauts. - RT ) are also learning the Russian language ... because the Soyuz spacecraft, all the inscriptions on the remotes, the description, on-board documentation are made in Russian, ”he added.

According to him, the volume of their language training will allow you to confidently work with the equipment of the ship, without doubting the correct understanding of terms and phrases.

“They eat in our flight canteen, along with all the astronauts and our flight crew. They fully accept our menu, so to speak, don’t refuse it, drink more water than we are used to ... Those traditional meat dishes that are unacceptable for Indian citizens, we don’t offer them, ”said Vlasov.

Earlier, the Minister of Atomic Energy and Space Jitendra Singh said that Indian astronauts will study in Russia for 11 months.