On the eve of the Cosmonautics Day, Hero of Russia, pilot-cosmonaut Dmitry Petelin met with students of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering of South Ural State University.
Dmitry Petelin is an alumnus of the SUSU Faculty of Aerospace Engineering with a degree in Aircraft and Helicopter Engineering. He is now an active pilot-cosmonaut and Hero of Russia. Dmitry is currently preparing to defend his candidate thesis on the topic of "Development of an Assessment of Improving the Quality of the ISS Crew Life Support System Simulator Complex".
This is not the first time that the pilot-cosmonaut met with SUSU students. Students listened to him with interest and actively participated in the conversation.
"Students are now most interested in the future. They want to know what will happen to the Russian orbital station, how the lunar projects will develop and when we will be able to visit Mars. I want to wish all SUSU students to never give up, never give in, and go towards their goals. Stress is always present in our lives, but to cope with it, you need to smile more and be sympathetic to people," said Dmitry Petelin.
Dmitry Petelin reflected on whether people would be able to get to other planets in the near future, and what he thinks about the development of the lunar module. The cosmonaut shared what everyday problems they face in space, when the working day begins at the station, and whether it is necessary to do exercises every day. Dmitry Petelin considers honesty to be the main psychological quality of a cosmonaut and any person.
Also, there were some unusual questions: is artificial intelligence used to search for lost items on-board the station? Why do cosmonauts go underwater, and why do they jump with a parachute? Why are there so few female cosmonauts?
"Today's meeting is one of the most significant events in my life. I have already been to Zvyozdny gorodok (Star City), but today I’ve personally spoke to the cosmonaut for the first time and asked the questions that interested me. This meeting showed that nothing is impossible, we can overcome anything, and if we want, we will achieve all our goals," shared her impressions Anna Sorokina, student majoring in Aerospace Engineering at SUSU.
Dmitry Petelin openly and comprehensively answered all the students' questions, took memorable photos and signed postcards for the students.
At the end of the meeting, a SUSU graduate working at the Fakel Experimental Design Bureau congratulated Dmitry Petelin on the Cosmonautics Day on behalf of the organization and presented him with a book about the history of the bureau.