On September 1st, students of South Ural State University received congratulations on the Knowledge Day from the SUSU alumnus, cosmonaut Dmitry Petelin, who is currently on board the orbital space station.
"We can't do without things that we bring here to the space station from Earth. And similar to that, your knowledge that you will obtain at the university will become your most precious baggage, which, time and again, will be of help to you in your future life!" Dmitry Petelin reminded the freshmen.
Lecturer of the SUSU Department of Aircraft Engines Elena Sulatskaia shares that Dmitry keeps in touch with his alma mater. They manage to communicate via social networks and exchange short videos from time to time. From Earth he receives videos on space-related scientific innovations, and from the orbit he can teach how to put a space suit on. The space suit is needed for extravehicular activity. Dmitry once happened to spend more than 10 hours in the outer space.
With him on board the space station, Dmitry Petelin took a chevron, a T-shirt and a sweatshirt with the university logo, which the Department staff members had sent him as gifts. He also took a souvenir copy of the Student monument, which is located in front of the main SUSU building.