On April 10th, a unique press tour for representatives of regional media was held at South Ural State University. The event was timed to coincide with the Cosmonautics Day and included a rich program dedicated to scientific achievements in aerospace technologies, which are actively developing at the university.
The journey into the world of science and space began with a tour of the laboratories of Sport Science Research Centre led by the Director of the Institute of Sports, Tourism and Service Vadim Erlikh. Journalists could see cutting-edge developments in diagnosing the physical condition of a person, including methods used in the training of cosmonauts.
The next location was the stand by the Department of Aircraft Engines, where the tour participants could observe a rocket engine demonstrator. The Head of the Department, Ruslan Peshkov, explained the operating principle of the installation and shared on his developments in engine building. The guests saw how future specialists in the aerospace industry are trained.
"SUSU offers a wide range of specialties in the field of aerospace engineering, which are most in demand at Roscosmos enterprises. We are proud that we can offer our students diverse and large-scale academic programmes. The quality of training of our students is among the best ones in the country, which is confirmed by our partners. The number of job offers, as a rule, exceeds the number of students graduating by 2.5-3 times, which indicates a high demand for specialists in this field," said SUSU Rector Alexander Wagner.
After the events-packed excursions, the participants were treated to an original "Space Buffet", where everyone could taste the cosmonauts' food. The unusual treats were prepared by specialists from the Department of Food Technology and Biotechnology.
The most anticipated moment for the guests was the meeting of the SUSU Rector Alexander Wagner with the Hero of Russia, pilot-cosmonaut, SUSU alumnus Dmitry Petelin. Our guest shared his experience of flying into space, talked about training, everyday life in orbit and interesting cases aboard the International Space Station.
"It is important to note that South Ural State University has everything necessary to train for space flights. Rocket engines, control systems, information technologies are being developed here, the Sports Medicine Centre is actively working, and the university is also developing space nutrition. Journalism is actively developing at the university, which helps to shed light on all the secrets of space and tell about the lives of cosmonauts, which is extremely important in the modern world. I have talked to many students and graduates of leading universities in Russia and I can say that the training of specialists within the walls of our university is conducted at a decent level," shared Hero of Russia, pilot-cosmonaut, SUSU alumnus Dmitry Petelin.
At the end of the meeting, Dmitry Petelin answered all the journalists’ questions and voiced the idea of launching a SUSU satellite during his next flight and spacewalk!