CSA astronaut Chris Hadfield trains in the Soyuz Simulator

Uploaded on March 16, 2011

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CSA astronaut Chris Hadfield trains in the Soyuz Simulator

2011-03-16 - CSA astronaut Chris Hadfield climbs into the ultra-realistic Soyuz simulator to prepare for an upcoming exam. Chris has been training in Star City Russia for Expedition 34/35, in which he'll travel aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to reach the International Space Station. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)

Chris Hadfield:

Good morning. It's time for a simulator. I'm in Star City, Russia. It's cold. It's about 20 below. And just on my way over to the simulator right now in the Soyuz. We're going to be learning about the digital motion control system, looking at all the indications and getting ready for the exam that I have next week. It's a beautiful, sunny dawn in Russia.

Into the simulation building. We're using the back-up entrance today because they're doing rebuilding at the front entrance. Into the simulator hall. The toilet trainer.

(Speaks in Russian)

The Cosmonaut Training Centre, Yuri Gagarin, (Speaks in Russian.) Sitting in the Soyuz seat, knees up to your chest. With the Soyuz simulator. We're working in the Soyuz simulator. This lets me talk to Mission Control. It's kind of a jammed seat. I'm sitting in the Commander's seat, where Roman Romanenko will be sitting. Displays are up in front of me.

(Speaks in Russian)

So this is the Soyuz TMA simulator. It's got a great layout. It's just like the real vehicle. This hatch doesn't really exist, but it's what we use here inside the training system. Once you're inside, it's extremely realistic. The displays are right, the computers are right, sounds are right. And you get to work all through the procedures and really understand, in this case, what the motion control system works like, what all of the systems - the life support system, the thrusting system, all of them. This is where we work. This is where the crucible is really tested. And once you get done in here, you can go to space for real.

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