– The training is starting to accelerate, there will be more and more of it, more and more detailed, right up to the mission itself. We have been training various emergency scenarios for the last three months – said Sławosz Uznański in an interview with TVN24 BiS. The Pole will fly to the International Space Station next year.
Polish scientist Dr. Sławosz Uznański is preparing to fly into orbit. A mission to the International Space Station is scheduled for 2025. For the last three months he has been in Houston, United States, where one of the stages of training on the way to the ISS was underway. Now he is back at the European Astronaut Center in Cologne.
TVN24 BiS journalist Hubert Kijek observes the Polish astronaut's training in the German city.
– This building is a bit of my home, because this is where I started training last September. This week we underwent the entire scope of training in the European Columbus module, which is on the International Space Station – said Uznański. – We had theoretical tasks, and on Friday we were certified as users of this laboratory – he described.
“We trained emergency scenarios”
As the candidate to become the second Pole in space said, in Houston from August to October “we trained primarily in various emergency scenarios.” – That is, how to deal with a fire, what to do in the event of an air leak, what to do in the event of an ammonia leak from the cooling system and how to rescue yourself from the space station – he explained.
What if there is a fire on the space station? – We need to locate where it is taking place. Our task is to inform everyone, find a safe place, count out the entire crew, and then extinguish the fire and restore the normal atmosphere on the space station so that we can return to operational conditions – said Uznański. – There are water fire extinguishers and carbon dioxide fire extinguishers on the International Space Station. Depending on where the fire is located, we use different types of fire extinguishers, he added.
“I feel very proud and excited”TVN24 BiS
After Cologne, there will be time for training in Japan. – There we will learn about the systems of the Japanese module called Kibō – said the Polish astronaut.
“It's a great pleasure for me to work with Peggy Whitson”
The commander of the AX-4 mission will be American astronaut Peggy Withson, the first woman to command the ISS and the record holder among women for the longest total time spent in space.
– She was the generation of astronauts who built the International Space Station. She has incredible experience and it is a great pleasure to work with Peggy Withson. He brings us together as a crew, he gives us his knowledge and at the same time we train together – said Uznański in an interview with TVN24 BiS.
The crew will also include mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India and mission specialist Tibor Kapu from Hungarian.
Uznański: there is a lot of traveling
As the Polish astronaut said, “training is starting to accelerate, there will be more and more of it, more and more detailed, right up to the mission itself.” – I would say that we have completed approximately 20-30 percent of the training. We have the first certifications – he added.
– I feel very proud and excited. I can't wait to start – said Uznański, although he admitted that he was “a little tired”. – There is a lot of traveling. Today we're talking in Europe, next week I'll be in Japan, next week back in Europe, next week in Houston, then in Los Angeles, then back in Houston, he said.
An interview with Sławosz Uznański – a Pole who will fly into spaceTVN24 BiS
Main photo source: TVN24 BiS