Abingdonian 2017

33 www.abingdon.org.uk Lent Term centre into his nineties. It was quite a unique experience (as were most on the trip) to be able to try on the gloves worn in the Soyuz craft, and to get an idea of the difficulty of mobility even within the craft. But that was flexible compared to the bulky Orlan space suit used for EVAs (Extra vehicular activity). Seeing these made clear the comparisons of the suit with personal spacecraft, as it was clear the term “wearing” is a loose term with these suits. And while we were able to enjoy the warmth of the training centre, that didn’t continue. The winter survival training let us get a taste of one of several survival training scenarios the training cosmonauts are put through in case there is an issue during take-off or re-entry. But we had it easy: we were given tea and only had a morning of it. Indisputably, everyone’s favourite activity was cutting up a tree with a machete like the one carried in the Soyuz capsule for use in these extreme situations. While a sharp blade swinging between your legs would definitely never be allowed here, it was certainly the most entertaining part of the morning. The afternoon offered an opportunity to warm up searching for clues in the Mir mockup, which was a fantastic opportunity to use what little Russian I had learned in preparation for the trip “Где радио”, something I never thought I would need. On our last day in Russia, we returned to Moscow to visit the Russian space shuttle “Buran”, though it was, sadly, a prototype which had had its interior stripped, the finished product having been crushed by its own hanger in 2002. We got our dose of history in the cosmonaut museum, which had fantastic artefacts such as Belka and Strelka, the first animals to return alive to Earth, who sat proudly, stuffed, by their capsule. We saw our last of Moscow on a boat tour along the Moskva. The trip was, as expected, an unmissable opportunity and I will, for many years to come, speak of the time I had breakfast with an astronaut! Rory Buchanan, 6JEF