Selection of candidates is a multistage process, which starts with selecting volunteers on a competitive basis and is carried out among students from different high schools and universities.
When the group is reduced to 15 - 20 persons, it is exposed to a professional testing on the premises of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. The task of the analysis is to obtain an integrated evaluation of mental and physiological qualities and educational level of each candidate. Selection criterion is a "compatibility" of specific personality features and of an organism of a person with conditions of a space flight.
Increased requirements are put forward a candidate's creative potential and his/her ability to effectively work as a crewmember. Special demands are made on the future commander, who is responsible for the crew and its successful work.
Candidates pass an out - patient check-up. They will be also exposed to special methods, aimed at evaluation of their fitness for training, including vestibular stands, pressure chambers and other facilities. As a result, specialists will determine the candidates' level of tolerability under conditions of excessive mental and physical stress. Psychological testing reveals and estimates such properties of a personality as: attention, memory, thinking, psycho - motor reaction, temper, abilities, emotional and volitional qualities.
Special methods of the candidate's evaluation, used in the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre enable to form up a prime and back-up crew (6 crew members in each), in view of their future mission specialization.
The selected crews pass a preliminary training for a mission on different aspects:
- Basic space training,
- Specialized space training (weightlessness, excessive G-loads, survival,),
- Training in crews on the "Soyuz" transport space vehicle and on the "Earth-Moon-Earth" interplanetary flight program,
- Training on technical and biotechnological experiments and researches.
Basic space training of a lunar crew provides for acquiring a fundamental knowledge on the origin, structure and evolution of the Universe, studying methods and means of space flights performance, use of space for the benefit of mankind.
Specialized space training of a lunar crew includes an acquaintance with the most aggressive factors of a space flight: weightlessness, excessive G-loads, isolated space, stresses in case of emergencies and off-nominal landing.
Training within the framework of the "Soyuz" transport spacecraft includes acquiring knowledge on the space vehicle's design and configuration, flight diagram, operation of the basic onboard systems, control panels and devices, as well as on crewmembers functional responsibilities according to specialization of each member of crew.
Training under the "Earth - Moon - Earth" interplanetary flight program is carried out on the basis of a standard course on the "MIR" and ISS orbital complexes. A special emphasis is given to maintenance of permanently operating systems, life-support systems, communication and TV. The crew is trained how to act harmoniously and precisely under off-nominal end emergency onboard situations, stipulated by the program.
Training on technical and biotechnological experiments and researches is mostly related to the prime executors of this program, - i.e. cosmonauts - researchers. Training is basically aimed at studying the experimental hardware, devices and tools. It also should provide knowledge of an experimental flow and operational techniques, understanding of radiograms, received from MCC.
Finally, preflight training of a lunar crew provides a required level of crewmembers' knowledge on the forthcoming activity. This training should provide an independent and self-sustaining work of a crew during the whole mission. In addition, it will allow a crew to freely and correctly make comments on the activity? As well as to reply the MCC and press questions.
