EntranceWhat language is most commonly spoken on the ISS? “Russian has become the first language in space. Do we need an international space language?
Experts declare mutual understanding the key to success
Americans Peggy Whitson, Jack Fisher and Randolf Breznik, who are on board the International space station, during a direct line with young astronauts, they shared their experience of preparing for a flight to the ISS. According to Winston, learning Russian was probably the most difficult task for her, but the astronauts called the ability to communicate in it one of the keys to success in their work.
Peggy Whitson is an astronaut who has spent the longest time in space for a woman. According to her, mastering the Russian language was a daunting task for her, and she still continues to experience some difficulties communicating in it. As a member of the ISS crew joked, she simply cannot find within herself a certain “center” responsible for mastering foreign languages.
Jack Fisher, Peggy Winston's colleague and the 550th Earthman in space, said that, for all its complexity, learning the Russian language is a very important aspect of preparation. Moreover, according to the astronaut, participants in expeditions to the ISS should not only understand the language, but also be familiar with the culture and traditions of their Russian colleagues. All this allows representatives to interact much more effectively different countries among themselves. According to Fisher, this is one of the “keys to success” when working in a small international group.
In general, the astronauts suggested that each of the young astronauts would have more difficulty with their own aspects of training, and therefore they should help each other as much as possible. Also, the ISS crew members recommended that young people should not be shy to ask questions or propose their own solutions.
The names of the 12 people included in the new set of astronauts of the American aerospace agency in early June. This year, the number of applications from potential astronauts received by NASA was an absolute record - 18,353 people submitted them.
Recently, Jack Fisher posted a small but exciting video on his Twitter page in which you can see Milky Way. In the video you can see significantly more stars, than can usually be seen from the surface of the Earth, especially when we are talking about cities that are brightly lit even at night.
It is clear that all astronauts or cosmonauts need to learn English or Russian, whichever is not their native language. But from a practical point of view, which language is dominant for everyday work when two people on the ISS need to communicate and are not from the same country? I was especially struck this video, in which two guys from a year-long team answer questions from a NASA interviewer, each in their own way native language.
Answers
osgx
The crew said they will rely on a mix of languages and a mix of cuisines when they are on board the international station.
“We jokingly say that we communicate in “Runglish,” a mixture of Russian and English languages, so when we don’t have enough words in one language, we can use another because all the crew members speak both languages well,” Krikalev said. ,
“The menu will also be 'Runglish': part American and part Russian,” Shepard added.
The English Wikipedia also has it. In Runglish, if you don't know a word in the current language, you can say it in another language:
The term itself, in any case, usually dates back to 2000, when the not-quite-bilingual Russian-American crew of the International Space Station coined it to describe their on-board speech: lacking a word or phrase, they used what they knew and blurted around it (“Come on.” a small Phillips screwdriver, Kostya" - give me a small Phillips screwdriver, Kostya).
Will you communicate?
(What language are you going to communicate in?)Today we will use Runglish. This is our unofficial language of the ISS program. It's called Runglish, a mixture of English and Russian.
joseph_morris
Great answer, thanks for taking the time.
osgx
There is writing on the wall, shown in November 2011. Youtu.be/3ErLtE3Lf9s?t=63 "Don't touch this crayfish (stance a3)" = don't touch this stand , Russian word"crayfish" (literally crustacean) was used to describe the word "rack", perhaps unknown to the author ("rack") due to similar pronunciation. There is another label nearby - "DO NOT TOUCH this A3 pillar"
ThePlanMan
When negotiating cooperation between Russia and the United States many effort was put into determining how things would be handled. They agreed on where the training would take place, who would teach, what language they would teach in, etc. The language of the training agreement was Russian, and at the time the US spent a reasonable amount of money hiring translators so that nothing to do during the training process on the Russian side was missed. However, the language in orbit was consistent with English. This suggests that many of the languages spoken by the crew are a combination of two languages, this is indeed a situation that "works".
David Hamman
In addition to this, perhaps also an urban legend: one day there was a technical problem in negotiations regarding a vehicle ( cough ATV). The Russian leader and the American leader were both managers (that is, they were both technically inept). They agreed that a separate technical meeting should be held with the participation of "three people from Russia, three people from America and, of course, two translators." The two translators present cheered up: “What? You've always treated us like excrement [another word was used], but this is worse. Now we don't even People! The two interpreters then left the meeting.
ISS Cosmonauts Blog (archive)
Answers to readers' questions
16.01.2013 13:57
Good day, dear astronauts!
Please tell us, do you have days off while working in orbit?
If so, how do you conduct them? If not, how do you cope with such a busy work schedule?
Thank you. Best regards, Vladimir Maltsev.
Basically we have two days off a week. Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday we usually plan to clean our segment (vacuum cleaner, wet cleaning, filter cleaning, etc.). This takes approximately 2.5-3 hours. Plus 2-2.5 hours of physical education (running, exercise machines) - this is the law! A video conference with the family is planned on one of the weekends. The rest of the time I can do experiments, photography and video shooting!
To Oleg Novitsky:
Hello, dear Oleg!
My name is Boris Filin, I am in second grade.
I'm preparing a project on auroras, and I have questions for you.
Please answer:
1. Do you like watching auroras from space? How often have you seen them? Do you have a photograph showing auroras at two poles at once?
2. Is the solar wind visible? What is visible at the poles just before the aurora appears?
Thank you!
Good luck on your flight!
Yes, the aurora is a very beautiful and exciting sight and I really like watching it. But being constantly busy doesn’t give you the opportunity to do this very often! Unfortunately, I don’t have any photographs of the aurora at both poles at once. It is difficult to say what is visible at the poles immediately before the aurora. After all, we are busy looking for the result, not its cause!
Hello.
My name is Smagulov Ruslan Sagitovich - process engineer at an oil refinery.
I'm interested in one question.
Have you ever conducted experiments at the station aimed at studying methods for determining oil and gas deposits?
If so, how (what is the principle) were such deposits determined?
Sincerely, Smagulov R.S.
Ruslan Sagitovich! To search for oil and gas deposits it is not necessary to rise to such a height, but to simply show a barbaric attitude towards natural resources, To environment and especially its scale - this is one of our tasks! The Caspian Sea alone is worth it!
Good day, astrocosmonauts!
In a short video of Sanita Williams' tour of the station, among other things, you can hear a couple of words in Russian. In one of the Roscosmos broadcasts they showed the inscription on the counter “Don’t touch this cancer.” It is interesting to know how the crew communicates taking into account language differences; some concepts can be expressed in one word in one language and two or three in another. Don’t you start thinking in a combination of Russian and English after a while?
Good luck, and big greetings to the ISS crew from Transbaikalia!
Alexander
The official language on the ISS is English, and communication occurs primarily in several languages. It depends on the composition of the crew. There is always an opportunity to maintain your language level and please your crewmate by saying a couple of phrases in his native language. And the combinations of Russians and English words They help very well in communication and work, as they convey the meaning of J very accurately!
Hello dear astronauts! My profession is related to electricity. If possible, write how the station is lit inside. What type of lights are used on the ISS? Good luck to you in your difficult work.
Alexander
The Russian segment of the ISS now uses LED lamps of different sizes! They are divided into lamps for general and zone (local) purposes. This allows you to save energy and maintain the desired temperature!
Good day! I'm 11 years old and I love everything related to space. I didn’t even believe that there was an opportunity to ask the astronauts a question. I recently heard that behind the sun there may be a planet twin to our Earth. Maybe you can see it from the ISS using special equipment or does it not exist at all? Please answer! Thank you in advance and have a good return to Earth!
Kazakhstan, Almaty. Danila Gevich
Danila, even if we assume that there is a twin planet of our Earth behind the Sun, we will not be able to see it even from the ISS orbit! Our altitude (400 km) is so small compared to cosmic distances (millions of light years), that we can say that we are together with you, Danila, at one point on the straight line connecting the Earth - the Sun - the twin planet. Like this!
I have a question. Tell us about the space bath. I read about this many times, but never understood it.
Troitsk Chelyabinsk region, Russia. Just mom.
Especially for mom who is worried about the cleanliness of the crew!
The “Space Bath” was at the Mir station. This procedure is pleasant in all respects, but cleaning up the water after “washing” takes so much time and effort that the result is simply zero.
Therefore, hygiene procedures on the ISS are carried out more modestly, but in sufficient quantities.
I watched the last docking of the Union. I noticed that the solar panels were folded (compressed). Do they interfere with docking or do they emit radiation that creates interference?
Ivan Voznitsky, Cheboksary.
FGB solar panels are actually in a folded state. The reason is that they shade the radiators of the thermal control system, which are necessary to maintain the temperature of the station.
Tell me, when after the launch you are approaching the ISS, do you remain strapped in for two days until the moment of docking? How are you passing this time? In a ship, as I understand it, you can’t turn around.
Oryol region. Ivan Danilovich
The cosmonauts are fastened during insertion, as well as during dynamic maneuvers, the number and time of which are determined by the flight program. The rest of the time, preparations are carried out for the next regime, the body adapts to the factors space flight, control of ship systems and much more. But in a ship you really can’t turn around!
I read that the new crew members: Roman Romanenko, Christopher Hadfield and Thomas Mashburn are a musical group, and they took an accordion and guitar with them. What is the name of your ensemble, and what songs have you already sung in space?
Greetings from Siberia. Timur.
The songs performed are very different. Their main task is to maintain a good mood! And you can come up with the name of the ensemble yourself. It will be interesting!
Hello! I won’t bombard you with questions, but I just want to express my deep gratitude for what you do! Thanks to your activities, people learn a lot about their world! Not everyone will be able to go to space, but I think the fact that you are there is already worth a lot!)))) thank you for sacrificing your health and, in general, your life for us! I can imagine what a difficult job this is!)))) May God grant you more health and a happy life!
Moscow. Marina, I'm 22 years old
Thanks for good words! It's very nice to hear them! And what’s interesting: overloads during launch and landing, a rather “uncomfortable” state of the body when adapting to weightlessness, loss of calcium and muscle mass, increased background radiation and much more must not only be obtained “by distribution,” but rather earned. Earn money through hard work, theoretical training, training under water, in the air, on simulators, survival in various climatic conditions and of course, perseverance and faith in yourself, in your luck, in YOUR flight!!
Hello dear astronauts! Vadim writes to you from Cholpon-Ata. I wanted to ask a couple of questions.
1. Is it possible to get a close-up photograph of the city? so that cars and houses can be seen.
2. When there is a clear day over Issyk-Kul, is it possible to take pictures of my city? I will be very grateful.
P.S. If you take pictures, where can you view them? Will it be possible to download them in high resolution?
I've been dreaming about this for how many years. I'm still waiting for Google Earth to update the photos, otherwise there are photos from 2001-2003. and so much has already changed...
Yes, Vadim, you can take good pictures. Both houses and cars will be visible. The photographic equipment on the ISS allows this. But dealing with Issyk-Kul separately is quite troublesome. It must be a passage above it, daylight hours, weather and of course free time, and you can search for photographs on the website of Roscosmos or organizations involved in monitoring the Earth’s surface!!
I want to ask a simple question to the astronauts, we have been discussing for a long time about
question: what will an ordinary compass show in Earth's orbit and we have reached a dead end - there are many versions. I am the administrator of the group on Odnoklassniki - “Alien Intelligence”, so I posted this question for discussion in the group.
I would like to know the correct answer. Thanks in advance.
Sincerely, Ruslan Tokovinin. proud Luza, Kirov region, 37 years old.
Only scientists can give a correct and substantiated answer.
I think that the behavior of the compass, specifically in orbit, will not differ from that on earth. The ISS is located in the Earth's magnetic field. Consequently, the device will show the direction of the field lines magnetic field from one pole to another. The operation of a magnetometer is based on approximately the same principle, which can calculate the position of a station in space at any time based on the parameters of the Earth’s magnetic field.
Hello.
Anuar
Good afternoon On January 2, 2013, the Robonaut-2 robot was tested, and the robot was controlled from the ground in real time. You could post a few photos of Robonaut-2 on your blog.
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The altitude of orbital space flight is almost 400 km. At this height, any boundaries - racial, ideological, linguistic - seem to dissolve. When opinions, views, languages complement each other. When people begin to understand each other and their planet too.
Vladimir Remek ( Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to the Russian Federation, first cosmonaut of Czechoslavakia) - “From the height of space flight it is clear that if there are boundaries on Earth, then only those that Nature has created”
“The body can be shorter or longer due to the attraction. And the girth width, due to these attractions, either decreases or increases. And it turns out that the promising Sokol covers a large amount of human anthropometric data,” explains the head of the space technology design department NPP "Zvezda" Arthur Lee.
- We flew about ninety meters, but with difficulties. There are suggestions that for a person one meter eighty and one meter seventy five we will need the same spacesuit without the need to produce it separately.
However, any new development is known by comparison. The Falcon spacesuit is now the main one for space flights. And for each orbital conqueror, the Falcon is made individually.
The Falcon space suit is life-saving equipment. It is worn before launch to fly into orbit, and when preparing for landing to return from space. It is completely sealed. It is difficult to put on, so you may not be able to do it alone.
The Falcon spacesuit has two shells - a sealed shell and a power shell. The spacesuit is put on by squeezing through the rubberized shell. Among themselves, this part of the spacesuit is called the appendix - this is the sealing system of the spacesuit.
The top is put on. Hands. You need to enter them with your shoulder. Eat. It worked. On Earth, they help astronauts put on a spacesuit, but in weightlessness in orbit, before returning, the astronaut does this himself. But they also learn this on Earth.
- We close the pressure helmets in the spaceship.
And this is real preparation for the landing of the Soyuz TMA-07M spacecraft. The crew Roman Romanenko, Thomas Mashburn and Christopher Hatfield close their pressure helmets after undocking and before entering the dense layers of the atmosphere. The suits are sealed.
Another secret: astronauts have such a device - a valsalva. Until recently, many people thought it was a nose scratcher. In fact, this is a device so that you can vent - remove the pressure. It is attached to the helmet.
During flight, astronauts are under pressure. That is, excess pressure is created inside the spacesuit due to the gaseous environment. It's like diving, but only into airless space.
The good, time-tested Falcon spacesuit and the new development - a promising future space suit. What will be fundamentally new in it?
The first thing that catches your eye is the new color. A striking difference is the abandonment of the appendix, which is considered the most complex component in this spacesuit. Now the zipper is done. The next difference is the individual space suit.
The bright orange color was not chosen by chance. This spacesuit will simultaneously replace the Trout wetsuit. That is, in case of an emergency splashdown, the astronaut will not need to change into a wetsuit.
Modern space suit - real spacecraft in miniature. From the most early models, in which the first space explorers flew, to the Krechet, Falcon and Orlan - all of this was developed at the Zvezda Research and Production Enterprise. This is where they think about making it comfortable for a person to work in unsuitable conditions for living.
“The conditions during the exit are quite extreme. In addition to absolute vacuum, there is also a very large temperature difference on the surface of the station: from +150 in the sun to -150 in the shade. Therefore, the spacesuit has very powerful thermal protection,” emphasizes the chief specialist of the testing department of the Zvezda Research and Production Enterprise "Gennady Glazov.
This is a different spacesuit - "Orlan-MK" for spacewalks. 10 layers of thermal vacuum insulation are built into the outer shell. A special filter on the helmet and a small window above the head for better visibility. There are currently three Orlans in orbit. Adjusting each one to size, the astronauts wear them outside the station.
"Spacesuit for work in outer space is truly a miniature spaceship, which has its own thermal protection system, heat supply system, communication system, transmission of telemetric information, but I want to say to really feel what it is like and how the astronaut feels in such a spacesuit. It is advisable to try to put on this spacesuit yourself at least once,” notes Gennady Glazov, chief specialist of the testing department of NPP Zvezda.
The Orlan space suit is like a house; you enter it entirely, put your arms and legs in and close the door behind you. Of course, astronauts do this on their own in zero gravity. And then, in full combat readiness, they go into outer space.
On-board computer, automatic system thermoregulation. The main thing is that the space suit is chosen correctly, then you can work in it outside the station for more than 10 hours.
“This is a pressure gauge by which the cosmonaut controls the pressure inside the spacesuit. Now the arrows will begin to move, and the pressure will begin to increase. But we will not create a lot of pressure so that the spacesuit straightens out a little. You will feel that its mobility changes under pressure,” warns the man dressed in spacesuit Gennady Glazov.
NPP Zvezda has already completed the modernization of the Orlan spacesuit. Now it has received the name "Orlan-ISS" - a modified synthetic spacecraft. It uses more resistant synthetic materials and creates a temperature-controlled complex - a climate control system.
The new spacesuit will be sent into orbit early next 2015. Then the astronauts will experience it themselves.
03.07.2008 17:58
“Russian became the first language in space”
The head of the Federal Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov, is confident that astronautics can become the basis for any activity in the humanitarian sphere. The head of Roscosmos told the Russkiy Mir.ru magazine about how this could happen.
– Anatoly Nikolaevich, how do you think the interaction between Roscosmos and the Russkiy Mir Foundation can be structured?
– The international activities of Roscosmos may well become a “conductor” Russian culture abroad. Today, perhaps, there is not a single economically developed state with which we do not interact. Cosmonautics can be the basis for any activity in the humanitarian sphere.
For example, at the beginning of 2007, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Federal Space Agency opened an exhibition in Paris dedicated to the Year of the Russian Language. In those days it was demonstrated documentary, prepared by our studio - “Cosmos speaks Russian.” The film tells how astronauts are taught the Russian language in Star City near Moscow. Foreigners need to know Russian for many reasons. First of all, all ours spacecraft have inscriptions and symbols in Russian, and the main thing is that Russian has been and remains indispensable and important language for communication between the entire crew of the International Space Station.
We must not forget that Russian became the first language in space. If we remember history, Yuri Gagarin's flight led to unprecedented interest in Russia. And the launch of the first artificial satellite Earth has been replaced by the widely used term “satellite”. The word “satellite” was included in foreign dictionaries almost simultaneously with the launch of the device into space orbit. In bars Western Europe Sputnik cocktails even appeared, and Sputnik hairstyles became the peak of fashion. There were cases when parents gave their children this name.
I think with the help of the Russkiy Mir Foundation we could open a Russian Center at Baikonur. However, the Baikonur Cosmodrome is important not only for Russia and Kazakhstan. Today it is an international space port. Thousands of foreigners visit the cosmodrome every year.
You might think about opening a Russian Center in America, in Houston. But this requires the consent of all parties.
We may have general programs in the educational field. The Ministry of Education and Science can help us here. Space is fertile ground for the education of not only adults, but also children. Last year, on the eve of Cosmonautics Day, we held open lesson from space. Schoolchildren - winners of the Olympiad - asked questions to the crew of the International Space Station live. The half-hour broadcast was broadcast on the Russian news channel Vesti, which can also be watched abroad.
Exhibitions and competitions for children are held under the auspices of Roscosmos. Recently, children who are interested in biology took part in experiments at the Photon space laboratory. They sent butterflies and silkworms into orbit. Projects like this help change children's thinking. The world is very fragile. This is especially noticeable from space.
Together with the Russkiy Mir Foundation, we could well prepare a number of educational television and radio programs.
– We were proud of the Soviet cosmonautics. The world's first satellite, the first man in space. Is there anything to be proud of today?
– It will probably be said loudly, but this year is a turning point for Russian cosmonautics. The state has adopted the fundamentals of space policy Russian Federation until 2020. New priorities and tasks have been set for astronautics.
First of all, the deployed orbital constellations of space assets must meet the needs for the results of space activities for the economy, social sphere, science and security of Russia.
An important task is to have guaranteed and independent access to outer space from its territory.
We will continue to actively develop manned space exploration, implement large-scale space projects to more effectively use near-Earth space and in-depth study and development of remote celestial bodies Solar system. This requires the creation of advanced launch vehicles and manned transport systems.
The Federal Target Program GLONASS and the Federal Space Program are being reviewed and their resource provision is being increased. 6 GLONASS, Meteor-1 and other satellites are being prepared for launch.
A decision was made to build the Vostochny cosmodrome in the Amur region. We must complete the design and survey work within 42 months and begin construction in 2011. And by 2015, the first launch of a spacecraft or cargo ship to the ISS should take place. And by 2018 the first manned flight is planned.
The implementation of an international project with the European Space Agency - “Soyuz at the Guiana Space Center” - is progressing successfully. The cosmodrome in French Guiana can also be considered as a platform for cooperation between Roscosmos and the Russkiy Mir Foundation. But this does not mean that we are leaving Baikonur. These are new opportunities.
We are actively working in the Arctic project. As part of this, Russian spacecraft will monitor the entire Arctic, primarily its shelf, for the development of mineral resources - gas and oil. The lack of reliable, permanent information from the Earth's polar caps is a big problem for hydrometeorology. Our project has already been supported by Norway, Finland and other countries. There are other plans.
– How to become an astronaut today?
- At dawn space age Only the best military pilots were selected to become cosmonauts. For example, Yuri Gagarin was a naval aviation pilot, which incorporated two elements - the sea and the sky.
Then the first group of civilian cosmonauts and flight engineers appeared.
Today, almost anyone can fly into space. The main thing is to set such a goal for yourself. For this it is necessary higher education And good health. And professions can be very different: from a biologist to a geologist - a future explorer of the Moon or Mars.
By the way, in the Cosmonaut Training Center near Moscow, where our cosmonauts are trained, you can also think about opening a Russian Center.
There is another, more expensive way to space: becoming a space tourist. This fall on Russian ship The sixth space tourist, American Richard Garriott, will go into Soyuz orbit. His father is the famous American astronaut Owen Garriott. Richard failed to become a professional astronaut because his eyesight failed. But he was able to pay for a trip to space worth more than $20 million. By the end of the year, I hope his dream will come true.
I think that in the near future space tourism will develop in other countries and become more accessible. Suborbital flights will appear. But it's more of an entertainment. Astronautics must be taken seriously. You will still need to master and solar system, and our galaxy.