None of the many representatives of the fair sex could not qualify for a new squad of Russian cosmonauts. However, there were significantly more men among the applicants.
Selection for the cosmonaut detachment started on March 14 last year, now we can draw preliminary conclusions. About them RIA Novosti was told by the head of the Cosmonaut Training Center Pavel Vlasov. Documents were allowed to apply to everyone, but the priority was given to pilots and specialists with technical education. A total of 26 people plan to select from six to eight new candidates for the Russian cosmonaut detachment.
According to Vlasov, specialists received 420 applications, of which 333 were from men and 87 from women. Of this number, 80 people are employees of the space industry, and 51 candidates serve in the Armed Forces. The reasons for which representatives of the beautiful half of mankind were not allowed further, the material is not reported.
The head of the Cosmonaut Training Center noted that now all the stages of the selection were three. In addition, four more candidates await the main medical commission. Eleven applicants pass the full-time selection phase, documents fourteen more – under consideration for admission to the full-time selection stage. Pavel Vlasov added that the completion of the selection is scheduled for the middle of the year. Documents for participation were accepted until December 2017.
The history of women astronauts is rich: as of November 19, 2016 in orbital space flights were attended by 60 women. Most of them are US astronauts. However, Russian cosmonautics also has reasons for pride: as is known, Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman-cosmonaut in the world. She is also the only woman in the world to make a single space flight. In addition, the story remembers the Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya – the first woman to make an escape to outer space.
