On February 5, 2018, NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Christina Koch and JAXA astronaut Soichi Noguchi were introduced to GCTC authorities and specialists and started training in GCTC on Soyuz MS simulator and Russian ISS segment simulator to be second flight engineers in the future space missions.
Andrew Morgan appointed to be ISS-58/59 back-up crew member and Cristina Koch to be ISS-59/60 back-up crew member were selected by NASA in June 2013.
Preparation training program included numerous scientific and technical studies, briefings on ISS systems, trainings of EVA and robotic science, medical trainings, flights aboard T-38 aircrafts and water and desert survival trainings. The finished preparation course in July 2015 and were certified to perform a space flight.
Unlike American astronauts Soichi Noguchi already has space flight experience. His first flight was aboard Discovery shuttle (July 26 – August 9,2005). During this mission Noguchi performed three spacewalks and became the first Japanese astronaut accomplishing EVA aboard the ISS. He went to space for the second time as Soyuz TMA-17 flight engineer on December 21, 2009 and spent in space 161 days coming back on June 2010.
“It was a good experience, a nice mission, – Noguchi says. – Hope the next mission will be as good. I am very glad to come to Star City and start training again.” NASA astronauts shared his opinion. “For me it’s a great honor for me to train here and go to the ISS with my colleagues. Friendship in space means friendship on the Earth”, – Andrew Morgan added.

Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, commander of the Yuri Gagarin (Soyuz MS-18) crewed spacecraft uttered the famous ‘Poyekhali!’ (‘Let’s Go!’) when blasting off from the launchpad…
According to RIA Novosti, Russia has successfully launched a satellite for the GLONASS navigation system from its northern Plesetsk Cosmodrome, the Defense Ministry reported on Friday….
The orbit of the International Space Station (ISS) has been corrected before the planned launch of the Soyuz MS-26 manned spacecraft in September and the…
After passing the theoretical exams, the ISS crew started practical tests on simulators. The commander of the “Soyuz MS” spacecraft Alexey Ovchinin successfully passed the…
60 years ago, on May 15, 1960, a three-stage “Vostok” launch vehicle with an experimental prototype of the “Vostok” spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur…
On February 28 at 00:37 (Moscow time) from the Guiana Space Center the first OneWeb-pilot spacecrafts were launched with a “Soyuz-ST-B” rocket with an upper…
British singer Sarah Brightman who is a potential space tourist may pass one more medical check in Russia late 2014 since her flight to the…
The 57th long expedition is being completed at the International Space Station (ISS). The members of the “Soyuz MS-09” international crew cosmonaut Sergey Prokopiev (Roscosmos),…