From January 19 up to February 9, 2015 GCTC is conducting winter survival trainings for the following crews:

– ISS-48/49 (Anatoliy Ivanishin, Roscosmos, Takuya Onishi, JAXA, Kathleen Rubins, NASA);

– ISS-49/50 (Sergey Ryzhikov, Roscosmos, Andrey Borisenko, Roscosmos, Robert Kimbrough, NASA;

Space flight participants Sarah Brightman and Satoshi Takamatsu being main and back-up crews members of ISS-45/46 mission also take part in these trainings.

During this training the participants have to attend theoretical courses and practice skills necessary in case of Soyuz descent module landing in extreme conditions of marshy and forested area in winter. Besides the crews have briefings with instructors on survival kit use and medical issues.

In the course of the trainings ISS-48/49 and ISS-49/50 crews along with space tourists practiced the landing, after that they removed the spacesuits, lit a fire (including watch one) , built cover, cooked meal and learned how to work in cooperation  with search and rescue teams and how to render first medial aid.

The process of the trainings is supervised by GCTC specialists, instructors, doctors and psychologists. Upon completion of the trainings they will give marks to the participants.

On January 27 ISS-49/50 crew started their trainings. They will have to pass the same trainings as their predecessors.