NASA astronauts undergo rigorous training on Russian Soyuz spacecraft under the same standards and conditions as Russian cosmonauts, as affirmed by Oleg Kononenko, commander of the Roscosmos cosmonaut team. A dedicated international commission oversees the training protocols, ensuring all crew members meet defined readiness levels for each segment of the International Space Station (ISS). Kononenko emphasized that all crew members complete mandatory training and examinations, with no leniency permitted in this process. On March 12, the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center conducted a comprehensive evaluation session utilizing ISS simulators to assess the readiness of the primary and backup crews for the upcoming Soyuz MS-27 mission. Scheduled for launch on April 8, this mission will ferry cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, along with NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, to the ISS, highlighting the collaborative efforts and stringent training standards upheld in international space missions.
