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Cosmonaut Bails Out of Upcoming Spaceflight


Waspie_Dwarf

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Russian Cosmonaut Bails Out of Upcoming Spaceflight

MOSCOW, September 5 (RIA Novosti) – An experienced Russian spaceman set to fly to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2015 suddenly tendered his resignation for unclear reasons, a Russian space industry representative said Thursday.

Yury Lonchakov will be formally discharged from his job on September 14, Irina Rogova of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center told RIA Novosti.

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QUOTE-

Rogova’s boss, Sergei Krikalev, was cited by Russian media as saying that Lonchakov “found a more interesting job,”

.

more interesting job than an astronaut??

ain't no such thing.....

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Does seem a little hard to imagine.Maybe he's running away to join the circus

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more interesting job than an astronaut??

ain't no such thing.....

You would think so, but then again most of us have never been cosmonauts. Besides do any job for 17 years, as Lonchakov has, and you could get bored with it, especially when you consider that of those nearly 17 years he has spent as a cosmonaut only 200 days were actually spent in space.

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Good point, I suppose. It is hard for me to imagine being in space becoming "the same old grind" so to speak but, as you say, I've never walked in his shoes

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Good point, I suppose. It is hard for me to imagine being in space becoming "the same old grind" so to speak but, as you say, I've never walked in his shoes

I feel the same way. Every time that I see that an astronaut has left NASA I wonder how any other job can measure up to it.

The reality is though that astronauts spend most of their time on the ground. They spend a huge amount of time training or doing routine work. Then, when they do get a mission, they can spend 6 months at a time away from their family.

When you have made several flights (Lonchakov has made three) even that must seem a little routine.

What is unusual about Lonchakov is that he has resigned whilst having been selected for a mission (as an ISS commander no less). This will impact on the other crew members selected to fly with him. It is for this reason that Roscosmos feel let down by his actions.

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Maybe he has some health concerns... He's likely already had some related health issues from all the time he has already spent up there, and new studies link vision and brain problems to long term space travel as well...

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/03/13/science-astronauts-eye-vision-problems.html

These in addition to the bone loss and radiation exposure problems too...

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Maybe he has some health concerns...

If he had health problems he would not have been selected for a long duration flight.

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If he had health problems he would not have been selected for a long duration flight.

True but concerns about possible future health issues could have influenced his decision
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True but concerns about possible future health issues could have influenced his decision

You and Hugh are just guessing now. The facts don't appear, in any way, to back up your guess work.

Cosmonauts have spent considerably more time than he has in space with no major long term effects. Valeri Polyakov spent over 437 days in space on a single mission. Sergei Krikalev has, in the course of his six spaceflights, spent a total time of 803 days in space.

The Russia and the US are to send a cosmonaut/astronaut each to spend a year on board the ISS starting in 2015.

You don't wait until you've been selected for your fourth mission (and your second long duration mission) to suddenly decide it's too risky.

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If he had health problems he would not have been selected for a long duration flight.

Firstly, no one has zero health problems, we all have something that isn't perfect.

Secondly, he has spent a lot of time already up in space, and likely has some cellular damage from radiation, spaceflight osteopenia, and other issues as well, (see earlier article link), however small these issues may be they are still likely present to some degree.

Thirdly, by going up in to space for another long duration flight, he risks making these health issues worse than they already are, and that may have been one of the reasons (however small) that he chose not to go up into space again long term.

That's all. :)

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Cosmonauts have spent considerably more time than he has in space with no major long term effects.

Really?

So there is no damage whatsoever from any of the issues listed here?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effect_of_spaceflight_on_the_human_body

Edited by Hugh
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You and Hugh are just guessing now. The facts don't appear, in any way, to back up your guess work.

Cosmonauts have spent considerably more time than he has in space with no major long term effects. Valeri Polyakov spent over 437 days in space on a single mission. Sergei Krikalev has, in the course of his six spaceflights, spent a total time of 803 days in space.

The Russia and the US are to send a cosmonaut/astronaut each to spend a year on board the ISS starting in 2015.

You don't wait until you've been selected for your fourth mission (and your second long duration mission) to suddenly decide it's too risky.

Yeah, I admit to speculating. As you say it seems unlikely to suddenly decide it's too risky, but it also seems an odd time to decide to make a career change. It just seems there might be more to the story than meets the eye.Still speculating
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You and Hugh are just guessing now. The facts don't appear, in any way, to back up your guess work.

Oh I see now what the issue is with Waspie_Dwarf... You are thinking I'm saying that it is ONLY because of health concerns that he is backing out... I never really meant to imply that.

What I'm saying is that it may have been ONE of the reasons (however small) he backed out.

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https://www.facebook.com/pages/Yury-Lonchakov/110572142327614#

Maybe his more 'interesting job' is to spend more time with his son: " He is married to Lonchakova (Dolmatova) Tatyana Alexeevna. They have one son, Kirill, born in 1990. His hobbies include books, tourism, auto-tourism, downhill skiing, sport games.".

Or using the same link listed above:

"Lonchakov resigned from the cosmonaut corps under pressure from his wife to make more money. He took up a position at Gazprom, earning more than twice his income at the space agency."

I found another link which may back up the previous link's claim: http://bbb-news.com/blog/2013/09/06/cosmonaut-yury-lonchakov-quits-to-work-for-a-gas-company-for-more-money/ (note: this link is sourced by: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2413998/Cosmonaut-Yury-Lonchakov-quits-work-gas-company-money.html?ITO=1490&ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490)

So, what I can gather from the above, is that the 'interesting job' is one that makes more money.

Kind Regards

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What I'm saying is that it may have been ONE of the reasons (however small) he backed out.

It's not impossible that you are right, but not one single news story or source cites health concerns as a reason.

Of course I'm speculating too when I say that the job may have become routine for him, but I'm basing that on previous astronauts. If you look through the reasons that astronauts give for resigning (rather than retiring) phrases along the lines of "new challenges" are quite common. This fits well with him going to "a more interesting job" or (as some sources translate it) "a more exciting job".

The Daily Mail puts forward the same claim that Asadora has linked to, that he has left to work for a gas company because he came under pressure from his wife to earn more money (Source: HERE).

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of those nearly 17 years he has spent as a cosmonaut only 200 days were actually spent in space.

.

speaking as someone who's only got 17yrs left-at best- i'd trade them all in for 200 days in space.

I suppose that's kinda cheating though, not having to do nearly two decades of training first, but hey, if i'm giving up seventeen years of my life for half a year in space, i'm entitled to a little slack!

;-)

.

*multiple post*

Edited by shrooma
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