"Dreamt of flying": podcast of the National Centre RUSSIA featuring cosmonaut Nikolai Chub was released on Cosmonautics Day

The fourth episode of the "Russia Speaks" podcast was released on 12 April. On Cosmonautics Day, viewers were given a unique opportunity to learn about the profession from Hero of Russia and Roscosmos cosmonaut Nikolai Chub.

Together with other astronauts, Nikolai Chub spent 374 days in Earth’s orbit. This is an absolute record for continuous stay on the ISS. The hero of the podcast shared what became the turning point — when an ordinary young man from Novocherkassk felt he would become a cosmonaut, how his family reacted to his decision, what a person feels when they first find themselves in orbit, and what one must be prepared for when choosing this challenging yet honorable profession. According to the record-setting cosmonaut, the starting point for making this decision was a childhood dream.

"Since childhood, for as long as I can remember, I dreamed of flying. I remember the starry sky very well; in the evenings I loved observing it, either with my own eyes or through a telescope. It was an indescribable and thrilling experience. I even took with me on the space flight a drawing I made in early childhood, which I had kept as a memory. It showed comets in the black night sky," shared Nikolai Chub.

Listeners learned about the professional and personal journey of the cosmonaut, his development and experience, as well as about the breakthrough technologies being developed by Russia in the space industry. The podcast is available on the website of the National Centre RUSSIA at russia.ru or on its VKontakte page.

"Russia Speaks" is a new educational format by the National Centre RUSSIA, presented on 8 February. In the format of a talk show, leading experts, scientists, and popularizers of science discuss the future of medicine, science, and technology. The guest of the first episode was Doctor of Biological Sciences and Moscow State University Professor Vyacheslav Dubynin. The open studio of the National Centre RUSSIA also hosted architect Andrei Chernikhov and young specialists in the fields of medicine, rocket and space technology, architecture, and energy.