David Saint-Jacques' training for his space mission

Uploaded on September 5, 2018

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David Saint-Jacques' training for his space mission

2018-09-05 - David Saint-Jacques has done years of training to be ready for a space mission. Since his assignment to the crew of Expedition 58/59, he has taken customized training on the International Space Station and its various modules, the Soyuz spacecraft, Canadian and international science, and a variety of mission-specific tasks. His training has taken him to Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States.

David Saint-Jacques will fly to the International Space Station in December 2018. (Credits: Canadian Space Agency, ESA, JAXA, NASA, Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center)

David Saint-Jacques: I’m David Saint-Jacques. I’m an astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency.

I’m getting ready for a six-month mission on board the International Space Station.

I’m learning how all these space systems function: the Station, the rocket, Canadarm, the spacesuit. I’ve got to keep concentrated, keep my focus, not trip and learn everything I have to learn so I can be ready when the time comes.

A huge team of trainers are there solely to help us be ready. And we’re focusing, and it’s pretty incredible stuff.

One of the most critical and often little-known aspects of space missions is mental preparation. You want to be with people who keep their cool, keep their focus, the right attitude to make the mission a success.

And I can’t wait for the moment when finally after all the training is over and I’m ready to be strapped on to a Soyuz rocket and blast off away from Earth to our home in space, the International Space Station.

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