Moreover, do you need to learn Russian to be an astronaut?
Nowadays, most humans leaving Earth must do so through Russian territory. This means that all astronauts going to the ISS, no matter how many languages they speak, also need to learn Russian. And astronauts and cosmonauts all over the world need to learn at least some English to work with NASA.
Also, why are Russian astronauts called cosmonauts? Those Soviet and later Russian individuals who travel into space are known as cosmonauts (from the Greek words for “universe” and “sailor”). China designates its space travelers taikonauts (from the Chinese word for “space” and the Greek word for “sailor”).
One may also ask, why did Tim Peake have to learn Russian?
British astronaut Tim Peake has spent six years training for his mission to the International Space Station which blasts off on Tuesday 15 December. He's said that the hardest bit was learning Russian - the language is needed to operate the Soyuz rocket and the Russian parts of the ISS.
What is the hardest part of being an astronaut?
According to Garan's book, and the experiences of other astronauts, here are some of the hardest things to get used to when living in space:
- Weightlessness.
- Sleeping.
- Keeping track of time.
- Dealing with body fluids.
- The view.
