Support The Moscow Times!

No Time to Be Nervous: Russian Cosmonaut Shrugs Off Emergency Landing

Alexei Ovchinin and Nick Hague (NASA / Victor Zelentsov / Flickr)

Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin shrugged off on Tuesday his emergency landing last week, saying there had been no time to worry as his capsule plunged back to earth.

Ovchinin and American astronaut Nick Hague had to abort their mission on Oct. 11 after the Soyuz rocket supposed to carry them to the International Space Station failed.

In an interview with Rossiya-24 television, Ovchinin described the huge G-forces the crew experienced. "Imagine if a reinforced concrete block seven times your weight was placed on your chest," he said.

However, Ovchinin insisted he had experienced greater G-forces during training exercises. "There was actually no time to be nervous. We had to work. We had to carry out various actions that have to be done by the crew to prepare for an emergency landing," he said.

Video from inside the capsule showed the two men being shaken around at the moment the failure on the Soyuz occurred, with their arms and legs flailing. Ovchinin could be heard saying: "That was a quick flight."

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more