Cosmonaut candidate writes letter to Putin complaining of his runny nose problem

Cosmonaut candidate Andrei Babkin, who was dismissed from his flight position in September due to a runny nose, wrote a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In his address to the head of state, Babkin wrote that he would like independent experts to assess his health condition.

Photo: Роскосмос by ЦПК, PDM

In response, the Roscosmos Cosmonaut Training Center (CTC) said that an extended consultation was held on July 12. Members of the ENT section of the Main Medical Commission, as well as specialists who had previously treated the cosmonaut, were present at the meeting.

As a result, no grounds were found for revising the previous medical conclusion in relation to the cosmonaut candidate.

After being dismissed from his flight position, Babkin became deputy commander of the cosmonaut detachment for scientific work. He had been preparing for the flight for 14 years.

The CTC document states that surgeon Gennady Piskunov operated Babkin in 2022 to treat rhinosinusitis. After the surgery, Piskunov indicated that the cosmonaut candidate had no restrictions on loads associated with high or low blood pressure.

However, in an interview with Gazeta.Ru, the surgeon indicated that he was not present at the council on July 12. This is confirmed by the minutes of the meeting, from which it follows that there were seven participants. At the same time, three of them, as part of the Main Medical Commission, made the decision to remove Babkin.

After leaving the flight squad, Babkin contacted independent ENT doctors at the Federal Medical and Biological Agency, MONIKI, and Sechenov University. The certificates that were issued to the man confirmed his fitness to fly. However, none of the specialists were invited to the extended consultation.

All the specialists that Andrei Babkin contacted indicated that the patient was able to work and had no contraindications to professional activity.

Details

The Yuri A Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center is a Russian training facility responsible for training cosmonauts for their space missions. It is in Star City of Moscow Oblast, a name which may refer to the facility itself or to its grounds. The facility contains infrastructure essential for the training of cosmonauts across a wide range of experiences, including simulating g-loads, mission specific/suit training, medical observation/testing and astronavigation.