Yusaku Maezawa added that the training in weightlessness made the strongest impression on him
Star City / Moscow region/, October 14. /tass/. Japanese billionaire entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa said that he admired the spacesuit produced by NPP Zvezda, but admitted that it was very hot to train in it.
"What strikes me the most is when you put it on, you realize that this spacesuit embodies the knowledge, experience and enthusiasm of people who have been engaged in this business for many decades. Everything is functional, and this causes my admiration. But now we were training in spacesuits - it was very hot," Maezawa told reporters on Thursday.
He noted that he had already tried on the spacesuit many times. "Emotions overwhelm me about this spacesuit," he stressed.
According to the space tourist, the training in weightlessness made the strongest impression on him. "I have been living for 45 years and have not encountered anything like this. And at first I felt very awkward: I couldn't control the movements of my arms and legs, but when I got used to it a little bit, it's very pleasant," he said.
He called the most difficult training sessions that took place on Thursday in Star City, simulating depressurization and ignition on the ISS. "It's hot in the spacesuit, and today we studied in an insulating gas mask. Physically it was hard, but interesting," Maezawa explained.
Badminton on the ISS
Maezawa said that among the 100 tasks he plans to perform on the ISS, he expects to play badminton with cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin.
"I have a list of about 100 tasks that I want to perform at the station. Among them, for example, is this: we agreed that we would play badminton in space. I'm really looking forward to it. But as you know, our commander (Alexander Misurkin - approx. TASS) plays badminton at a professional level, so I'm looking forward to it," Maezawa said.
About the space tourist
Space tourist Yusaku Maezawa is the founder and head of the Zozo website, through which you can order fashionable clothes made to individual standards. In addition, he is one of the wealthiest citizens of Japan. According to Forbes magazine, its capital is about $3 billion.
The launch of the Soyuz MS-20 manned spacecraft with two space tourists is scheduled for December 8, 2021. The duration of the flight will be 12 days. The Soyuz MS-20 will be managed by Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin. Maezawa and his business assistant Yozo Hirano will also be on board.
