Babkin, who did not fly into space, asked Putin to assess his health
Cosmonaut candidate Andrei Babkin, who did not fly into orbit because of the film "The Challenge" and was fired 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, he asked to involve independent experts in assessing his health.
In response, the Cosmonaut Training Center (CPC) of Roscosmos reported that an expanded consultation was held on July 12 under the leadership of the head of the FMBA of Russia. It is noted that it was attended by members of the ENT section of the Main Medical Commission, as well as specialists who previously treated the cosmonaut.
As a result, the grounds for revising the conclusion previously adopted by the Main Medical Commission were not found. After being dismissed from his flight position, Babkin became deputy commander of the cosmonaut detachment for scientific work. He has been preparing for the flight for 14 years.
The composition of the council
The CPC document states that Gennady Piskunov, a surgeon, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor, Doctor of Medical Sciences, was involved in the work of the council. A specialist operated on Babkin in 2022 for the treatment of rhinosinusitis. After the operation, he pointed out that the candidate for cosmonauts has no restrictions on the loads associated with high or low pressure.
However, in an interview with the Newspaper.En " the surgeon indicated that he was not present at the consultation on July 12. This is confirmed by the minutes of the meeting, from which it follows that seven people were involved in the discussion. At the same time, three of them, as part of the Main Medical Commission, decided to remove Babkin.
Vladimir Averbukh, head of the Department of Diseases of the Nose and Pharynx of the Federal State Budgetary Institution NMICO of the FMBA of Russia, also took part in the consultation, who wrote in October 2023 in Babkin's epicrisis: "According to the results of the examination based on the patient's amnestic data, there was a complete absence of signs of polysinusitis. The patient does not need treatment. The ability to work has not been lost."
Babkin turned to independent doctors
After being dismissed from the flight squad, Babkin turned to independent ENT doctors, in particular from the FMBA, MONICA and Sechenov University. The certificates issued to the man confirmed his airworthiness. However, none of the specialists were invited to the extended consultation.
All the specialists addressed by the cosmonaut candidate indicated that the patient is able-bodied and has no contraindications to professional activity, there are no restrictions on loads.
The CPC remains a closed and hierarchical structure
Dmitry Strugovets, an expert in the field of cosmonautics, noted that the CPC has remained a closed and hierarchical structure since Soviet times. According to him, the Main Medical Commission is not an independent body and consists of ordinary people, "who are also subject to mood swings, likes and dislikes, pressure from authorities."
Dmitry Strugovets
an expert in the field of astronautics
"Why do we need manned space exploration at all? In order to learn how to live in space. To live with all the peculiarities of the organisms of individual people. Another option is to continue to allow only the "chosen ones" into space. But then what kind of exploration and exploration of the Solar system can we talk about?" — the expert asked himself.
