Space Exploration Day: How Astronauts Are Trained

Published on July 22, 2026, by The Hindu, this feature article by Indulekha S. examines the extensive training astronauts undergo for space missions. It covers Extra-Vehicular Activity (EVA) training in neutral buoyancy pools at NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and Russia's Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Geological field training prepares astronauts for planetary exploration using Earth analogs like Hawaii's volcanic landscapes, as done for Apollo missions. Survival training addresses emergency scenarios during spaceflight. The article emphasizes the years of rigorous preparation—physical, mental, and simulated—required to ensure astronauts are efficient and valiant in space. It includes images of European astronauts training for lunar missions and historical Apollo training photos.