The content of this post is an adaptation of an original text written by Guy Laliberté.

As if it wasn’t enough to bend my body like a contortionist in my spacesuit last week, I had to put it on again for another 2 hours, this time squeezed into a little box at an altitude of 30,000 metres! The purpose of this relaxing experiment was to test my endurance… I just hope they won’t ask me to wear my spacesuit for a whole night in my little bed!

We also did quite a lot of preparedness simulations. Everything went well and I was even able to sneak in a power nap once again! Let’s just say these little naps help me regain a few hours of sleep here and there.

Along with other medical exams, I was tested on the Life Support System simulation. These exams were followed by a second, and equally important, test from the GMK, Russia’s Main Medical Commission. While the first GMK test cleared us for training, this one will give us the go-ahead to fly. So here we were, Max, Barbara, the back-up captain and I, going from one office to the next, meeting with one doctor after another. We were all smiles when we received confirmation that we were medically fit to fly. What a relief!

There was a very important exam coming up on Friday. Since I still wanted some stars in my notebook, I studied all night!