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

I woke up a bit confused on Friday, dragging my feet after an almost sleepless night. My training that day was difficult: it was our survival course and practice that would teach us emergency techniques should the Soyuz land in water or in the mountains or catch fire…

The toughest practice was in the afternoon, after the simulation exercise in water. This was the first time we were testing the Soyuz in a sort of real-life situation, i.e., with all our luggage around us and the doors closed. Noting the little space available gave me a little shock—and the fact that we had quite an imposing trainer in between us added to this claustrophobic feeling!

So for 2 hours, the exercise involved removing our spacesuit, and putting on a jumpsuit, then another one (a winter one, this time), a waterproof suit, then our life buoy. And there you have it! What you should also know is that we had to change in a space about the size of one person. I think I lost 2 kilos during this exercise!

All this took place with the rescue team (the first members to arrive on the scene after a landing), in an old warehouse where older Soyuz spacecraft and flags of the Soviet Union are stored.

After this experience, I enjoyed a wonderful 2-hour swim in cool, soothing water. A sheer delight! And, just to stay on the topic of water, my day ended with a ONE DROP board meeting.