Russia (bbabo.net), - The Volkov Cosmonauts are a unique family dynasty. The first in the world - space. Father - Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Volkov, son - Hero of Russia Sergei Volkov. Behind Volkov Jr. are three long flights to the International Space Station: this is almost 548 days and four spacewalks. My father has a little less - 391 days at the stations "Salyut-7" and "Mir" and two exits. Their "family root" is in the Donbass. We are talking about this with Volkov Jr.

Sergey, your father's call sign on two flights was "Donbass". Not by chance?

Sergey Volkov: Of course, not by chance. My father was born in Gorlovka and grew up there. All his youth was connected with the Donbass. And Donbass for him is more than just Donbass. This is a small homeland, beloved small homeland. Every year I also went on vacation to my grandparents, who lived on Stoletova Street.

My father always talked about his school. True, its building was no longer preserved at that time - a mercury quarry was being developed at that place. But his favorite teacher always came to our house. In general, when my father came to Gorlovka, he had a lot of meetings: with pioneers, miners, labor collectives ...

They say a shell hit your grandfather's grave?

Sergey Volkov: Yes. His grave was a kilometer from the front line. The monument is said to have been destroyed. Grandfather went through the entire Patriotic War, survived then, but in peacetime the shell reached ...

Did any of your relatives stay in Donbass?

Sergey Volkov: My uncle lives in Gorlovka. He has an apartment, but in a different area. My father still has cousins ​​and brothers. The last time I was in 2013, together with my father and Alexei Arkhipovich Leonov.

Did you communicate closely with Leonov?

Sergey Volkov: In Star City, we lived in the same house, I grew up before his eyes. You could say he was my mentor.

Is it true that your arrival in the cosmonaut corps put your father before a choice: either he or you?

Sergey Volkov: True. Dad was the commander of the cosmonaut detachment at the Gagarin TsPK. But by order it is forbidden to serve the son in direct subordination to the father. Therefore, my father made a difficult decision for himself: he supported me. This act of his means a lot to me. I am very grateful to him.

Both of us were well aware that enrollment in the cosmonaut corps did not guarantee flight. There is no such thing: enrolled - and you can relax. I grew up in Star City and saw both people who had a dream of flying into space come true, and those who did not have a chance to fly. There is work, training, you are being tested. You need to constantly prove that you are ready to start.

What are your first ideas about high speeds, about aviation, about space?

Sergey Volkov: The first time my father's friends put me in a MiG-21 fighter at the age of four. My father himself flew that day with the cadets. I remember I was sitting in a chair in a protective helmet. And I was terribly worried so as not to break something on the plane. Since then, the question of who you want to become has always been answered unambiguously and firmly: a pilot!

You first flew into orbit in a crew where there were only newcomers. Then they became the youngest commander of the ISS. What tips from cosmonaut Volkov Sr. were useful?

Sergey Volkov: You know, there has never been such advice that one should "resist" or "crush", "do this" or "don't do this" here. The father simply shared his experience and knowledge. Although, yes, there were purely practical advice, say, regarding physical education: he emphasized that on the space station it must be done constantly in order to maintain good physical shape.

But at some point I saw that my father was really interested in talking to me. A conversation on a professional topic turned into a conversation between two professionals. That's probably when our dynasty was born.

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