All-female SANA-1 crew completes isolation experiment in Astana

The all-female crew of the SANA-1 project departed a specially designed ground module today, simulating a spacecraft.

They were welcomed by Kazakhstan’s first cosmonaut, Major General of Aviation and Halyq Qaharmany (People's Hero of Kazakhstan) Toktar Aubakirov, along with representatives from JSC NC Kazakhstan Gharysh Sapary, relevant agencies, and the media.

10 days in isolation

For ten days, the researchers were in complete isolation, simulating real-life space expedition scenarios. They conducted medical, cognitive, and teamwork studies, as well as educational experiments.

"We had a clear schedule. Our mornings involved breakfast, exercise, and a relaxing activity, after which we moved to our workstations. We conducted cognitive tests and brain recordings. For six hours a day, we wore headphones that recorded our levels of focus and relaxation," explained Darya Komarova, Senior Engineer at the Republican Center for Space Communication.

Each participant completed individual scientific tasks, including growing microgreens without soil, assembling equipment to measure temperature and pressure, and creating a heat map of the capsule. Their state was monitored over the 10 days by smartwatches.

"The prime subjects for the research were us (the participants) and the capsule itself," stated Yulia Bakirova, Crew Commander, Chief Research Fellow at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The participants had little free time (only one to two hours a day), which they spent playing the guitar, playing board games, and chatting. The mandatory requirement for sleep was eight hours a day. Outside contact was strictly prohibited: food was delivered daily without any personal contact with the staff.

Kazakhstan's all-female crew

The crew initially consisted of four members, employees of organizations subordinate to the Aerospace Committee. However, Linara Zhadigerova, Engineer at the Laboratory of Space and Geophysical Research at the LLP Institute of Ionosphere, left the project mid-way.

The experiment was completed by:

• Yulia Bakirova, Crew Commander, Chief Research Fellow at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of JSC National Center of Space Research and Technology.
• Assem Kuandyk, Research Fellow at the Laboratory of Heat Insulation Materials of JSC National Center of Space Research and Technologies.
• Darya Komarova, Senior Engineer of the Department of Flight Support and Technical Condition Monitoring of Spacecraft at the Republican Center for Space Communication.

Certificates of completion were awarded to the participants upon the experiment's conclusion.

"You have built the platform for the future"

Toktar Aubakirov lauded the crew while emphasizing the experiment's significance for the development of domestic space science.

"All scientific experiments are based on a desire for the future, and you have now built that platform for the future in Kazakhstan. It must have been difficult to spend 10 days in a confined space. Seeing the same faces repeatedly can be very hard, but you overcame it with dignity," he said.

He stated that women possess exceptional strength, and this experiment represents an important step toward the participation of Kazakh women in future space missions.

The experiment in the spacecraft simulator module started on October 1st.