The tradition of astronauts to watch the "White Sun of the Desert" before the flight seems to be known to everyone. The cult film with Turkmen landscapes has even become a practical guide for camerawork, which is also taught to cosmonauts. However, not for filming films on the ISS (although this happens), but for recording videos on various projects. Another preflight tradition will soon be laid by a native of Turkmenabat – Hero of Turkmenistan and Russia, head of the cosmonaut squad Oleg Kononenko. This time, he and his colleagues from the upcoming new operation will watch not only movies, but also go to the theater.

Recently, he, together with the head of Roscosmos Yuri Borisov and cosmonaut Nikolai Chub, as well as the head of the cosmonaut training center Maxim Kharlamov, watched the premiere performance "Cosmos" at the legendary Chekhov Moscow Art Theater.

After the performance, the artistic director of the theater Konstantin Khabensky proposed to introduce a new tradition in manned cosmonautics — a mandatory visit to the theater before flying into orbit.

Roscosmos reported: the commander of the cosmonaut squad promised to personally start this tradition before his upcoming flight.

"If cosmonauts promise, they always come!", — Oleg Kononenko joked.

The corporation promises to tell in detail about what kind of performance the cosmonauts watched, what space "secrets" there are in the Moscow Art Theater, and what Roscosmos and the Moscow Art Theater are preparing together.

Leonid Kiyashko, ORIENT Special Correspondent, member of the Guild of Interethnic Journalism, Ivanovo, Russia