Every astronaut heading to the International Space Station - no matter their country - must learn Russian. Not just a few phrases. Not just enough to say "thank you" or "hello." They need to understand emergency alarms, docking commands, and life support warnings spoken rapidly in Russian, without delay, without translation, and under pressure. This isn’t optional. It’s a hard requirement, built into the training from day one.
Why Russian? It’s Not About Culture - It’s About Survival
The reason is simple: Russian is the operational language of the Soyuz spacecraft and the Russian segment of the ISS. When the station flies over Russian territory, mission control in Korolyov, near Moscow, takes over communication. If something goes wrong - a fire, a leak, a system failure - the crew has to respond in real time, using the same words the controllers are using. There’s no time to wait for an interpreter. No time to pause and think. In 2019, a fire alarm went off while the ISS was over Russian airspace. NASA astronaut Anne McClain had to coordinate directly with Moscow control, understanding every command, confirming every action, all in Russian. She didn’t have the luxury of switching to English. That’s the reality. And it’s why NASA and its partners treat Russian language training like a critical safety system - not a language class.What Level of Russian Do Astronauts Need?
Astronauts aren’t expected to become poets or novelists in Russian. They need to reach ILR Level 2+, a standard set by the U.S. Department of State’s Foreign Service Institute. That’s roughly equivalent to being able to hold a 30-minute technical conversation about spacecraft systems without stumbling, mispronouncing, or needing help. The test isn’t written. It’s spoken. Over the phone. With a certified examiner. The astronaut has to describe how to shut down a coolant loop, explain what a pressure alarm means, or respond to a simulated cabin depressurization - all in Russian. They need to understand 85% of what’s said, without pauses. Most people who fail the test don’t lack vocabulary - they lack speed. They freeze when the Russian comes fast, which is exactly how it sounds in real emergencies.How Do Astronauts Actually Learn It?
Training starts early - often before astronauts even get assigned to a mission. It begins at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston or at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. At first, it’s one or two lessons a week. But as launch day approaches, it ramps up. During the final 6-12 months before launch, astronauts spend 3-4 hours a day, five days a week, studying Russian. The real test comes in Star City, Russia. That’s where the cosmonauts train. And that’s where NASA astronauts go for immersion. For weeks at a time, they live in Russia. They eat with Russian families. They take classes in Russian. They practice emergency drills in Russian. They sit in Soyuz simulators while instructors shout commands in Russian, correcting every mispronunciation. One astronaut described it as being “a first-grader in a classroom where no one speaks your language.” The curriculum isn’t about grammar rules or verb conjugations. It’s about survival vocabulary. About 70% of training time focuses on technical terms: давление (pressure), уровень кислорода (oxygen level), аварийная посадка (emergency landing), пожар (fire). There are over 2,000 terms they must know cold. And they must recognize them instantly - even if spoken in a panicked voice.
It’s Not Just About Speaking - It’s About Listening
Many astronauts say the hardest part isn’t speaking - it’s understanding. Russian mission control doesn’t speak slowly. They don’t repeat themselves. They use shorthand. They cut words. They assume you know the context. One veteran astronaut recalled hearing a command like “Снижение на 0.3” - meaning “lower by 0.3.” In English, that’s clear. In Russian, spoken fast over a crackling radio, it sounds like “Sneezh-eh-nee-ye na nol’ tri.” If you’re not used to it, you miss it. And missing it can mean missing a maneuver, or worse. That’s why astronauts train with recordings of real mission control transmissions. They replay them. They transcribe them. They listen until they can pick out commands in their sleep. Some even hang out with Russian cosmonauts during downtime - not to socialize, but to practice. One astronaut said, “The best teacher wasn’t my instructor. It was the guy who fixed the coffee maker in Star City. He didn’t know I was training. He just talked. And I learned.”What Happens If You Don’t Pass?
Failure rates on the final Russian proficiency test hover around 15%. That’s high for a program that selects only the most elite candidates. Those who don’t pass the first time get more training. But they can’t fly until they do. No exceptions. No delays. No compromises. There’s no room for ego. NASA astronaut Shannon Lucid, who spent 188 days aboard Mir in 1996, had to learn Russian from scratch because her crewmates spoke no English. She said they eventually developed their own “cosmic language” - mixing Russian, English, gestures, and laughter. But that wasn’t by design. It was survival. In the Shuttle-Mir program, inadequate language skills caused real problems. John Blaha, a NASA astronaut on Mir, called it “NASA’s biggest mistake.” Crews couldn’t communicate clearly during emergencies. Procedures were misunderstood. Trust broke down. Since then, the rules changed. Now, you don’t get to the ISS unless you can speak Russian like a technician - not like a tourist.