Photo from the Suraevs’ family album (click to enlarge)

As a child, I wasn’t really dreaming of becoming a spaceman. I wasn’t even thinking about it. Spacemen seemed to be out of reach for me. My father had served in the air force. When he asked me what I wanted to be, I answered immediately: ‘I wanna be a pilot, of course!’

So I entered the military college in the Yeysk town and graduated with honors. Then I graduated from the Zhukovsky Air Force Academy with honors as well.

We all remember what it was like in the ’90s. At night I was driving passengers home to put some food on the table. One could buy three packs of cigarettes with a serviceman’s salary - that was it. We had to survive any way we could. I was doing extra jobs in the Academy as well. There I learned that they were recruiting people for the space crew. I thought I should give it a try. And if that didn’t work I would quit the military service and get a job…

Photo from the Suraevs’ family album (click to enlarge)

And I did it!

Generally speaking, it’s all up to one’s willingness to do it. If you really want something you’ll definitely achieve it! I mean, obviously if someone is missing an arm they wouldn’t get the job. But healthy young men should strive for such goals only! If you wanna be a spaceman, you gotta go for it!

Thanks to Maxim’s wife Anna Suraeva for providing us with photos [editorial staff]

Photo: zero gravity practice (the current crew of the Russian
ISS segment, Maxim Suraev and Roman Romanenko,
are in  the center) Click to enlarge

Via Russian space agency Roscosmos

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.