Experienced Russian Cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev, who had only in the near past spent 195 days orbiting Earth, by chance hit a colleague together with his automotive exterior the Roscosmos coaching middle earlier this week, in line with an official assertion from the Russian house company.

The statement posted to the official Roscosmos Telegram channel claims that, on Monday night, Artemyev “did not notice” an individual crossing the highway close to the Yuri A. Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City as a consequence of “conditions of limited visibility on a poorly lit road.”

As if to chop off any rumors on the go, the assertion emphasised “Artemyev was sober.”

The sufferer on this case was 63-year-old Anatoly Uronov. While the assertion didn’t provide any extra particulars on Uronov, Anatoly Zak—who writes for the Russian house weblog RussiaSpaceWeb—described him as a venture supervisor who works on the coaching middle. Artemyev known as medics to the scene and offered first help, in line with the assertion. Uronov had a number of fractures and was hospitalized within the close by metropolis of Shchyolkovo. The Russian state house company has not revealed any extra particulars about Uronov’s accidents or his present standing.

As famous by Space.com, astronauts who’re uncovered to the microgravity of house for lengthy intervals discover they want a while to manage after coming again right down to Earth. A 2018 Nature study by Human Aerospace Laboratory researchers confirmed that, after spending six months in orbit, astronauts struggled with duties requiring handbook dexterity and expertise “a striking degradation in the ability to operate a vehicle.” The examine famous that abilities and cognitive skills often returned to regular a couple of days after touchdown. The examine’s authors suggested NASA to have astronauts conduct self-assessments earlier than declaring themselves match for responsibility.

The 51-year-old Artemyev had touched down again to Earth on September 29 after practically six months in orbit, giving him about 19 days between his Soyuz capsule touching floor and this automotive collision. Astronauts have beforehand described the descent in Russia’s Soyuz capsules “like a series of car crashes.”

Of course, there’s no trace that the accident was brought on by any impairment. Artemyev had taken command of the International Space Station this May, and has spent a complete of 561 days in orbit over the course of three missions, so it isn’t like that is the cosmonaut’s first time coping with the trials of adjusting to Earth’s gravity after spending months in house.

And it’s not just like the cosmonaut is unused to high-pressure conditions. Artemyev had beforehand handled a spacesuit malfunction throughout work to put in a robotic arm on the ISS. He beforehand was a member of Expedition 39/40 in 2014, Expedition 55/56 in 2018, and the most-recent Expedition 66/67 in 2022.

Artemyev’s personal blog, the place he has frequently posted notes, photos, and movies about his space-bound adventures, has not but talked about the Monday incident. The cosmonaut was additionally identified for protecting a daily stream of content material updates going to his TikTok and YouTube channel.

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