летчик-космонавт Александр Мисуркин
Pilot-cosmonaut,
Hero of Russian Federation
Alexander Misurkin
Alexander Misurkin
Motivational Speaker
In 2013, became the youngest person on board the ISS
Pilot-cosmonaut, Hero of Russian Federation
In 2013, became the youngest person
on board the ISS
Send an Invitation

ABOUT MYSELF

«People are not born cosmonauts – this is who they become. And many can do it.
Why do we need to fly to space? Exploring the world around us, we get to know ourselves better»

I was born and spent my early years in Smolensk region, the homeland of the first cosmonaut on Earth. Later, I moved to Oryol, where childhood fantasies about flying to other worlds and the desire to go where no one had been before evolved into a goal — to become a cosmonaut.

There, I took my first steps towards my goal. I started independent glider flying long before I learned to drive a car. After finishing school, I entered the Kacha Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots (Volgograd). I continued my studies at Armavir Military Aviation Institute, graduating with a gold medal, which gave me the right to choose my future service location.

In the early 2000s, amid chronic fuel shortages and problems with aviation equipment, my only choice was to remain a flight instructor in one of the Institute’s regiments, as there was an opportunity to fly. My sole focus then was to become a 1st class flight instructor. Having achieved this goal, I was ready for the next step — joining the cosmonaut corps.

Throughout 2006, I went through various stages of selection for the Cosmonaut Team. In January 2007, as part of the 14th recruitment to the Cosmonaut Training Center, we began general space training as cosmonaut candidates. An endless number of lectures and exams alternated with parachute jumps, underwater immersions, flight training, and survival exercises. Extensive travel and a wide circle of acquaintances followed. All this happened in a special atmosphere, among extraordinary, open, responsive, kind, and brave people. Our recruitment was a united whole — a team, which has always been and remains one of my most important values. I felt as if I had entered a different, parallel world where my horizons expanded multiple times. I was happy to live in it, happy to understand that all this gave me the opportunity to develop and move forward. Only one fact sometimes caused sadness — I now had much less time to fly planes.

Step by step, I approached my cherished goal and simultaneously the most important test in my life. Who would have thought that the «How to Become a Cosmonaut» plan, devised more than 20 years ago by my school teacher Natalia Vladimirovna Afanasyeva, actually works!

On March 29, 2013, at the age of 35, departing on the 35th expedition to the ISS and becoming the 116th cosmonaut of Russia, as well as the youngest person on board the station since its launching, I achieved the goal I had set for myself 23 years earlier.

Subsequently, over 8 years, I went to space twice more: as the commander of an ISS expedition and as the crew commander of the first fully commercial flight to the ISS. Twice I set a record for the duration of work in open space in Russian spacesuits.

Besides unforgettable impressions, this experience allowed me to understand that people often explain as luck what is actually the result of systematic work. Famous Russian rock singer Garik Sukachev is 300% right: «This phrase is worthless: «You got lucky.»

It was a revelation for me that being friends and being a team are two completely different stories, but I understood what it takes to become a team, realized the value and role of qualities such as trust and responsibility. In general, mindfulness began to play a much bigger role in my life.

All this was a discovery of the inner world, but speaking of the outer world, observing our planet from space gives the most unforgettable impressions associated with the sense of magic in the process of creation. This contemplation not only filled me with energy but also prompted me to reflect on our place in the universe, whether we will find other worlds similar to ours, when this will happen, why we need space at all, what awaits our civilization in the future, and so on.

Questions and the search for answers are what moves forward both civilization as a whole and each of us individually. Here are two questions I found answers to:

— Is space flight the destiny of the chosen ones?

People are not born cosmonauts, this is what they become. And this is within many people’s power, and the main obstacle on this path is stereotypes that do not allow expanding horizons in people’s minds.

— Why does humanity need to fly into space?

There are several reasons, but I think the first of them is that by getting to know the world around us, we better know ourselves. And knowing ourselves is the only way to preserve civilization and life on our planet.

In general, the goal-challenge of the first part of life has been achieved, new goals appear on the horizon. At 45 years old — the flight is normal.

My topics

Space Ambitions.
We Are All Capable of More
Leader and the Team.
Becoming a Space Crew
It's Not going to be like that!
Managing a Team During Transformations
Effective Strategy in the Context of Uncertainty.
A View from Orbit
Burn But Not Burning Out.
Stress Management in Space
Risk Management in Outer Space
Beyond Gravity.
What Trust and Responsibility Mean
The Rules of Space Are the Rules of Success
The Boy Who Dreamed of Stars.
My Path to Space
The Time of Singularity.
A Look from Orbit at the Future of Humanity
Personal Responsibility or Personal Brand?
The Key to Space Mission Success
What Space Teaches Us.
Personal Development Life Hacks
Remote Life and Work –
On Earth as in Space
Space Ambitions. We Are All Capable of More!
«How do you weigh someone where there is no weight?» This seemingly simple question became a real challenge for space medicine. Here’s another puzzle: before returning to Earth, doctors need to predict will the leg veins, weakened by months of weightlessness, be able to pump blood under Earth’s gravity, or will the cosmonaut lose consciousness when trying to stand up?

Behind every breakthrough solution in space exploration stand people who dared to think beyond the conventional. They created «artificial gravity» long before humanity learned to control gravitational fields. They found ways to simulate Earth conditions where the laws of physics seemed to make it impossible.

Working with these technologies, I often ask myself: what enables some people to see solutions where others see only obstacles? Why do some live within established boundaries while others push the horizons of what’s possible? Each of us lives within the boundaries of our individual reality. These limits, like the boundaries of the universe, are a barrier that seems impossible to cross. But we have the power to push these horizons as far as we want. I invite you to explore the nature of breakthrough achievements and understand how each of us can expand the boundaries of our own reality.

Leader and the Team. Becoming a Space Crew
In space, there is no room for things left unsaid. Every word and action must be completely sincere and open — because the price of any hidden mistake or unspoken doubt could cost the entire crew their lives.

Having spent 15 years in the cosmonaut corps and almost a year in space, I can say with certainty: in space, there are no «good specialists» — there is either a crew capable of solving any challenge, or a group of professionals who might fail even in a simple off-nominal situation. What transforms a group of experienced cosmonauts into a single organism? Why some commanders inspire heroic deeds, while others, despite all their experience, cannot achieve even basic mutual understanding? What is that invisible foundation without which even the most experienced professionals remain just a group of individuals? I invite you to explore the subtle art of building a space crew.

It’s Not going to be like that! Managing a Team During Transformations
Even after 60 years of manned space flights, space continues to confirm the truth: ’It`s not going to be like that!’ This phrase by twice Hero of the Soviet Union, pilot-cosmonaut V. A. Lyakhov is not just a reminder to be prepared for the unexpected, but also a call for continuous process improvement. In modern business, this principle is equally relevant.

The history of space exploration is rich with examples where leadership and team cohesion determined the success of a mission. The feat of Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Viktor Savinykh, who restored the uncontrolled Salyut-7 station in 1985, and the triumph of the Apollo 13 crew, who turned a potential catastrophe into a victory of the human spirit, clearly demonstrate how adapting to unforeseen circumstances and changing established processes can turn a crisis situation into success.

Implementing changes, whether it’s a new system aboard the ISS or a company restructuring, is always a challenge for the team. Here, the key role is played not by managing people, but by true leadership. As the wisdom goes: «You can’t manage people. You can only lead them!» It is this approach that allows a team to accomplish the impossible, going beyond the familiar and achieving unprecedented heights.

My experience of spacewalks has shown that even minimal changes in processes can have colossal consequences. This is equally applicable to business. The ability to lead a team through these changes is a key skill of a modern leader in any field.

Effective Strategy in the Context of Uncertainty. A View from Orbit
«Houston, we have a problem...» — this phrase from space history has become a symbol of how years of preparation can be challenged in mere seconds. What do you do when Earth-tested procedures suddenly stop working? When decisions must be made here and now, with the crew’s lives potentially at stake?

Three space flights taught me the fundamental truth: success under uncertainty is built on systematic preparation. It is the deep understanding of core principles that provides the foundation for finding solutions in non-standard situations. We live in an era where the pace of change on Earth rivals the dynamics of spaceflight. Technologies develop exponentially, familiar business models become obsolete faster than they can pay off, and global crises have become our constant companions.

What approaches and principles truly work under uncertainty and help find effective solutions in our constantly changing world? I look forward to sharing my observations.

Burn But Not Burning Out. Stress Management in Space
The road to the stars begins on Earth long before the date of your first launch. How do you fight doubts, overcome obstacles, and avoid burnout on this path when there are no guarantees, when everything is at stake, and your goal is still on the horizon?

On my way to the first flight, I managed to do this unconsciously. But an ISS expedition is more than just technical challenges. It’s months of isolation in a confined space where you can’t simply step outside for fresh air or take a day off. It’s the constant need to maintain ultimate concentration, where the slightest mistake can become critical. It’s life in a state of continuous tension, where burnout becomes as real a risk as any technical malfunction. That’s why in the following 10 years of my space career, I had to consciously search for inner resources and motivation.

How do you keep your inner fire burning without letting it turn to ashes? Where do you find resources when they seem depleted? How do you transform stress from a destructive force into a source of energy? I invite you to explore the art of managing your own state in the extreme conditions of spaceflight — after all, life on Earth today increasingly resembles life in space.

Risk Management in Outer Space
Imagine: you’re in a spacesuit weighing over a hundred kilograms, surrounded by endless space, with only a safety tether connecting you to the spacecraft. Due to the specific environmental conditions (vacuum) and spacesuit design, each movement follows unique mechanics and requires significant physical effort. Every operation must be precise, and there’s no time for lengthy deliberation.

Four times I had the opportunity to perform spacewalks. Twice we set the record for the longest duration spacewalk in Russian spacesuits. Each spacewalk is preceded by serious preparation and practice of possible scenarios both on Earth and in flight. Yet, space always presents surprises that must be dealt with in the moment, relying on yourself, your partner, and the voice of the mission control specialist in your headset.

What determines success in high-risk conditions? What role do forecasting and situation modeling play? How do you build a system for preventing fatal risks, and why does quality team communication become the decisive safety factor? I invite you to explore the principles of working in conditions where the cost of mistakes is truly high.

Beyond Gravity. What Trust and Responsibility Mean
At the moment of spacecraft launch, the crew entrusts their lives to thousands of people — those who built the ship, prepared it for flight, and who provide communication and control. At the same time, the system itself entrusts the crew with carrying out a complex mission worth billions of rubles

Once I was asked to talk about the role of trust in space activities. This made me review my spaceflight experience through this particular «filter.» Then it became clear why I wasn’t afraid either at launch or during reentry, why I was honored to be assigned to a crew with such an intense and challenging flight program. That’s why the pair of qualities «trust» and «responsibility» appear to me as essential in our lives as the double helix of DNA.

How does trust in the system affect the effectiveness of each team member? How is the crew’s cultural and value platform formed? How does trust influence the quality of communication in the system and, consequently, the achievement of the ultimate goal? I invite you to explore how professionalism, openness, honesty, and mutual support create that invisible foundation upon which the success of any team is built.

The Rules of Space Are the Rules of Success
«Why are you so lucky?» — this question I asked myself in 2013, when I became the youngest person ever aboard the ISS. Behind me was a record-short training period — just six and a half years instead of the standard ten. Ahead were three spacewalks, one of which would set a duration record. Our crew was the first to implement a new fast-approach scheme to the ISS. Too many «firsts» for mere coincidence.

When you begin to analyze your journey, you often discover that behind seeming random success lie quite specific principles. Principles you followed without even realizing it. As if space itself was suggesting rules, following which opens a path to the impossible.

What does preparing for spaceflight have in common with achieving any ambitious goal? What unwritten laws determine success in space and in life? How do you turn «impossible» into «done»? I invite you to uncover the universal rules that help transform dreams into reality — whether it’s space flight or any other goal that seems unattainable.

The Boy Who Dreamed of Stars. My Path to Space
«How do I become a cosmonaut?» — with this question I approached my school teacher at the age of 12. She didn’t dismiss it but simply suggested a possible path. Back then, I didn’t know that this conversation would define the next 23 years of my life.

On my way to this goal, I often faced misunderstanding. Most people simply didn’t take such an aspiration seriously. Looking back today, I know for certain: the boundaries of our capabilities exist primarily in our minds.

Why do some people achieve what others consider impossible? How do you find your true calling? Where do you find strength to move forward when obstacles seem insurmountable? I’ll be glad to share my story — from a schoolboy’s dream through years of preparation and training to scientific experiments aboard the ISS — and tell you how to transform your boldest goal into reality.

The Time of Singularity: A Look from Orbit at the Future of Humanity
Today, we actively search for exoplanets similar to Earth, hoping to find other habitable worlds. But what if someone out there has been observing us for a long time?

If such observers had been watching the Solar System since its formation 4.5 billion years ago, they would have witnessed an amazing story — from the origin of life to the emergence of intelligence, with an astonishing acceleration of development in recent centuries. And observing Earth today, they would see a planet surrounded by millions of pieces of space debris — the first signs of a technological civilization that doesn’t always manage its capabilities wisely.

We stand on the threshold of technological singularity — a moment when the combination of breakthrough technologies can qualitatively transform our civilization. Artificial intelligence, biotechnology, quantum computing — each of these technologies is capable of radically changing the world. And their synergy could create a reality that we cannot yet imagine.

But as noted by the outstanding science fiction writer and thinker Isaac Asimov, the main sorrow of modern times is that science gains knowledge much faster than society acquires wisdom. Will we be able to cope with the challenges that these incredible possibilities bring? Using a cosmological metaphor, we could say we face a choice: a jump through a ’wormhole’ into a new quality of civilization or an irreversible fall into the black hole of self-destruction.

Will we manage to restore the balance between technological progress and the wisdom of its application? Who should do this and how, and what is each of our roles in this process? History knows examples of people who changed the world for the better, and by analyzing their experience, we must make the right choice.

Personal Responsibility or Personal Brand? The Key to Space Mission Success
In December 2021, I faced a unique mission: for the first time in the history of Russian cosmonautics, a spacecraft commander had to independently deliver two space tourists to the ISS.

The task seemed straightforward — ensure a safe flight. But gradually, I realized a deeper challenge: not just to transport passengers, but to create an experience that would make them recommend Roscosmos as the best provider of space tourism.

When a month after returning to Earth, Maezawa-san expressed his desire to make another flight with Roscosmos and with me personally, I understood: it’s not about strong words about personal brand. It’s about people trusting people. And this trust is built not on marketing, but on how deeply you’re involved in the project, how sincerely you care about its success, regardless of the scale of your role in it.

How does a project transform when you take responsibility for its overall success? Why are awareness and engagement more important than formal duties? What role does personal responsibility play in building trust? I invite you to explore how daily actions and decisions create the image that people are willing to trust their dreams to.

What Space Teaches Us. Personal Development Life Hacks
«All people are divided into three groups: those who see, those who see when shown, and those who do not see» — these words by Leonardo da Vinci gained new meaning for me in orbit. Looking at Earth from space, I didn’t just witness its fragile beauty — I learned to notice what had previously escaped my attention.

Space became not only a test of physical capabilities but also a unique laboratory of human development. Here I understood how a real team is formed, what trust means in conditions where the cost of mistakes is maximal, how to remain effective during constant changes, and what makes a person truly resilient.

What qualities help not just survive but thrive in space? Why are these same abilities becoming critically important in the age of artificial intelligence on Earth? How do you turn any experience into a source of growth? I’ll be glad to share my observations about how space teaches the most important thing — the art of continuous development.

Remote Life and Work — On Earth as in Space
«Welcome to space reality!» — this could describe 2020, when millions of people suddenly found themselves in conditions well familiar to every cosmonaut. Limited space, blurred boundaries between work and rest, constant presence of the same people around, the need to maintain physical fitness in confined spaces — all of this has long been part of everyday life in space.

Through years of spaceflight, we’ve developed effective strategies for living in isolation: how to structure your day when home becomes office, how to maintain balance between solitude and communication, how to stay physically active without a gym, how to remain productive in confined spaces.

What space practices help maintain effectiveness in remote work? How do you create a healthy work environment in limited space? How do you turn forced restrictions into a source of new opportunities? I’ll be glad to share space-proven solutions for living and working in the new reality.

Portfolio

Videoportrait
Father Club Meeting. Kazan
Summith of Russian Zoobusiness. Sochi
Sber.Moscow
Forum “Do at you best”. Saratov
Forum “Business-team №1”. Novosibirsk
South Summit
Progress, JSC, Conference
MINI&BMW Distributors Conference

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OMK
I want to thank Alexander for today's lecture for our colleagues! It's great that it turned out to be accessible through the experience and examples from Alexander's life to convey the material! Once again, many thanks!
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IT
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Another space

БАДМИНТОН
Badminton
I have got acquainted with you thanks to the profession of a cosmonaut. And even though it happened much later than I would like now, you came into my life so easily and became an integral part of it, as if you had always been in it.
БАДМИНТОН БАДМИНТОН

Today I know for sure that badminton is not just a sport, it is a lifestyle that allows you to increase its duration and quality of life. I hadn’t seen more mobile people at the age of 65 than those on the badminton court. In my opinion, the best way to relieve stress and have fun with friends is to play badminton. That’s why on January 1, 2018, the entire crew played badminton aboard the ISS. Thus, badminton was the first playing sport to leave the Earth’s atmosphere. Wishing to share badminton with our fellow countrymen in the Oryol region, we created the Badminton Federation of the Oryol region. We started by setting an unofficial Guinness World Record on June 23, 2018 — I was playing badminton with all wishing people for exactly 24 hours. And on August 04, 2018, we held our first tournament. Today badminton is one of the basic sports in Orel, both adults and children are engaged in it, more than 100 tournaments have been held. Start playing badminton right now and you’ll wish you had done it earlier :)

«ПОБЕДА»
«Victory»
In 2016 just before my leaving for Baikonur as the backup crew commander, somebody called me from an unknown number. It was Alyona Kuzmenko, a nice girl with a noble heart and unbending will, as I later learned.
«ПОБЕДА» «ПОБЕДА»

Alyona and her team «Unity» help children who have a terrible disease — cancer. They cheer them up, help to see the beauty of this world and try to attract public attention to this global issue.

ART PROJECT «The Space Suit» I had been skeptical about art therapy until I accidentally heard a legend about the 19th century glass-blower from the town of Gus-Khrustalny, Razumey Vasiliev. The legend has it that for his sick daughter this master made a bouquet of crystal flowers which helped her to feel the joy of life again and to recover. This story touched me to the quick and I saw the essence of what Alyona was doing. And later we were able to create a special «overcoat» for the spacesuit Orlan, to deliver it to the board of the international space station and then back to the Earth. We called it «Victory». Little patients from various cancer centers with the help of the artists from the Unity team painted «Victory» — they depicted on it their most secret desires. On board the international space station I looked through the children’s paintings and one of them caught my eye at once — it was a little prince, to be more exact, a Little Princess with her rose. It was a curious coincidence because right at that time I was listening to the audio-book «The Little Prince» by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. It made me know at once which emblem I and Anton Shkaplerov would use for our spacewalk. I am grateful to all my colleagues who helped us to carry out this project, those of them who managed to remain kind-hearted and capable of thinking not only about personal benefits. I wish all our little painters a quick recovery!

Vera Polozkova in space
The Little Prince on Earth and in space
Space poetry. Elena Ustiyantseva
Space fun
New Year in space
Space will not wait
Mankind's rush into space is accelerating! 🚀

Space industry market 5 years ago was €250 billion; today it is €300 billion, which is 7 times bigger than the Artificial Intelligence market. By mid-century, the space industry market is projected at the level of €2.3 trillion. This means that the space is closer to each of us than we think. That’s why we organized this project together with the Cosmonautics Museum in Moscow, in order to highlight the history of space exploration in the past, its development in the present and prospects for the future.

Our project was awarded the 2nd degree diploma of the All-Russian Prize «For Fidelity to Science» in the category «The best online project about science,» but most importantly, the project was interesting to our citizens. And I will be very happy if it helps in the formation of future followers of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev and Yuri Alexeyevich Gagarin, because space will not wait!

Essays

Developing self-confidence through Spacewalk Training: My Space Journey
Soft Skills. My Space Training
May 19, 2023
One of the reasons I love the profession of an astronaut is that the whole process of preparing for a space flight gives you a wide range of tools for personal development, for example, to increase the level of self-confidence. And the degree of influence of this trait on our life achievements and life satisfaction in general is difficult to overestimate.
Главное - поверить в себя!
We Can Only Succeed if We Believe in Ourselves!
September 13, 2018
I’ve been asked many times, «How come that so many boys and girls dream about space but so few of them achieve their dream?». I explain that it is very important not to be afraid of your ambitions, deal with the challenges and go on to pursuit your goals.
ПЕЩЕРЫ
CAVES
«...we climbed up the ropes, then down, then up again ... then we swam across underground lakes and at those moments I recalled scenes from modern science fiction films I so well knew - «This film seems to be shot on this location, and that film seems to be shot here…» It was so breathtaking!»
«ЧТО В ИМЕНИ ТЕБЕ МОЕМ...»
«What then is my name to you»
July 25, 2016
When I was at one of our regular sessions in Houston, I could not but fly for a weekend to visit my friend in Los Angeles, simply because we are close friends and also because we had some business to finish...
ПОЛЕТ НА ВОЗДУШНОМ ШАРЕ
A BALLOON FLIGHT
July 10, 2017
The examination complex training is far behind now, I can breathe out and relax for a couple of days. We have not yet left for Baikonur to see off Sergei's crew, but we are already beginning our preparation and training as the main crew of the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft...

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