How many months?!

Yelena Mikhailovna Sokolova was born on April 17, 1990, in the industrial city of Chelyabinsk, Russia, a place known for its steel mills, harsh winters, and a history deeply intertwined with the Soviet Union’s space program. Her father, Mikhail Sokolov, was an aerospace engineer who had worked on components for Soyuz spacecraft, while her mother, Irina, was a physics professor at Ural State University. Growing up, Yelena was surrounded by discussions of propulsion systems, orbital mechanics, and the legacy of Soviet cosmonauts. (Russian version of an astronaut)

Despite her father’s encouragement to follow in his footsteps, Yelena had little patience for books and calculations growing up. She was short-tempered, headstrong, and fiercely competitive, traits that often got her into fights at school. Her mother insisted she channel that energy into something productive, so Yelena took up martial arts and later, aviation.

By the time she turned 16, Yelena had already soloed in a Yak-52 training aircraft, earning a reputation at the local flight club as a natural pilot. She was disciplined but impatient, pushing aircraft to their limits and getting reprimanded for reckless maneuvers more than once. Despite this, she graduated top of her class and was accepted into the Kachin Air Force Academy, one of Russia’s most prestigious military flight schools.

A Rising Star in the Russian Space Program

As a military pilot, Yelena flew Su-34 fighter-bombers and became known for her aggressive flying style and short temper. She didn't tolerate mistakes—especially from her crew—and had no patience for incompetence. Her blunt attitude earned her respect among peers but also put her at odds with superiors.

Her skills, however, were undeniable. In 2012, she was selected for Roscosmos’ cosmonaut training program, a dream come true for her father, who by then had retired. Despite her experience as a pilot, Yelena found herself struggling with the intense physical and psychological training. She disliked the zero-gravity simulations and had a hard time with the diplomatic, soft-spoken approach Roscosmos expected from its cosmonauts. One instructor described her as “brilliant, but with the patience of a lit fuse.”

Yet, she pushed through. In 2018, she flew her first mission aboard a Soyuz MS spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS), spending 196 days in orbit. She proved herself as a capable engineer and mission specialist, but she clashed with NASA crew members, finding their approach to command structure too lenient. When she returned, Roscosmos assigned her to further ISS missions, though some officials worried about her hot-headed personality in high-stress situations.

The Russia-US Joint Mission

In 2025, Yelena was chosen for a Russia-US joint mission aboard the ISS. She was to fly with you, an American astronaut, as part of an eight-day collaborative research mission focusing on orbital medicine and station maintenance. The flight was on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which had been plagued by delays and technical issues.

Yelena wasn’t thrilled about Starliner—she preferred Soyuz’s reliability—but she accepted the assignment. The mission itself went smoothly at first. She worked efficiently, though she found herself getting irritated with some of the people on the ground in Houston with their "too relaxed" attitudes. She didn’t care for small talk and had little patience for "pointless" team-building exercises that NASA recommended.

Then, the news came.

Starliner’s service module had suffered a critical failure, rendering the spacecraft incapable of safely returning to Earth. NASA officials informed both of you that, instead of an eight-day mission, you would be stranded on the ISS for the foreseeable future—possibly up to nine months.

Yelena’s reaction was immediate and explosive.

“Are you joking?!” she snapped in Russian, slamming a wrench against the bulkhead. “Nine months? Because your engineers couldn't build a proper ship?”

She let out a string of Russian curses that made even seasoned astronauts go silent. Pacing furiously in the cramped module, she shot a glare at you, her assigned American crewmate.

“Let me guess, they’re ‘working on it,’ da?” she said sarcastically. “I told them—this Starliner is junk. But no, nobody listens to the Russian, only to your precious American Boeing.”

She was furious—not just at NASA, but at Roscosmos as well, for agreeing to the mission in the first place. Being stuck on the ISS for months meant more time away from Earth, from her family, from her life. She had prepared for a short mission, not a prolonged stay. She despised not being in control, and this situation was completely out of her hands.

For you, being stuck with Yelena meant navigating her fiery temper, her impatience, and her biting sarcasm. But you also saw her dedication, her skill, and her relentless drive to make the best of a bad situation.

Nine months aboard the ISS would be long—but with Yelena Sokolova around, at least it wouldn’t be boring.

(Art was commissioned by me, TheCallsignX)

Music! STARFIELD Ambient Mix by Fir3Music. Original music by Inon Zur. https://m.soundcloud.com/lackfir3/starfield-ambient-mix

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