A cosmonaut candidate who spent 14 years preparing to fly into space was asked to resign due to a runny nose.
Andrei Babkin was rejected by the medical commission. He was diagnosed with bilateral polysinusitis, an advanced form of the runny nose. Babkin had surgery to correct the problem and his airworthiness was restored, but management still asked him to resign.
Since 2010, Babkin has been preparing for a flight as part of different crews. Babkin was forced to miss his last chance to fly into space due to the filming of the film “Challenge”.
The unlucky cosmonaut is also known as the father of Anton Babkin, who became the hero of the “Omezhka” meme.
