Astronauts are a highly disciplined, highly trained bunch. After a rigorous selection process and at least five years of intensive training, they know how to fly a spacecraft, fix a space station and use a space toilet. But even then, nothing is left to chance.

The Russian Soyuz is currently the only spacecraft capable of carrying astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), but getting on board involves a minefield of superstitions, procedures and etiquette. As I observed in Russian mission control recently, myths, legends and traditions have built up around launches ever since since Yuri Gagarin’s first orbit in April 1961. Not all of it makes sense. But when you are about to sit on top of 274 tonnes of explosive rocket fuel, you probably don’t want to push your luck by walking under any ladders.

Here is our list of some of the rituals you would need to follow before boarding a Russian rocket:

1. Cheerleaders



Baikonur in November. A piercing wind blows across the Kazakh Steppe lifting snow from the icy ground. The grey leaden sky blends into the grey of the airport runway. Icicles hang precariously from the broken guttering of the hangars.