The crew members began training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center on 24 May. To prepare for filming, Shipenko trained intensively, dropping 15 kilograms (33 lb) of weight. On 23 July, the prime crew participated in a four-hour simulation inside a Soyuz replica while wearing the Sokol space suit, and on 28 July, the back-up crew completed the same exercise. According to backup commander Artemyev, the performance of the two backup spaceflight participants was outstanding.