In the Shadow of Faded Dreams
In the Shadow of Faded Dreams
Star City Zlata Rodionova
In the Shadow of Faded Dreams by Zlata Rodionova Space has long provided a canvas for the imagination. Hearing stories about the Space Age in my childhood, I always associated it with a sense of youth’s almost limitless possibilities - the excitement of discovery, the allure of adventure, the challenge of competition, the confidence of mastery. It could promise giant possibilities but also threaten. Like in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, space could be far away or far out. However, when I met Korniyenko Mikhail Borisovich an active Russian cosmonaut, who did his first flight in 2010, I realized that for some, space, instead of being a dream, was regarded as reality. Enthusiastically speaking about his profession, people who train him and the training facility itself, he seemed to be talking about a place and people from another era. After this crucial meeting it became necessary for me to see this place with my own eyes. I therefore decided to travel to Star City - the heart of the Russian Space programme. A small town 25km North-East of Moscow, it was a top-secret location in the Soviet Union. Both a residential and training complex for cosmonauts and people serving the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre (GCTC) it was once described as a Communist oasis with star men living in gleaming silver towers or the only place where the promised Soviet Communism could be found. However, with the Russian Space programme facing an uncertain future, the glory of the olden days had gone. Facing poor living conditions and small salaries this community survives only through its passion for space and their extraordinary goal of reaching stars. Due to the insularity of this world the physical space and its spirit has been preserved. As if trapped in a window of time, this place is an imprint of an era that no longer exists. Welcoming you with a friendly calm socialist atmosphere it seems like you are travelling back in time, while Gagarin statues and portraits gaze at you from every corner. The training facility itself quickly became my point of focus, as the life in Star City revolves around it and it is where you discover a sort of dreamland from which people never seem to leave. A strange place of visual contradictions where grim cement buildings covered in peeling paint rise from cracked pavements. Hidden inside are surreal machines that you could only expect to encounter in Jules Vernes’s books. In today’s Russia, which has lost its former Communist ideals and is still searching for a unifying national idea, Gagarin’s pioneering flight - the pinnacle of the Soviet Space programme - often stands as a symbol of history that the nation could really be proud of, despite the trauma of losing its superpower status. Ivan Ludintsev, a Russian journalist said: “If we did not have Gagarin, we would not be able to look into each other’s eyes. Gagarin is a symbol for ages to come. We don’t have another one and perhaps never will. He is our national idea.” Meeting with people working at the Yuri Gagarin Training Centre, you definitely see that for them Gagarin is a hero, working in the space field for years and years, it seems like the air they breath is filled with stardust. Suspended in time, they almost blend with the surreal machines they work with. The physical space they evolve in shapes their everyday reality. Their motivation remains their childhood dream and they follow it, as if unaware of what is happening elsewhere in the country. Thus in this project I wanted to display both an image of reality and memory, combining two dimensions - the present and the past. A hypnotic and sometimes surreal composition of a place and residents that initially seem unremarkable but work towards an incredible goal. “In the Shadow of Faded Dreams” aims to reveals the nostalgia associated to the USSR’s status of Space superpower and sheds the light on a close-knit community of Space-lovers, still clinging to the decaying legacy of the 1960s Space dream.
The Flight to the Stars
by Belozerov Arnold Victorevich (translated from Russian By Zlata Rodionova)
The fire-spitting abyss of silence Is calling to its raging depth We part with friends and meet with violence We leave the peace and face the wrath. Quadriga of flaming horses racing To frozen and defying heights You hear a voice, remember faces The only link with life and light. With privilege being to see our Home From place the Lord can only see And never ever feel alone Become a part of eternal sea. But soon this magic would be over You’ll resurrect from daring dreams And mother Earth will give you cover Before your friends in front you lean. Your hairs are grey but not your soul Your secret wish is not to rest The stars are your eternal goal Make dreams come true and reach the crest
“The man who comes back through the Door in the Wall will never be quite the same as the man who went out. He will be wiser but less sure, happier but less self-satisfied, humbler in acknowledging his ignorance yet better equipped to understand the relationship of words to things, of systematic reasoning to the unfathomable mystery which it tries, forever vainly, to comprehend.� Aldous Huxley, humanist writer
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Suvorova Tatiana Yvanovna, wife of engineer Victor Mikhailovich, 30 years in Star City:
“This city has many flaws. But I would never move from here. Where else could I live surrounded by people living their dream and spending their days thinking of stars?�
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Gagarin’s office at the House of Cosmonauts It has been left untouched since the Russian hero was killed in a jet crash in 1968. Before each flight cosmonauts still meet at this table to have a drink in his honour. The clock has been stopped at the exact time of Gagarin’s death.
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Vintage telephones from the 1960s The two phones still work and were used by Gagarin during his lifetime. One was used to call within Star City, the other to reach Moscow. Both devices still work although no one dares to use them.
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House of Cosmonauts Built 40 years ago, it is used as a community centre and space museum. In the halls of the museum, the unique exhibits are reflecting all stages of manned space flights: from the legendary Vostok spacecraft up to the MIR Space Station. It also contains Yuri Gagarin’s original office with his documents.
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Malikova Tatiana Yurivna, Head of department of complex simulators of the Russian segments of the International Space Station (RSS ISS) 25 years at GCTC:
“What everyone in the cosmonaut corps shares in common is not gender or ethnic background, but motivation, perseverance, and desire - the desire to participate in a voyage of discovery.�
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Buran Shuttle Cockpit The Russian Buran shuttle (its name meaning blizzard) was designed to glide down to Earth from Space. On 15th November 1988, the Soviet Union stunned western observers by launching the spacecraft. After circling the globe twice, the empty Buran flew to an impressive precision runway landing in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.
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Closed door Door that leads to Buran’s cockpit. Much was expected of the spacecraft but despite a successful flight, funding was cut and it never flew again, the project was officially cancelled in 1993. Despite the pressure coming from the cosmonaut corps itself, Buran thus never had a chance to be developed into a human-carrying craft and was scrapped.
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A training mockup of the Priorda module.
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A training version of the Spektr module
Training Simulator CO1 This specialized training simulator is designed to prepare crews for flight programmes while working on board of the docking compartment (CO1) of the Russian segment of the International Space Station. The simulator is equipped with its own remote control for contingency situations.
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Zvezda Service Module Component of the International Space Station (ISS). It was the third module launched to the station, and provides all of its life support systems. The service module would have a wingspan of 29,7 m from tip to tip of the solar arrays, and it would be 13 m long from end to end. Living accommodations on the service module include personal sleeping quarters for the crew, toilet and hygiene facilities, a galley with a refrigerator and freezer as well as a table for fixed meals while eating.
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Altunin Alexey Alexeyevich, Deputy head of department of underwater training and Hydrolaboratory, 25 years working at GCTC: “Sometimes after long hours working underwater, at night I would dream that I am myself walking in the outer space.�
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Hydrolab A component of the Soyuz Space Station, used under water in the Hydrolab. The lab prepares cosmonauts for spacewalks. It features a water depth of 12 m and measures 23 m in diameter. In the hydrolab, crews acquire and master the skills necessary to accomplish operations on the external surface of an orbital space station. The tank is also used to perform ergonomical tests on space suits and equipment. After each training session in the pool a cosmonaut can lose up to three kilogrammes.
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Component of the Soyuz Space Station Used for training underwater, it gives cosmonauts the opportunity to get into the Russian segment of the ISS without flying to Space and an idea of how to work in weightless conditions.
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Module of the International Space Station (ISS) This module is used exclusively in the Hydrolab Here astronauts prepare to work outside the space station, what is known as EVA (Extra Vehicular Activity).
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Hydrolab Instructor The instructor’s role is to help cosmonauts to adjust the lift, drift the balance and guarantee their safety when they train underwater. A training can last up to six hours. The trainer wished to remain anonymous.
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Gucilnikov Alexey Anatolivich, Head of department of training on Soyuz TMA machines, 14 years at GCTC: “My team and I are in love with the unique machines we work with. Our job is concrete and very technical. Once you start working here you stay for many years.�
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Rules Shoes must be taken off before entering any of the training simulators, so not to damage or dirty the exceptional equipment inside.
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TDK-7ST3 training simulator Developed and placed into operation for the Soyuz-TMA crew training with up-to-date computer systems and synthetic vision systems. It is intended for preparation of crewmen for Soyuz control at all stages of flight in regular modes, contingency situations or system failures with imitation of work of all onboard systems.
Room 1A The facility contains infrastructure essential for the training of cosmonauts across a wide range of experiences, including simulating g-loads, mission specific suit training, medical observation testing and astronavigation. It houses the Soyuz simulators Don-7ST3, old STK-7ST - for the Soyuz TMA. The TDK-7ST4, old TDK-7TS2 for Soyouz TM - for the Soyuz TMM. As well as the Don-732M modified for Soyuz TM and the Pilot 732 - for the TORU docking system.
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Training simulators TDK-7ST2 and the Don Soyuz 7ST3 At the height of the Space race of the 1960s, work was conducted on many manned programmes. These called for the development and construction of a number of simulators. In 1960, a prototype of what would later become the first spacecraft simulator was developed and built in the Ministry of Aviation Industry’s Flight Research Institute. A team of engineers led by Darevsky Sergey Grigorevich developed and built a stand that was used to perfect the design and layout of the Vostok cockpit-control panel. Since then, the simulators are regularly improved and renovated to include the best technology.
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Training Simulator TDK 7ST2 Part of the third generation of integrated simulator evolution (1975-1990) which was characterized by the transition from analog simulators to digital and analog-digital complexes ones. That time period saw the development of electronics and the ES-series digital computers became available. The TDK-7ST2, was already built around the ES 1033 digital computer, which was a step forward. It featured a rendezvous mode with a new measuring radio system (Kurs).
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Teleoperator A specialized simulator for mastering the approach remote-control skills. Its main task is to train crews on manual control of the “Progress� cargo vehicle while doing approaches, berthing and flying-around, docking and undocking from the orbital station in the remote-control mode in case of emergency and off-nominal situations.
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Chute Chair A chair with an included parachute. The pack and back cushion combination are shaped to fit fully in the seat to provide a large, stable, comfortable base for the pilot to sit. The parachute container is ready to use in case of emergency. The system is especially suited to aircrafts with restricted stick or rudder travel.
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The Pilot 732 Built for the TORU docking system. It is used for practicing approach and manual docking. Without this training a cosmonaut would not be able to return to Earth.
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Zakharov Oleg Evgenivich, Head of Cosmocentre, 27 years at GCTC:
“Only one motivation constantly pushes us to work harder - our love of the sky. No one comes here for money.�
A full-scale mock up of the MIR orbital station Used for cosmonaut training in Star City. Module Kvant-1 is on the foreground, the core module is immediately behind. Kvant-2 is on the background. It is located in the Cosmocentre which was built to develop interest for Space amongst youngsters. There children of all ages can pretend to be a space engineer, instructor or cosmonaut for a day.
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Language Although some translations can be found to help cosmonauts in case of emergency, usually buttons and screens are written in Russian, which is the accepted international language in space. This means that Americans and Europeans who come to Star City to train are also expected to take Russian lessons.
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Soyuz Descent module Intended for training of hand control of Soyuz in following modes: rendezvous, approach and docking with ISS and its modules. With heavy heat shielding and the cockpit, the cosmonauts are lying in a fetal position in the descent module during launch and re-entry.
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Boricenko Andrei Ivanovitch, Cosmonaut, time in Space 164 days, 5 hours, 41 minutes:
“It was once said, those that go into this profession are not romantics but fanatics. You need to be fanatically in love with Cosmos to pursue this career.�
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Components of the Orlan MK Spacesuit The suit’s most vital component is oxygen, for breathing and pressure. There are two tanks each capable of supplying over 800 L of oxygen. In the spacesuit cosmonauts consume about 50 L of oxygen per hour, so under normal conditions each tank will last over 16 hours. Electric fans circulate the oxygen around the suit. The costume has to be internally pressurised to protect the cosmonaut against the vacuum of Space. The body experiences the same pressure as if you were standing on top of a mountain at 7,000 m (breathing pure oxygen).
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Orlan MK Spacesuit Russia’s latest spacesuit, created in 2009. Its main innovation is its full computerisation -the suit itself suggests actions for the cosmonaut to take in case of emergencies. They previously had to memorize contingency plans. It can work in two modes: with the digital computer (as the MK) or without (as the previous M version). It weighs around 120 kg, and is certified for four years in orbit and 15 EVAs.
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Nikitov Edward Vasilevich, Head of training on the Tsf-18 Centrifuge, 30 years at GCTC:
“I feel a great responsibility working here. It’s a small circle. Each time a take-off goes well, it’s a joy, they connect to the station it’s a joy, they do a spacewalk - another joy. Finally when they are back to Earth we have a feast.”
Tsf-18 Centrifuge The world largest centrifuge in an indoor space. It has a rotating arm of 18 m in length and can simulate up to 30 g with a payload mass of 350 kg. The only training equipment in the centre where you could easily kill a man.
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Volkov Alexander Alexandrovich, Head of Administration of Star City, Hero of the Soviet Union, last citizen of the USSR to orbit around the Earth:
“My vision of the world changed after my flight. I saw Earth from outside, as a home for everyone. Frontiers disappeared, I was no longer a man, locked in a shell in his little town. Thanks to Cosmos flights we become people of the Earth and the ones who train us accompany us on this mission.�
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Gagarin Yuri Alexeyevitch, First man in Space:
“What beauty. I saw clouds and their light shadows on the distant dear Earth... The water looked like darkish, slightly gleaming spots... When I watched the horizon, I saw the abrupt, contrasting transition from the Earth’s light-coloured surface to the absolutely black sky. I enjoyed the rich colour spectrum of the Earth. It is surrounded by a light blue aureole that gradually darkens, becoming turquoise, dark blue, violet, and finally coal black.”
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- People of dreams Living between Earth and Space by Korniyenko Mikhail Borisovich, Cosmonaut, time in Space 176 days, 1 hour, 18 minutes In 1957, we launched Sputnik and the space race was on. I was a kid of the 1960s and at that time you could ask any boy or even girl, everyone was dreaming of Space, of being a cosmonaut, of reaching the stars. It was not an original idea, probably the same as when today people tell you they want to do business or work in press relations. Despite this I wanted to pursue my dream. Perhaps, the most important quality to work in the Russian space industry, aside from getting a higher education and having good communication skills, is patience. Knowing and learning to wait your turn. Sometimes it feels like you are stuck in time, going from one training to the other, writing one exam after the other. It is a never-ending story. Once I was supposed to fly and a space tourist was put in my place, it was very hard to accept. The irony is when you are actually flying you are missing and eagerly awaiting earthly things. Green trees and landscapes, a salad with potatoes and pickled cucumbers basted in sunflower oil and your family of course. We are always in between two worlds, Space and Earth. When you are on Earth you dream of being on the space station, while on the station your are dreaming of swimming in real water. Constantly waiting to come back to one or the other reality. This does not prevent us from loving our work, you can’t work here if you are not passionate about Space. The machines we train on seem surreal to visitors but as we spent so much time on them they become part of our everyday life. The more we blend with them, become accustomed to them, the better cosmonauts we are. Our vision of the Earth changes too, a cosmonaut once said: “I didn’t see God but I felt his presence.” And I understand this feeling, after my flight I became more tolerant and open-minded, it made me a better person. This is why although we evolve in a close-knit community, it is a society filled with highly skilled, intellectual people, all working towards the same goal. Walking through Star City or in between my trainings people always say “Hello” to me, they are friendly, they are smiling. There are no material people here. You would probably earn more selling bananas or potatoes on the market. I even had to work as a taxi driver to make a bit of money on the side, but it was worth it. At the end of the day I am one of only 106 Russians who saw the Earth from Space and flew across the stars. What can be better than that?