Will we pay for an extra breath on the ISS?
Gennady Ivanovich, ten years ago during a maritime training in Sevastopol you occassionaly said something like: "If it hadn't been Leonov, I would be selling tomatoes at Krasnodar marketplace right now"
You do remember well.
Yes, I do remember well everything worthy of writing about.
I had no child's dream of becoming a Cosmonaut. Well, not really. In our time every boy dreamt about becoming a Cosmonaut. But that was merely a childish dream. And eventually, I went flying, joined the Air Force. We pilots read about, looked and thought about space flight much, but those weren't any real plans. Everything felt so distant.
I served at the Far East then. One day, Alexey Arkhipovich came together with the commitee who would select Cosmonaut candidates. I was offered to join, and I've accepted the offer. In 1989 I became a member of the Cosmonaut corps.
In 1990, two thirds of the pilots were litarally thrown into an abyss, deplumed of everything they had, thrown away off aviation. Mass moving, retirement. And in years 91, 92 the full collapse has come. And most of my highly qualified colleagues had to take up any job God would send their way. That's why I mentioned selling tomatoes.
So you've just scored high?
Yes. Looking back, I wouldn't change anything in my life. It was happy enough.
Gennady, what's the essense of a Cosmonaut's profession?
This question would be best answered by a Cosmonaut who had never been a pilot. For me it's just flying higher, farther, faster... Frankly, I did not have much choice. I've bound my life up to aviation and went to space through it.
Now I am 50, a rich experience behind me, including 10 years spent on the ISS program; Preparing in Russian Cosmonauts Training Centre, in the USA, in Canada, in Japan, in the ESA, collaborating with instructors, with the international crewmembers - that would enrich one very well. Rewording a famous saying, "Space is the life, the rest are particularities".
So the profession is the one with the meaning of life?
Exactly.
You have just graduated from the Academy. Was it working for your future?
Yes.
What was your degree work's topic?
My speciality is the "State Management and National Security" and the degree work's topic was "Problems of Regional Secirity in the Central Asia CIS Countries".
Why such a topic?
This is the region of clashing between strategic interests of Russia, the USA and China, especially when it comes to securing the potential energy sources. I'm interested in this.
The divorce in space
Okay, now when you are feeling yourself a professional in Geopolitics, tell me how the swinging in relations between Russia and the USA, the recent coolings and warmings reflect to our joint space projects.
Surely they reflect. I already worked aboard the ISS and I can compare the past experience with the today's. Right now we are in the middle of the "Orbital Divorce". But not just with the Americans. It's much worse: one side is Russia, the other side are the entire bunch of our ISS partners. When in 2010 the American Space Shuttles will get grounded, all the partners' fright delivery (excluding Russian) will be taken up by the new space ships: European ATV and Japanese HTV. And we'll keep running our Soyuzes and Progresses.
As of now, only medical operations remain jointed aboard the ISS, because it directly affects the entire crew's heath and security, and also all the exceptional flight conditions operations drills, such as depressurization or fire. It looks like Michael Barratt will be the last Astronaut who will do a EVA in a Russian space suit. We are even recommended to use only our own, national toilets.
We had been a partners of full value with the Americans between 1998 and 2005. Now it's not nearly as used to be.
So how do you command an international crew split by individual "national quarters"?
Indeed, we never have such "the International" before. Two Russian Cosmonauts, two American astronauts (it's possible that a Japanese would join), Belgian and Canadian ones are there too. And my duty as a Commander is to ensure safety and good psychological climate for all, or we won't get an effective work otherwise. Every crewmember is aware of what's happening and we won't let a total separation on board happen.
For instance, having a joint meal had always been good for unity between the crews. You could taste any cuisine. Spacemen found it entertaining to taste an other country's meals, and tasty food is always good to keep one's mood up. Now we are ordered to eat only Russian stuff and Astronauts will use American and European meals. The reality will be different. Michael Barratt will order a bonus food pack for himself including the food I like and I will be happy to the same thing for him. Cosmonauts are above the unwinding petty squabbling, whatever the bureaucrats would decide (in my understanding, most of the problem knowledge doesn't reach the heads of states and governments). We are adult, educated and well upbrought people, we have our own wit and can create the necessary people climate between ourselves up there.
Cosmonauts and Astronauts discuss over the situation, enter discuccions. Michael Fincke said once "There are no space in space for politics" - this is a play of words in English. And he is right. We are the planet's delegates. What's happening is not good for a proper working aboard the ISS at all. We must be together, we should not be "divorced". Quite opposite, the Humanity must work together to conquer space.
There is an impression that our bureaucrats have initiated the dividing themselves in 2003, not giving much thought to it, when they began charging fees for everything they could stick a price tag on. Such things happen in out-of-balance systems: a small input can lead to big impact over time.
Looks like it. And today, the Contribution Balance Committees (at the both sides) are trying to divide even indivisible.
This has a negative impact on the partnership. The business suffer. Let's take the preventive care. I asked if I could use the American exercise bike (ARED) aboard the ISS. I was told that I could. Shortly after, I was told that I could not. Then they kept a briefing and gave me the clearance again. And now, before the flight it turns out that I can't actually use the thing. That's a simple exercise tool, but it's vital for a Cosmonaut's health and good health means everybody's safety.
It must me something wrong in Russian space politics...
... Or in our ISS partners' politics just as fine. Maybe they aren't getting us right. It is a problem of understanding between politicians and bureaucrats, and not between us, Cosmonauts and Astronauts. But frankly, I'm not interested whose fault it is. The Cosmonauts are balancing on a verge of survival while working in space! I am a professional, up there. And I want the officials to be professional on the ground, which would help us to do the work rather than mingling with it.
Our technologies are one quarter century obsolete
Gennady Ivanovich, you worked aboard the Mir, which was deorbited eight years ago, as well as aboard the ISS. Today the ISS is flying for whole 10 years, while turning into a most sophisticated technical object. How do you see that?
Unfortunately, I must admit that the Russian Segment is losing comparison to our partners' Segments terribly. It was entirely build upon technologies of the mid-1980's (at best!) created by the great country than used to be then. Since then, one quarter of century passed. The new Russia did not create anything new in its 18 years of existence! In different technology areas we are from 7 to 30 years behind.
But, being a patriot of my land, I must stress the following: had it not been for our obsolete technologies, there wouldn't be any space station. Thanks to that old stuff, people can sustain their constant presence in space - think that we still have a single lifeboat spaceship, which is our Soyuz. Without our vehicles, the Soyuz and Progress space ships, the Columbia disaster which disrupted the Space Shuttle's service for three years, would be equally disastrous for the ISS: it would be lost like American Skylab had been lost.
Well, this is like bicycle race: the leader pulls the peloton behind him, than a new leader takes over...
But the former leader does not stop at the road site, he keeps racing. Look at the Americans: they still had been in tears after the death of the Columbia when their president declared the new aims: the Moon, Mars, the new space ship. We have just nothing in our manned space flight! Remember the Buran: at the very least, it was made a real thing and flew at least once. The highly trumpeted up Clipper was shown to the President at an air show as a plywood mock-up, and then fell to oblivion.
Of course, everybody can blame the turmoil, and that the space is a low priority. But the turmoil is only happening now, and the ISS is already 10. I see that the bureaucrats are afraid of the straight questions. The result will be, that soon we'll stop being a good partner for anybody. Firstly, because of the "divorce" and secondly, because we can no longer offer interesting technologies. I can see how our parners are gaining distance from us: their modules, clear, roomy, silent are a good evidence of this.
Can we keep up?
I work together with designers, scientists, controllers and I can see that we want and we can. But we have no clear direction in our manned space flight. Where are we going to? And why? We need to be required. This is a dream of everybody who works in the space industry today.
Who must set the direction? Evidently, not designers, not Cosmonauts and not even Roscosmos. I believe it should be the President and the Government, after they study the question in depth. Perhaps, the root cause is that we don't have a state program of space exploration?
Exactly yes. And one more this is the everybody's treatment of the space flight. Today it can be described with one word - INDIFFERENCE.
An American with a Slavic soul
Let me ask you about Michael Fincke. You was his commander and now, when you come aboard you will subordinate him during the crew change. What is it like to fly in space under your own pupil?
It's easy. Michael is an American with a Slavic soul.
Right. I remember him saying to me: "Why do you call me Michael every now and on. I am Misha."
surely he is. He understands our humour well, wery talkative, can always develop a common viewpoint on everything. We have begun a joint training with him back in 2000. We flew together. And we haven't got a single conflict over all that time. Our families are close to each other. He's got three kids, so do I. We both are large family fathers and think alike.
Speaking about subordination, the real life in space always makes you face more tough questions than any theoretical traning can foresee. Something you can remember like if in your cells' memory, and something you can forget. And also, many things on board become different over years. So I will have to learn much from both Misha Fincke and Yura Lonchakov during our crew change.
The Colonel that saved Russian Army's budget
Gennady Ivanovich, do you remember times when Cosmonauts got promoted while still in flight? And now you are going to become the first national Cosmonaut who's got retired from military service right before his flight, and also you'll change the office you are working for while in flight: from "Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing CTC" to "Gagarin Federal State-Financed Enterprise CTC" (the story related from excluding the CTC from military subordination). What feelings do you have about being a first in such a way?
Yeah, feelings... You know that the process of reconciliation between the partners and crew members appointment is a long and difficult process. And look, when the preparations begun, the CTC head General Lieutenant Tsibliev sent out an offer to prolong my military service. It got rejected. The commander sent his second offer with detailed explanation why it had to be done. They would have to prolong a service term for a Cosmonaut, Colonel and a Hero of Russia for just one year. It's impossible to take up the pre-flight training and be in process of retirement at the same time (the military have to do many things before they retire: spend the vacation time, pass the medical commission in a hospital - doesn't it matter that I'm already being medically studied before my flight?). A rejection again. "What do you think over there - is your Cosmonaut unexpendable?" And that's why I have to pass my training during my vacation time and cancel exercises to pass through bureuctatic procedures. Mind this may affect safety of the space mission. But nobody minds. Even right now: I have to do the complex pre-exam training and run around filling out papers at the same time.
It looks like Tsibliev's offer (not a paper bound to big problems, after all) did never get to the Minister at all. Some goon in-between worthy to be a character in a Gogol's book decided himself that firing Colonel Padalka would save the entire Russian Armed Forces' budget. Let's count: in 50 years of the manned space flight only 102 national spacemen ever flew to space. Out of them, 60 were service people. Such a big burden for Russian Armed Forces! Fire'im now!!!
I have a feeling that MOD isn't proud for their Cosmonauts, not proud that our military guys fly there and Command the International Space Station. They love PR but they hate to be of help. Not giving a damn - forgive my rudeness, please.
I can only feel pity towards our Commander-in-Chief: such Generals make reforming the Army impossible.
I can remember president Yeltsin saying almost the same thing.
Since his time, the situation only worsened. Yeltsin did at least support the CTC and did not boot out Cosmonauts. And now we are in the middle of a senseless reform of the CTC, which already lasts for the fourth year. It used to be working without a single fault. Of course, every reform implies losses, but the one the CTC is passing through is taking way too long. It's bad when people find themselves between the hammer and the plate, not seeing their personal way. Young instructors loose interest in working with Cosmonauts. The only remaining hopes are the Masters, old people of the retirement age.
For example, our all-time instructor Igor Ivanovich Sukhorukov.
Yes, the Instructor has to be the same all the time. Igor Ivanovich is like and Academician when it comes to splitting down the details of a task. I don't know what he woudln't know. He is a unique man. An altruist. He loves his profession, feels out for us Cosmonauts. All our mishaps he takes as his own fault. Although it's not really like this. So my wish is to do my best to please and support him.
Now such people are exceptionally rare. Not only our technologies go, the people go too. The teachers.
Gennady Ivanovich, I heard that your Soyuz TMA-14 mission patch was drawn by kids. Is it really so? Whose idea it was?
Yes, that was the idea of me and Michael Barratt. Roscosmos have supported the initiative. Press Secretary Alexander Vorobyov have done a huge work. The contest jury received about 200 kids' pictures from different parts of the world. The youngest artist from Holland was only 4. The jury selected three drawings. Their authors were Anna Tchibiskova from Moscow (12), Kaitlin Riley from the USA (12), Stanislav Pyatkin from the town of Uglegorsk (11). We met the children and spoke with them. We admired the emblem of Anna Tchibiskova most, "The Earth in our hands". However, all the three winners will go to Baikonur to see our launch.
Today the most important task is attracting children to our profession. Maybe those who drew the patches and was thinking of space would not become Cosmonauts or space hardware designers, but when they take over control over our country, they would understand what a powerful asset Russia would have (or would have had).
Gennady Ivanovich, on behalf of all our readers, the "Novaya Gazeta" wishes your crew a happy flight and successfull mission and, of course, much luck!
Thank you! And you have my kindest wishes for your readers.
