News to 2003
Sergei news, articles and sightings up to 2003.
1990
June/July
Air & Space Magazine: “Inside Star City”, James Oberg. (Printed with permission!) Features an early encounter with Sergei!
2000
1 February
Space.com: “Cosmonauts Oppose Actor Aboard Mir For Movie”.
Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalyov shares his colleague’s point of view.
A veteran space explorer who has flown on both Mir and the U.S. space shuttle, Krikalev has the following suggestion: Let the moviemakers make do with the type of makeshift sets other actors and directors have relied upon to film space shows for years. “If all this project is about is filming a few episodes [on Mir], then this could be done on the ground in the flight simulator or the zero-G aircraft,” Krikalev said. “Honestly, I see no reason for Steklov’s flight, especially taking into consideration that it will last 45 days. What will he be doing on the station for so long?”
30 September
CNN: “Sergei Krikalev Discusses the International Space Station”.
2001
11 April
«Красная Звезда» (Red Star): «С закалкой школы ДОСААФ».
With training school DOSAAF
Ekaterina Beloglazova
On 12 April 1961 our compatriot Yurii Gagarin opened the road to space to mankind. And almost 40 years after that historical event three Earthmen have greeted a new millenium in a circumterraneous orbit, onboard the International Space Station. They were the Russians Yurii Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalyov, and also American William Sheperd. All of them are courageous people and fine experts. But even among such people as cosmonauts, Sergei Krikalyov is really a unique person.
He participated in three long expeditions at the Mir station (in 1988-1989 and 1991-1992) and was the first Russian to launch on the American Shuttle in February 1994. Krikalyov again departed for space on the Shuttle in December, 1998 where the crew began the assembly of the ISS. Together with American Robert Kabana he opened the hatches of its first modules. And from October 2000 till March of 2001 he worked as the flight engineer of the first long expedition of the new “space house”.
In general he often became the first. The accomplished man Sergei Krikalyov has fully realized his talent and in sports. That is, however, quite clear. In fact for him, as well as for Yurii Gagarin and probably all domestic cosmonauts, the road into orbit began in the DOSAAF aeroclubs. There Sergei took a great interest in the skilled pilotage of planes, and in one and a half decades, having already flown three times in space, he became the trailblazer in the development of an aviation discipline new to Russians: the pilotage of gliders.
He has spent a total of more than 20 months in orbit, and has done 7 spacewalks. The hero of Soviet Union Krikalyov became the first cosmonaut to be awarded the ranks of Hero of Russia.
He decided during school to connect his life with astronautics. His first step towards this goal was to gain entrance to the Leningrad Mechanical Institute (nowadays the Baltic Technical University) in one of its main faculties. He combined his studies with aviation sports. Sergei appeared a capable pilot, and after a while he enlisted in the combined team of Leningrad, and by the time he completed high school he had attained the specification of Master of Sports.
As one of the best students, Krikalyov had the right to choose his future place of work and at his allocation he asked the KB to be assigned to the well-known company NPO Energiya. He spent his holidays as the USSR champion. In the aeroclub it was necessary not only to fly, but also to perform technical work, to twist nuts, to work with iron. How many then it will potter with different devices and systems in space!
In 1982 Krikalyov appeared at the USSR championships on behalf of the Central Aeroclub team and also received an invitation to train with the national team. In 1983 he submitted an application to join the Cosmonaut Group. Almost no time remained now for aerosports. Once, when we pilots gathered for the world championship in Switzerland, Sergei came to visit us and casually remarked: “And I will fly in in space one day.” Comrades on the command, known it first of all as sportsman, at once at all have not believed.
In November, 1988 he saw the Earth from a window of the ship for the first time. The Soviet-French crew replaced Vladimir Titov and Musa Manarov, who had finished their annual expedition.
His second flight could not be described as ordinary.
“In May, 1991 we launched together with Anatolii Artsebarskii and Helen Sharman as the crew of the 9th expedition,” says Krikalyov. “Six spacewalks were scheduled during the mission.”
In 1992 the heads of the space agencies have made a decision concerning exchange flights: a Russian would launch on the Shuttle, and an American would launch to the Mir Station. From six candidates for the first flight were selected Vladimir Titov and Sergei Krikalyov. Sergei then simply impressed the Americans with his professionalism, humour, free possession of English and especially the fact that during the flight he managed to repair a broken computer.
And soon after returning to the Earth Sergei Krikalyov again amazed all – already on a sports field. In fact, being constantly on preparation, on business trips or in TSUP, it is a miracle that he manages to find time for training flights and to be called out for competitions. And it is no easier to decide to participate in them, and to win. Then, in 1995, Sergei literally within several months “trained for a new profession” from a plane on a special flight glider which just appeared in the aeroclub, and as part of the ROSTO pilots’ team won a gold medal in the world championship!
To appreciate this achievement, it must be considered that the pilotage of a glider is an absolutely new sensation for the person who has come from powered sports planes. Almost the same set of “barrel rolls” and “turns” but as there is no engine, it is necessary to calculate and create in good time conditions for the performance of the next figure, and to consider the condition of the atmosphere.
Sergei Krikalyov explains his devotion to sports prosaically enough: “For quality rest after hard work I need to change to a different kind of activity.” He makes it sound so simple: to change and become the world champion!
And when it was decided who would render habitable the International Space Station no one had any doubts, that they should be the most skilled cosmonauts and among them would be Sergei Krikalyov.
Two years ago concerning such a question, on what dreams he still has, Sergei has answered:
“About much. Some things are not connected directly with me. For example, I do not want our astronautics to be shut down. Unfortunately, we are rapidly moving in this direction. If it happens, space researches will be strongly retarded, and not only at us because without competition the stimulus for development will disappear. Still I wish that there were 48 hours in a day – if there were, then it will be possible to achieve everything that I plan, and have some free time. Now I give too little attention to my family, and seldom see my friends. Happiness is a philosophical concept. There were moments when I understood that my efforts have not been in vain. But always there is some dissatisfaction, and this feeling forces me to go forward.”
What will he tell today, having returned after heavy work at the International Station? We congratulate him, as well as all the subjugators of the starry ocean, with the Day of Astronautics and the 40th anniversary of the flight of Gagarin and we wish that all plans and Sergei’s dreams will come true.
In the picture: Sergei Krikalyov in the cabin of a flight glider.
13 April
Videocosmos: Photo Report – 13 April 2001. Sergei attended the Star City celebrations of the 40th anniversary of Yurii Gagarin’s flight on 13 April, 2001. Sergei photos direct links: 23536, 23578, 23582.
18 May
Posting by Andy in the Controversial Flight Assignments/Bumpings thread at sci.space.history:
We attended a banquet (April 15) in the civilian cosmonaut complex (Khovanskaya) which followed a less-than-well-attended cosmonaut tennis tournament (yes, I’m still going to post the trip report…I had said Monday, but I didn’t say WHICH Monday :-)), where a toast was made to Krikalyov (who was in attendance, looking rather fit); the essence of the (Russian) toast was:
“We all know who the REAL commander of Ex. 1 was – so let’s toast to our intrepid young cosmonaut Sergei Konstantin’ich, commander of Ex. 1, for his efforts and for allowing the Americans to maintain the facade that Shep was in charge…” (and this guy was serious)
I “boycotted” the toast, but had to make a serious effort to resist loudly voicing serious opposition to the suggestion…
10-11 November
Sergei was the key speaker at the “Moon on a Stick” UKSEDS annual conference, 2001. Some young people from the BMSTU Youth Space Center attended the conference, and Sergei appears in their gallery. Sergei photos direct links: 31, 33, 36, 37, 38, 42, 43, 46, 47.
20 December
«Кубок мира по джиу-джитсу» | “Jiu-Jitsu World Cup”: Sergei attended this event, held in St. Petersburg on 20 December, 2003. Sergei appears to have been one of the officials at the event along with retired cosmonaut Musa Manarov; they both seem to be patrons of some sort (attending most years) and hand out prizes. (Photos found by Maryam!) Sergei photos direct links: 119, 143.
