Putin discusses Star City's problems with cosmonauts
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived in Star City to see first-hand the Russian space industry's potential. Although Russian cosmonauts might be ready to conquer the Universe, they are still grounded by routine, everyday problems.
After Putin descended to the bottom of Lake Baikal last summer, I asked him as an RG correspondent if he planned to fly to outer space now that he'd accomplished so much here on Earth. Putin replied in the negative: "There's still a lot to do."
However, judging from everything, Putin will have to deal with space problems for a long time to come. Inspecting the Yury Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre's (CTC) work yesterday, Putin said: "The main goal is to give a new lease of life to this well-functioning enterprise that is the pride of our country."
The prime minister paid special attention to the full-size model of the International Space Station's (ISS) Russian section. It consists of modules with names familiar to the Soviet ear – "Star," "Dawn" and "Pier." Next to the ISS are the Mir station simulator and the Russian "Buran" shuttle's cone – reminders of former victories.
However, the cosmonauts' questions for the prime minister had nothing to do with space exploration. Early in the year, Star City was transferred from the Defence Ministry to Roscosmos (the Federal Space Agency). Star City was built 25 kilometres to the north-east of Moscow in 1960, and was always treated well by the government. Today, though, its infrastructure is in disrepair and demands not only modernisation, but also recovery. Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalyov, the head of the CTC, made a statement on this note the other day.
Last January, Anatoly Perminov, the head of Roscosmos, promised Putin that the programme for upgrading Star City would be ready by Cosmonautics Day. Putin demanded that housing construction and housing and utilities repairs must be up to the mark.
"Now we have a sound motive for resolving all the current issues," he said. "They are being resolved, but not as fast as the cosmonauts would like."
Yesterday, the cosmonauts told Putin about Star City in detail. Cosmonaut Maxim Surayev, who returned from a long space journey two weeks ago, admitted that he still does not have a flat of his own. The office flat is in such poor shape that, "I'm simply embarrassed to invite my American colleagues there," he added.
Putin immediately referred to the programme on Star City's development, which is presently being drafted. The programme provides for the construction of buildings with deluxe flats.
"The main facilities were built here in the mid- and late-1980s," he said. "At the time, this was a new building. But time passes and we must proceed from today's requirements."
Putin also supported the construction of an integrated information centre that "will meet the most modern standards."
Apart from the lack of proper living facilities, the cosmonauts were also worried about their social status. It appears the title of "cosmonaut" is still regulated by the resolutions of the USSR Council of Ministers. The union perished long ago, but the cosmonauts remain, and they would like to find a legal niche in the new Russia.
"Getting a new status is also possible," Putin said.
Such legendary cosmonauts as Valentina Tereshkova and Alexei Leonov came to drink tea with the prime minister. Their meeting took place in the same hall where Soviet and US experts agreed to launch the Soyuz-Apollo project. Together, they recalled their late colleagues and observed a minute of silence in memory of two-time Hero of the Soviet Union, Cosmonaut Vitaly Sevastyanov, who died yesterday at the age of 75 after a grave and protracted illness.
In the meantime, Putin's visit reaffirmed that, contrary to some expectations, huge investments into Star City are unlikely. Hence, its residents will have to save up and spend money only on what is absolutely necessary. Putin also suggested that the CPC should lease new aviation equipment on beneficial terms, as opposed to making such purchases outright.
"We are talking about the An-148," he said. "This is a good plane with high engines that can land on the ground, but we must be aware of the need to rationalise expenditures. We can think together and choose the most promising equipment."
After the conference, Vitaly Davydov, the deputy head of Roscosmos, said the programme for developing and upgrading Star City and the CTC will require about 30 billion roubles by 2015. He specified that the programme provides for housing construction and capital repairs, as well as the modernisation of communications systems and simulators, as well as many other things.
The prime minister also discussed global issues with Russia's "space leadership," such as cartographic support for the GLONASS system.
During the implementation of the relevant federal target programme, more than 6.6 billion roubles were spent from the budget on creating digital navigational maps. However, they all lacked the necessary universal requirements. Putin said "the development of maps for GLONASS is proceeding too slow and the ones that are ready do not contain all the information required by customers."
Be that as it may, Putin still promised that Russia would launch seven GLONASS satellites before the end of the year.
"We will continue to actively build up our space-based group," he said. "It already has 23 satellites."
In the meantime
Putin demanded that the Finance and Economic Development ministries discuss with deputies the question of submitting the 2011 federal budget to the State Duma before October 1. He added that things are getting better, "but rather slowly, and there are many uncertainties in the global economy. It makes sense to use our past year's experience. It goes without saying that we must use the practice of zero reading."
Pierre Sidibe