Cosmonauts are very superstitious people, and their days before the flight are marked by observing certain traditions. The superstitious attitude towards flying came from General Designer Sergei Korolev, who was always against launching a rocket on Monday. Today, this day of the week is considered a “non-starting day” due to the large number of accidents that occurred on it. The crew never says “last” start, replacing this word with “final” or “final”, and never says goodbye to those accompanying them. And if a rocket launches from the cosmodrome in Plesetsk, then “Tanya” must be written on it. One of the most important rituals is watching the Soviet film " White sun desert." Russian cosmonauts adhered to this rule even when they launched from the United States on American shuttles.
Why “White Sun of the Desert”
The tradition of watching a film about Comrade Sukhov has been around for more than 40 years, and it developed during the preparation for the flight of the first Soviet crews. The picture was used as a visual aid to teach astronauts the basics of filming, which they carried out in orbit. “White Sun of the Desert” is a recognized standard of camera work; with the help of this tape, astronauts learned to work with the camera, stage scenes and build a shooting plan. Subsequently, watching a film a day before the launch became a significant part of the pre-flight ritual. To do this, astronauts gather with their families and friends, and if the crew includes foreigners, then subtitles are turned on for them on the screen. After the collapse Soviet Union They tried to change the tradition and instead of “White Sun of the Desert” they played “Shirley Myrli”, but the innovation did not catch on.
There is not a word about space in the film, however, according to actor Anatoly Kuznetsov, who played the role of Comrade Sukhov, the cosmonauts like to watch how the characters in the film act in extreme situations, maintaining calm and composure. At the same time, the humor of the film helps to relax and relieve pre-launch tension.
Designer Korolev had his own “happy” operator, whom he trusted to press the “Start” button. This man was Captain Smirnitsky, who, as the father of Soviet cosmonautics believed, had a light hand.
Cosmonauts do not sign autographs in black ink, and before the flight the entire crew signs a bottle of vodka, which they drink after returning to Earth.
Another sign is that astronauts must pee on the wheel of the bus that takes them to the launch pad. After this ritual, the astronauts are dressed in spacesuits, and the next time they can relieve themselves only in space.
And right before the start, all crew members receive a friendly kick in the ass from their boss.
On the same topic:
Pavel Luspekayev: what happened to Vereshchagin from “White Sun of the Desert” Nikolai Godovikov: why Petrukha from “White Sun of the Desert” went to prison How Soviet cosmonauts used their service weapons What features and difficulties do astronauts experience when eating?
Cosmonauts are considered perhaps the most superstitious people on the planet. Traditionally, they take a sprig of wormwood with them on a flight, since it retains its scent longer than other plants and reminds them of the Earth, and it is customary for the crew to be escorted to the launch complex to the song “Earth in the Porthole.”
Black Mondays and unlucky dates
The beginning of “cosmic superstitions” was laid by the famous General Designer Sergei Korolev. It is reliably known that Korolev did not like starts on Mondays and always moved the date if it fell on Monday. Why remains a big mystery. Nevertheless, Korolev defended his point of view at the very top, and because of this, serious conflicts even flared up. Spaceships did not fly on Mondays in the Soviet Union for the first three years of the space age. Then they started flying, which caused 11 accidents. Since 1965, Monday has been considered almost an official “non-launch” day in Soviet and now Russian cosmonautics.
There are also “unlucky dates” at Baikonur. The start is never scheduled for October 24th. On this day, no serious work is carried out at the launch sites. On October 24, 1960, an R-16 ICBM launch vehicle exploded on the Baikonur launch pad, killing dozens of people. On October 24, 1963, an R-9A rocket burst into flames on the launch pad. Eight people were burned.
Happy operator
Another superstition famous designer there was a “happy” operator who always pressed the “start” button on command, captain Smirnitsky. Not a single rocket launch was complete without Smirnitsky. Even when he had eczema, he still pressed the button, because Korolev believed that the man had a “light hand.”
The same Korolev strictly forbade one of his designers to appear on the launch pad during the launch (once some trouble occurred while he was on duty) and personally made sure that he did not even show his nose.
Autographs
Astronauts never sign autographs before their first flight. Some people avoid signing autographs in black ink on principle. However, the entire crew must sign a bottle of vodka, which they drink on the ground, in the Kazakh steppe, after a successful flight.
Cosmonauts are also happy to leave autographs on the door of the hotel room where they spend the night before the launch. Painting over or washing away these autographs is strictly prohibited.
Woman on board
They say that because of superstitions, they were afraid to send Valentina Tereshkova into space - everyone remembered the old naval omen about a woman on a ship. But the Soviet leadership was not distinguished by superstition. In 1963, the day before international conference women in Moscow, it was a woman who had to fly into space.
Themselves with a mustache
For a long time, people with mustaches were not allowed into space. During the flight of the mustachioed Viktor Zholobov there were problems, and the program had to be terminated early.
White Sun of the Desert.
Before launch, astronauts must watch “White Sun of the Desert.”
Viewing "White Sun of the Desert" has become a tradition as a result of the training of previous filming crews. This film is used as a tool for training astronauts in filmmaking. How to build a plan, how to work with a camera, how to set up scenes. Cosmonauts know this film “more than by heart.”
Other astronaut oddities
Cosmonauts will never call the launch of any spacecraft “the last”: for example, “the last launch to the Mir station...” they would prefer to call it “final”, “final”. Also, astronauts never say goodbye to those seeing them off.
At the cosmodrome in Plesetsk, before launching a launch vehicle, they must write “Tanya” on it. They say that this name was written on the first rocket by an officer in love with a certain Tanya. Once, when they forgot to display on the case lucky name, the rocket exploded before launch.
It is a common practice for astronauts to pee on the wheel of the bus taking them to the launch pad. After this, the suit is tightly zipped up, and the next opportunity to relieve oneself will present itself only after a few hours in outer space. The ritual seems to have started from the time of Yuri Gagarin and is still maintained. Others consider the founder of this tradition to be General Designer Sergei Korolev, who always irrigated the rocket before launch.
Finally, before the launch, the astronauts receive a friendly kick from their boss.
But Russian cosmonauts and rocket scientists do not have any special superstitions associated with the 13th. Of course, few people like this number, but we definitely don’t have a “Friday the 13th” craze. But NASA doesn’t really like the 13th – there have already been unpleasant incidents. Thus, the famous lunar Apollo 13 set off for the earth’s satellite on April 11, and on April 13, an explosion occurred on board the ship - one of the oxygen tanks exploded.
Yulia Khlopina, RIA Novosti.
These days, the publishing house "Young Guard" is publishing Yuri Baturin's book "The Daily Life of Cosmonauts." The translation of terms from the cosmic language by the universal author (astronaut, scientist, writer) was a brilliant success! We present to our readers the unshakable tradition that the Earth's envoys formed before the start of their flight.
In the evening both crew and members starting team go to watch the film "White Sun of the Desert". They started filming it at Lenfilm and ended at Mosfilm. The film was accepted in the early fall of 1969, but was not accepted and, as they said then, “was put on the shelf.” A. A. Leonov, who wanted to cheer up the cosmonauts on the eve of the launch, arranged to be given the film to be shown in a very closed small audience. The crew was delighted. Rumors that the cosmonauts were watching some amazing movie before the launch reached L. I. Brezhnev. He saw the film himself and liked it. After this, the adventures of the Red Army soldier Sukhov appeared on the wide screen.
And for astronauts, watching the film has become a tradition. One day, one of the crew members, after sitting for a while at the session, got up and left.
What are you doing? You should fly! - another astronaut told him.
Yes, I’ve seen it many times, I know it by heart.
And what do you think? The flight had to be aborted early due to the illness of one of the crew members. Everyone knows “White Sun of the Desert,” but let us remind the reader of the plot of the film.
The film takes place in the early 1920s on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea. Civil War ends. Red Army soldier Fyodor Ivanovich Sukhov returns home. Along the way he saves from painful death local resident Said, who has his own scores to settle with the Basmachi. Sukhov meets Rakhimov’s detachment, which is chasing the bandit Abdullah, who escaped from the fortress and left his harem there. Rakhimov persuades Sukhov to take care of Abdulla’s wives, and he himself goes in pursuit of him, leaving the young Red Army soldier Petrukha as Sukhov’s assistant. Sukhov, together with Abdullah's wives, returns to the seaside town of Pegent. Soon Abdullah appears there too, planning to cross the sea abroad. Sukhov needs weapons and support to confront Abdullah and protect the women. He turns for help to Pavel Vereshchagin, the head of the local Russian customs post. Said also comes to his aid. Vereshchagin thwarts the Basmachi's plan at the cost of his life. Sukhov manages to save the harem, with the exception of one girl - Gyulchatai. Having dealt with Abdullah, Sukhov continues on his way home to his wife Ekaterina Matveevna, to whom he writes absolutely wonderful letters during the course of the film.
The phrases of the characters in the film have become catchphrases; many people pronounce them without remembering their origin. Among them are “The East is a delicate matter”, “It’s a shame for the state”, etc. Cosmonauts Vladimir Vasilyevich Kovalenok and Alexander Sergeevich Ivanchenkov once on board did not remove the cassette with “The White Sun of the Desert” from the VCR. After some time, while doing their current work, one of them mistakenly turned on the wrong switch, and they heard a loud voice from the station’s speakers: “Hello, fathers!” They were in a stupor for several seconds until they remembered the greeting of the hero of their favorite movie.
The astronauts loved the film so much that they began to use it for the final crew exam. For example, they asked: “What kind of caviar did Vereshchagin eat?” Correct answer: "Cursed caviar." And “What didn’t Vereshchagin take?” Correct answer: "Bribe." Or: “How much does one Sukhov cost?” Answer: “One Sukhov is worth a whole platoon.” They said: if you don’t pass the exam, you won’t fly into space. The list of questions gradually expanded, some disappeared.
Here is a list of canonical questions for this exam:
What is the most exciting shot at the beginning of a film?
How and when did Sukhov check the time?
How many sips of water did Said drink? How many sips did Sukhov take?
How many bandits did Sukhov dig up?
How many wives did Abdullah have? Say their names.
What is Abdullah's nickname?
How long did Sukhov wander around the desert?
Where was Sukhov going?
How many sheep did Dzhavdet take from Said?
How many shots did Rakhimov fire?
How was it necessary to capture Abdullah in the old fortress?
How much does one Sukhov cost?
On what day did Sukhov come to Pegent?
What was the greatest value in Lebedev's museum?
What was the second lieutenant's name?
What was the name of Sukhov's cat?
When did the old people get dynamite?
What century were the carpets in the museum from?
What song was played on the gramophone?
How many sturgeon swam in the customs pool?
What song did Said sing?
What did Vereshchagin trade peacocks for?
Where is Petrukha from?
What did Gyulchatai say in Sukhova’s ear and how old is she?
What type of machine gun did Sukhov have?
What malfunction did Petrukha’s rifle have?
Abdullah's beloved wife?
Who was Abdullah's deputy?
What kind of caviar did Vereshchagin eat?
How many shots did Abdullah fire at the oil tank?
What type of grenades did Vereshchagin use? What was Vereshchagin's name?
What does a person need to meet old age?
What was the name of Vereshchagin's wife?
What did Sukhov leave for Said?
What brand of watch does Sukhov have?
What kind of people gathered at Sukhov's?
Who beat Petrukha?
What style did Sukhov swim?
How many shots did Ibrahim fire?
What background did Abdullah's wives have?
Who knew Vereshchagin well?
When last time Did Sukhov shave?
How good will Sukhov be when Abdullah lights the oil?
How many holes were there on Said's robe?
What didn’t Vereshchagin take?
How many times did Abdullah shoot before Sukhov killed him?
How many times did you hit the oil storage manhole cover with a carbine?
What kind of oil was poured on the tank?
What color were the carpets, which was worse?
By which leg did Sukhov hold one of Abdullah’s wives and what is her name?
What definition did Said give to Javdet and Abdullah?
How does Ekaterina Matveevna walk?
How bored is Sukhov?
Until when will there be peace for Sukhov?
How did Sukhov throw?
In fact, such questions tested the astronaut’s internal state, his attentiveness, memory, ability to concentrate and sense of humor.
Space flights became more and more regular. Gradually, the answers to all the questions became known not only to the astronauts, but also to those around them. The exam has lost its meaning, since the new interesting questions for each subsequent crew it was already difficult to come up with. But they continue to watch the film with pleasure, and not only because they believe that the film brings good luck, but the nostalgic memories of Fyodor Ivanovich Sukhov about his homeland really correspond to the thoughts of astronauts who leave their Earth for a long time. And Sukhov’s letters to his unforgettable Ekaterina Matveevna with love and respect are similar to the letters of the cosmonauts themselves to their relatives, sent from on board in the 20th century in envelopes with the departing crew, and today by email(but sometimes, as before, on a piece of paper).
And Abdullah had nine wives: Zarina, Jamila, Guzel, Saida, Hafiz, Zukhra, Leila, Zulfiya and, of course, Gyulchatay. Everyone remembers her (“Gyulchatay, open your face”).
An excerpt from Yuri Baturin’s book “The Daily Life of Russian Cosmonauts” (Molodaya Gvardiya Publishing House, 2011).
How do they sleep in space?
Well, the day is almost over. Now let's study the plan for tomorrow. So... Special thanks for this: they propose to wake up at five in the morning tomorrow and start vacuuming the chamber necessary for the experiment, which will begin at ten o'clock. At 5.10 you can go to bed and get some sleep... Lights out at 23.00 - according to the work and rest schedule. It's one o'clock in the morning. It's time to sleep.
I didn’t say “go to bed,” because where there is no “up” and “down,” go to bed literally impossible. The sleeping place may not be on the conventional floor at all, but on the side panels (“walls”), or even on the “ceiling”. It turns out that you can sleep “standing up”, “upside down”, or whatever you like.
In the ISS service module (on the base block of the Mir orbital complex) there are two cabins - for the commander and the flight engineer. The cabin is a narrow vertical “pencil case”, about two meters high, like a closet without a door, but curtained, vertical relative to the conventional “floor” and “ceiling”. The sleeping bag is attached vertically - with its feet to the conditional floor, with its head - to the conditional ceiling. Opposite there is a small mirror, a fan, a lighting lamp; on the panels, in addition to the computer, you can see photographs of loved ones, a book, and some important papers. There is also a small porthole so you can look out the “window” before going to bed. The cabin is very small - only one person can fit in it.
If there are three in the crew, and also during the arrival of the shift, the rest have to organize a small space “bedroom” for themselves in other modules of the station (sometimes the commander or flight engineer - but only one of them! - also prefers to find a quieter and calmer nook). What is a real space "bedroom"? It's not just a place where you sleep. This is a kind of personal “den” where you can retire for ten minutes on a working day to relax a little or read a letter or write in a diary. To do this, it is important not only to choose a place for the sleeping bag, but also to organize a similar living (and work - computer!) area around it. It is necessary to secure personal items on the panel using rubber bands or Velcro: a comb, a mirror, a razor, a notepad, pens, a voice recorder, a bag of juice to take a couple of sips at night, and much more that a person needs in Everyday life. There needs to be a lamp there that allows you to read, and one that you can turn off without getting out of the bag. The found recreation area should be well ventilated so that it is not stuffy, that is, fans should be nearby, but not too close, so as not to create a threat of colds (human immunity in space is reduced). The air temperature should be comfortable. It is necessary that you do not need to put away your things every day, except perhaps your sleeping bag. It is impossible for your “den” to interfere with other crew members from carrying out their program (sometimes the astronaut then begins some kind of experiment when the other crew members are still sleeping). And vice versa: the movements of other crew members should not interfere with the astronaut’s rest or accidentally wake him up. It is advisable that there are no noisy operating systems nearby. The sleeping bag itself can be placed anywhere, even on the “ceiling”.
There are many requirements for a space “bedroom”, it’s not easy to find appropriate place. At the Mir station, this meant moving from time to time. But on the ISS it is no longer possible to meet all of the above conditions. Why? It would seem that now that the ISS has become several times larger than Mir, finding a corner to your liking is not difficult. But the station is international, the crew is large, so Russian cosmonauts often have to live together in one “room.” And the module is loaded with food containers, including already empty ones, scientific equipment, packages of linen and clothes, etc. Now small research modules (SRMs) have appeared on the ISS. While these are empty barrels without scientific equipment, you can spend the night there.
But now a place has been found. Now you need to unfold the sleeping bag and tie it to the brackets on the panels; six attachment points are enough for this. If there are fewer of them, the bag will dangle. More is possible, but six is enough. However, if you climb into it, you will still sway, because in zero gravity it will not fit tightly to the surface. For a person, a bed that partially imitates earthly conditions will be comfortable - the feeling of the body resting on the bed. Therefore, the sleeping bag is additionally fixed across with three rubber belts, fastening them with carabiners to the loops on the panels.
It may seem that the ventilation of the sleeping bag is insufficient. In such cases, some astronauts increase its volume by sewing in towels. Others tend to position themselves so that the air flow from the fan is directed into the sleeping bag. Again, it is important not to catch a cold. Of course, the sleeping bag has a hood; you can use it to protect yourself from the air flow. If during sleep you turn over in the bag from your back to your stomach, your face will be inside the hood, where a stagnation zone with a high concentration of carbon dioxide appears. In the morning, the astronaut will have a headache, he will not feel well, his performance will be reduced - he did not get enough sleep! Therefore, it is more convenient to use not a hood, but a woolen sports cap, preferably a very thin one that does not interfere with sleep. Before her husband’s flight, the wife of one cosmonaut spent a long time looking for a hat for him that was warm, thin and light, so as to take as little weight as possible from packing personal belongings. “Why does he need a hat there?” - asked a friend. “To sleep under the open window,” the wife joked.
You need to arrange yourself in a sleeping bag in such a way that your hands do not float freely in space, hitting your face from time to time, but at the same time, in such a way that if an emergency alarm goes off, you can quickly free yourself from the bag. Such sleepy wisdom.
Now you can, sitting comfortably in a space bed, read a little before bedtime. Straight out of the bag, stretching out your hand, add a little light, and take out the fixed book right there. After 15 minutes, take a couple of sips of juice from a pre-prepared package, turn off the light and go to bed.
According to the standards, sleep is seven to eight hours, but we are already more than two hours late. But that's okay. For some reason, in space, five to six hours is enough to get enough sleep (in the first days of the flight, for better adaptation of the body to weightlessness, on the contrary, there is nothing better than long sleep). Apparently, this is due to the fact that on Earth, during sleep, both the brain, which is busy solving many problems during the day, and the muscles rest. There is no need to walk or run in space, so less time is required for rest.
Sometimes astronauts have to work hard for several days in a row, and then they manage to fall asleep for twenty to thirty minutes and thus restore their working capacity. " Short dreams“They learned during the preparation process, sometimes it’s more difficult there than in space flight. Another thing is that in space you have to learn to sleep with a variety of external disturbances - vibrations, drafts, too high or too low a temperature, noise.
And on board it is quite noisy, many systems are working - from complex to ordinary fans that circulate air. The noise level is about the same as in an apartment on the second floor directly above the tram stop - in general, you can get used to it. The most dangerous thing in space is complete silence. This means there is no electricity, even the fans have stopped. Consequently, the air does not mix, which means that carbon dioxide will soon accumulate around the astronaut’s head, which he exhales. However, such a gloomy scenario has not yet been realized and is presented here simply as an explanation of the fact that silence can be worse than noise. Once at the Mir station, the control center mistakenly turned off the ventilation system via the command radio line. However, the astronauts woke up from unusual silence and managed to prevent the danger. So you may not hear the noise, but hearing the silence in time is very important!
In addition to the constant noise at the station, some devices sometimes emit sounds that stand out from the background noise, and therefore cause involuntary anxiety in the astronaut, since they are vaguely similar to signals warning about emergency situation. For example, moving the valve of one of the systems is like hitting an empty metal barrel. But a similar sound can also occur in the event of a truly emergency situation. Of course, we should not forget about the emergency warning system itself, which is not so much annoying with its volume as it leads to an anxious feeling, and sometimes stress. Sometimes it works at night too. But it’s better to wake up one more time than to sleep through an emergency situation.
As a rule, astronauts' hearing does not decrease due to unpleasant noise during the expedition. Although there were some atypical cases...
What kind of dreams do you have in space? Not cosmic at all, but completely ordinary. I often dream about the Earth, family, native nature. But upon returning to Earth, astronauts dream of weightlessness and space flight. No matter how difficult it may be in flight, space is the astronaut’s second home.
On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin smiled broadly and said: “Let's go!” and became the first person to fly into space. Since then, Cosmonautics Day has been celebrated all over the world on this day, and abroad this day is called International Day human flight into space.
Our colleagues from the Novosibirsk NGS portal together with the Cosmonaut Training Center named after. Yu. A. Gagarin and Russian test cosmonaut Oleg Blinov prepared a test with 11 complex issues about pilot training, life in space and a little about the history of space flights.
Take the test and find out if you will be taken to the stars.
1. Let's start simple. Candidates undergo anthropometric selection: they are measured for height, weight, chest circumference and even the maximum distance between the corners armpits. Guess what the foot size limit is at the Training Center.
- There are no restrictions, shoe sizes can be any size.
- The ships are small, it's cramped there - a person with a shoe size larger than 43 has nothing to do there.
- I think they definitely take up to size 45.
2. Before a flight, Russian crews traditionally watch Soviet film Vladimir Motyl "White Sun of the Desert". Why him?
- Roscosmos bought the right to show this film.
- According to a study by psychologists, this particular film helps to unload emotionally before the start.
- The astronauts on board are required to keep video footage. Using the example of a film, they are taught cinematography and directing skills.
3. So, you have successfully completed your training and went into orbit. How many times in 24 hours will you see the sunrise?
- There are as many time zones as there are sunrises, that is, 24.
- Finger to the sky, but let it be 16 times.
- There is only one dawn, both on Earth and in space.
4. Here is a glove that astronauts put on before going into space. open space. What do astronauts determine from the values in the table on the sleeve of their gloves?
5. There is a day at Baikonur when there are no starts. What date is this and why?
6. Astronauts can take any food and drinks with them, except alcohol. You'll never guess why!
- Because you can’t drive drunk at the helm!
- Alcohol is highly flammable, and a fire on board is a terrible event.
- To prevent conflicts between astronauts in space, alcohol fuels them.
7. You left your entire wine bar at home, but on your spaceship something still caught fire. How do you put out fires in space?
- We urgently need to descend to Earth!
- The ISS has fire extinguishers for this situation.
- In order for the fire to go out quickly, you need to cut off the oxygen - depressurize the ship.
8. International space station needs regular replenishment. Multi-purpose resupply modules for the ISS deliver essential scientific equipment and other cargo to the station. There are three of them, and each has a name. Guess what they were called.
- In honor of famous cosmonauts - “Gagarin”, “Tereshkova” and “Titov”.
- Like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - "Leonardo", "Raphael" and "Donatello"!
- They were named by size: “Baby”, “Wagon” and “Big”.
9. How does weightlessness affect an astronaut’s body?
- The spine straightens - the astronaut can grow by 5–8 centimeters.
- During flights, astronauts' skin stops aging.
- The foot becomes smaller: the person does not walk, there is no pressure on the foot, so it narrows.
10. Every astronaut takes this strange gray thing with him. What is it and what is it for?
11. And finally - a little history of astronautics. How many days was the longest human stay in space?
- 365 days. More than a year Being in a small confined space is harmful to the psyche.
- The astronauts lived on the ISS for exactly two years.
- I remember our cosmonaut, who stayed on the ship for a year and two months.
Text: Daria Vinokurova
Photo: TsPK im. Yu. A. Gagarin, NASA, pixabay.com, Roscosmos
