Tal Inbar, Senior Researcher, Fisher Institute for Strategic Air and Space Research
By
Last week senior cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhnivkov visited Israel. Dzhnivkov was the commander of five space missions during the Soviet Union, and he has two Hero of the USSR decorations. Dzhnivkov was in Israel on a short 5-day private visit, and on Thursday, January 26, he was a guest at the Fisher Institute for Strategic Air and Space Research, where I was given the opportunity to talk with him about his past in space, and his views regarding the future of the Russian space program.
Dzhnivkov's missions in space lasted - in aggregate - 146 days, and his flights into space began in 1978, when he commanded the Soyuz 27 spacecraft. Later, he flew into space as the commander of Soyuz 39 (1981), Soyuz T6 (1982), Soyuz T12 (1984) and Soyuz T 13 (1985). Dzhnivkov commanded the Salyut 6 and Salyut 7 space stations. He previously served as commander of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Dzhnivkov fulfilled his ambition for an international space program on two missions - when he flew into space with a Mongolian cosmonaut, and later with a French astronaut. He retired from active service as a major general in the Soviet Air Force (equivalent to a general in the IDF).
I asked the cosmonaut what his position was regarding the commercialization of space, and sending space tourists in Russian spaceships. His response was that this is a positive trend, which should be expanded, perhaps to the point of developing a small space station for tourism purposes only. According to him, there is a need for at least five manned flights every year, in order to preserve and advance Russia's space program. The situation today is that cosmonauts wait years for a space flight, and this situation is intolerable.
Dzhnivkov expressed severe disappointment with the state of the Russian space program, in the era after the collapse of the USSR. In his eyes, perestroika was a disaster, one of its victims being space exploration.
Unlike the USA, where NASA makes extensive use of former astronauts in order to increase public awareness of space exploration, the veteran cosmonauts of the USSR are not currently of interest to the Russian space agency.
On the topic of the future Clipper spaceship, I asked Dzhnivkov about the possibility that Europe will enter as a strategic partner in the project. In his opinion, an agreement with Europe is very positive, and will allow the flow of funds that are necessary like breathing air for Russia's space program. Despite being a very senior cosmonaut, and having a wealth of experience, he is detached from the daily activities of the space field in Russia, and divides his time between painting (many of his paintings are about his experiences in space) and between a charity activity for orphaned children, which he runs with other cosmonauts.
The conversation also brought up various aspects concerning the military space programs of the USSR, the traditional rivalry with the USA, and various political aspects regarding Russia's cooperation with Iran. Vladimir Dzhnivkov toured Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea, and expressed his impression of Israel's activities in the field of space. In Israel, he met with the commander of the Air Force and with the CEO of the Space Agency.
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