Forget him in space

At the end of next week, two astronauts will be launched into space to replace the crew of two astronauts on the International Space Station. One of the two is Sergey Krikalev, who in 1991 was forgotten in space when the Soviet Union collapsed and was rescued at the last moment. Amazing

In May 1991, cosmonaut Sergiy Krikalev took off, together with the first British astronaut, Helen Sherman, to the "Mir" space station, which was then orbiting the Earth. Sherman returned home six days later and was honored as a hero in Britain. Krikalev remained on the space station. His stay was planned for five months and he was supposed to return to Earth in October 1991, to the country that sent him the Soviet Union...

But even before that, in August 1991, a political coup took place in Moscow that plunged the Soviet Union into a political turmoil, which ended with the resignation of Gorbachev and the establishment of the "Commonwealth". Each of the newly created republics gathered within itself. The Soviet space program, the pride of the communist Soviet Union, has completely crumbled. Notice what happened: instead of the Soviet Union launching Krykalev into space, new countries were created, each of which took a part of the Soviet space program. The control center, which maintains contact with the cosmonauts in space, remains in the hands of Russia, a faction of the Soviet Union. The rockets used to launch the people and equipment into space fell in the part of Ukraine: the spaceport remained in Baikonur, in the Republic of Kazakhstan that became independent. The unfortunate Krikalev was abandoned in space. Months passed and the launch of a Soyuz spacecraft intended to return him to Earth was canceled to save money. "Stay at Mir" - the space station - Krikalev was told.

In January 1992, Krikalev's patience ran out, the stay in space changed from five months to eight months and he sent a panicked message to whoever sent it: "Who is running things now and when will they finally rescue us". At that time, more than 270 days had passed since Krykalev had been in space and no way had been found to cause the three republics to unite in order to save Krykalev trapped in space. Things were not simple. Despite the establishment of the "Commonwealth", not all republics agreed to sign an agreement to continue the Soviet space program. Ukraine, for example, refused, and as you remember, the missiles that launch the spaceships were found in its territory. Without it, it would not be possible to continue space flights. In the meantime, Krikalev spent hours by the observation window of the space station, looking down with bleary eyes at a world that had forgotten him, and waiting for some sign of assistance. The water, oxygen and food began to run out and Krykalev's desperate calls finally prompted the Commonwealth of Nations to send him a small unmanned supply spacecraft "Progress" with water, food and oxygen tanks, thus Krykalev and his colleague who reached him for part of the flight time were promised the food and air necessary for their survival .

But what will happen next, when will they return to Earth? They were promised that the Soyuz spacecraft would be launched to them in March 1992: about 11 months from the day Krikalev took off into space. His desperate calls for a replacement were not heard. The Soviet Union disintegrated. Its space programs were put on hold. There was no budget and there was no one to command the return of Krikalev and his friend Volkov to Earth. The two were forgotten in space hungry and sick, having consumed the few supplies sent to them. Instead of engaging in the scientific experiments that were planned for them, they were forced to go out and hover outside the crumbling laboratory and engage in essential maintenance repairs.

The one who finally rescued Krikalev from his shameful situation was the German government. It financed the launch of a "Soyuz" spacecraft with a German astronaut in it, to return Krikalev and his friend to Earth. Germany paid Russia for operating the control center, Ukraine for the launch vehicle and Kazakhstan for use of the space port. The German astronaut Klaus Dietrich Plada, 39 years old, took off in March 1992 towards the space station together with a rescue team of two other cosmonauts. After 313 consecutive days in space, Krikalev returned to Earth. A rescue team pulled him from the spaceship, sat him on a straw armchair and covered him with a fur coat. Photographers captured the moment, which his wife, Yelena, excitedly watched from far away Moscow. His legs could not be heard and his rescuers had to carry him in his chair to the helicopter that was waiting for him. The calcium escaped from the bones, it suffered bone depletion and damage to bone density. He had difficulty speaking and went through a long recovery period before returning to the Russian cosmonaut service again. He returned to another world. His country, the Soviet Union, and its space program no longer existed. Even his hometown, Leningrad became Saint Petersburg. His contribution to the space program earned him the ruble equivalent of $350...

Sergey Krikalev rehabilitated, returned to training and in April 2001 was launched once again into space as the first "Mission 1" crew to the International Space Station, together with the American Bill Shepherd and the Russian Yuri Gidzenko. They stayed on the space station for four months before being replaced by another crew.

Now, as mentioned, Sergey Krikalev is leaving for his third flight in space, together with astronaut John Philip. They will take off in the Soyuz spacecraft for a six-month stay at the International Space Station. At the end of Krikalev's stay, he will accumulate more days in space than any other person: a record of 625 days in space... He will return to Earth in September, aboard an American space shuttle.

* Meir Cohen is a commentator and writer on aviation and space affairs and the author of the books "Mysteries of Space", "The Space Album", "Life in Space", and more.