Even in such a high-tech industry as space exploration, one cannot do without signs and superstitions, for which the history of Baikonur is very generous.
The word "Baikonur" is perceived unambiguously by all those who lived in the USSR - the cosmodrome from which both the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin and other Soviet conquerors of stars started. Many secrets and legends about the most interesting are associated with this place.
Rich valley
The locality, which the Kazakhs called "Baikonur" (translated as "rich valley"), once, they say, was really fertile. But a long time ago one of the nomads, by the name of the Black Shepherd, was forced to defend against the advancing enemies with the help of hot stones and camel fat - he loaded this "stuffing" into a sling made of camel hide and threw towards the enemy.
View of the Baikonur cosmodrome, 2014.
The enemy soon fled in panic, and huge black scorched areas remained in the valley. The legend of the Black Shepherd has been living, according to historians, for more than a thousand years. And today Baikonur “throws” other shells - instead of hot stones from the “sling” of the cosmodrome, rockets and satellites rush into space.
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Stadium - cover
The construction of Baikonur was carried out in the strictest secrecy. Even the builders themselves did not know what they were building: they were told that the stadium. Materials arrived in simple wagons, and unloading was carried out only at night. A false cosmodrome was erected nearby, as well as a small dummy city: these objects were designed to distract attention "if something happens." In the "city" from the air, one could see residential buildings, a school and other buildings.
The builders, of course, worked in difficult conditions of steppe Kazakhstan: sandstorms, dry winds, drought, and frosts in winter. They lived at first in dugouts, then in barracks. And yet they were very surprised to receive medals and orders for the construction of the “stadium”.
Happy place queen
Sergei Korolev was very attentive to the places in which he had to live and work or just visit. He singled out for himself several especially "happy" places - Moscow, Sergiev Posad, Odessa, and then Baikonur was added to them.
His belief in the special atmosphere of Baikonur was promoted by an archaeological find discovered during the digging of a foundation pit for the cosmodrome. At a depth of about 35 meters, a bonfire was discovered, the age of which was determined by archaeologists at 10-35 thousand years BC. Inspired by the symbolic find, Korolyov took a coal from an ancient fire as a souvenir and repeated: "There has always been life here, so we will be lucky."
This is how the command center of Baikonur looks like today.
Bourgeois fortuneteller
In the 70s, when Baikonur was already in full swing, a story got into the newspapers that a certain petty bourgeois Nikifor Nikitin, back in the 19th century, had seditious conversations, predicting flights to the moon. For this he was exiled to the Kazakh steppes, to the settlement of Baikonur, and this happened in 1848. This message was sent to the Dnepropetrovsk newspaper by one of the joker readers.
The newspaper "duck" reached the capital. When Izvestia reprinted the invented message, the entertainer had to confess to a hoax.
Linden excursions for de Gaulle
After the first manned flight into space took place in the USSR, the West became very interested in Soviet rockets. The country's leadership was alarmed - what if there was a leak of classified information!
The town of Leninsk was located 45 km from Baikonur. It was decided to turn it into a kind of Zvezdograd - for a while, especially for Charles de Gaulle, the President of France, who flew to the USSR. The operation was codenamed "Palma-1". De Gaulle was introduced to the hastily tidied up streets of Zvezdograd, and a phony excursion was organized to demonstrate our country's nuclear power. The general was impressed. Later, similar excursions were conducted for other leaders of Western countries.
The road to the Baikonur cosmodrome.
Classified disaster
Every year on October 24 here, at the cosmodrome, the Day of Silence is celebrated in memory of the tragedy that happened in 1960. They were testing a new ballistic missile, and at the stage of electrical tests, the second stage engine unexpectedly started. The rocket was fueled with fuel, which instantly burst into flames.
The fire led to the death of 76 military and civilians, among whom was Mitrofan Nedelin, the marshal of artillery. From the marshal, as eyewitnesses recalled with a shudder, there remained a melted button and a shadow on the ground - as from the victims of Hiroshima …
The details of the disaster were classified. The relatives of the victims were informed that barrels of gasoline had caught fire.
The first are among the first
Despite the sad and tragic moments, Baikonur's success is incomparably greater. It was from this cosmodrome that the first intercontinental ballistic missiles were launched, from here they launched the first artificial Earth satellite and the first spacecraft that managed to approach the Moon - Luna-1.
Proton-K launches the Zvezda module for the ISS into orbit. Photo by NASA, 2000.
The first cosmonaut in the world, Yuri Gagarin, set off on his risky flight from Baikonur, from Baikonur they launched a spacecraft with the first woman cosmonaut on board, Valentina Tereshkova. Space projects related to Baikonur ensured the position of the world leader for the Soviet Union.
Preparations for the launch of the Soyuz MS-06 rocket, 2017.
After the collapse of the USSR, Baikonur "found itself" on the territory of another state, renting the complex costs money, and further prospects of the cosmodrome are still being discussed, which, in fact, has ceased to be a military facility. He was transferred to the subordination of Roskosmos. According to the latest information, it is even planned to organize tourist tours to the famous Baikonur.
MOISEEVA OLGA
