Imagine being in space while the world you know falls apart. In the fascinating field of space exploration, it can always happen that missions take unexpected routes.
Sergei Krikalev, known as “the last soviet”, became the involuntary protagonist of an unprecedented story by being stranded in space for almost a year on the Mir space station.
The reason? The collapse of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).
The odyssey of Sergei Krikalev
Everything starts in May 1991, when Krikalev ascended to the Mir space station for the mission Soyuz TM-12initially planned to last five months.
However, the fall of the USSR significantly altered his return to Earth.
What should have been a brief stay was prolonged 311 days in spacebecoming an emblematic space mission.
The longest mission
On board Mir, sharing space with Anatoly Artsebarsky and Helen Sharman, the first Briton in space, the atmosphere became even more peculiar during those days of waiting.
The economic collapse of the USSR and the attempted coup d’état contributed to the Krikalev delayleaving him trapped in a space station that he defined as small, with the smell of humans and cognac.
Without nationality after the dissolution of the USSRhis return was delayed due to lack of funds.
Finally, the March 25, 1992, Krikalev touched down in Kazakhstanbecoming the last Soviet citizen to return to Earth after the collapse of the USSR.
If we add up all his missions, Krikalev made history by spending a total of 803 days 9 hours and 39 minutes in space.
And despite this space odyssey, today’s 65-year-old man He continued working after the dissolution of the USSR and in collaboration with NASA.