Going to space is a feat that not everyone can claim. You have to go through years of training to prove that you can handle it and not everyone who gets trained actually gets the privilege of going to space.
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Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev had the honor of living in a space station for a routine mission. However, his 5-month mission had an unexpected twist that ended him getting stuck in space for 300 days. Here is his unbelievable story.
The mission
Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev left his home to embark on his second space mission. This time, he would be living in the Mir Space Station, located 200 miles above the Earth. Sergei did not expect this routine mission to someday become a threat to his life.
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While he was stranded in space, Sergei watched the Earth move from 200 miles above, wondering what he would be going home to. He had no idea when he would be able to return and he had no idea what awaited him if he gets to go home. What could have caused this dilemma?
Meet Sergei Krikalev
Sergei has been training as a cosmonaut for years and has worked his way up the ladder. Before he started to work in space flight development, he had a mechanical engineering degree and had training as a pilot. This stood as a great background for him to be a cosmonaut. He soon started working on ground control operations and space operation methods. In his 20s, he already did an in-orbit rescue mission.
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By his 30s, Sergei was able to go on his first flight mission to the Mir Space Station. His first mission was a success. Later, Sergei was asked to go on another trip to the Mir Space Station. But little did he know that this time, his second mission to space would not go as smoothly as his first.
Leaving for space
It took a year of training for Sergei to go on his second mission to space. The training was done to help him cope with being in space for 5 months – which was the original duration of the mission. Sergei was not trained enough to handle any issues that could arise if his trip would last longer than 5 months.
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Sergei, along with two other astronauts, left for the Mir Space Station on May 19, 1991. The crew left without a sense that they have made a nearly fatal mistake. Sergei was the only flight engineer on the mission and this turned out to be a big deal later on.
The arrival
Helen Sharman, the first Briton astronaut to go to space, was on the same crew as Sergei on that mission. In her interview with Discover Magazine, she described Sergei as someone who remained cool under pressure. Helen recalled how she panicked when they were approaching the space station because one wrong move could be fatal for all of them but they were able to land safely.
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The Mir Space Station was not as glamorous as the space stations you see in the movies. In fact, it was a smelly and noisy place. The station reeked of sweat because there was no fresh air. The fans, pumps, and other machinery made a constant racket that the noise was neverending.
The importance of loving your job
Despite the disappointing realities of the Mir Space Station, Sergei loved staying there. Helen recalled that Sergei once told her he felt like he was going home every time he got into a space station. In an interview with The Guardian, Sergei shared that his most favorite thing about being in space is the view of the Earth. The second best is the freedom he feels in zero gravity. The weightlessness made him feel like he was a bird that could fly.
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When Sergei had free time, he would find ways to have fun and invent games like floating from one side to another without touching the walls. His jolly perspective brought delight to his crew members. But little did he knew that the entire mission would soon place his carefree days to an end.
Down to two
When Sergei’s crew arrived, there were already astronauts aboard the Mir Space Station. They worked together for 8 days. Sergei shared that they had fun looking down at Earth and trying to spot specific places on the Earth’s surface.
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Soon, the first astronauts had to return to Earth. Helen, who was assigned a shorter mission, returned with them. Sergei was left with his other crew member, Commander Anatoly Artsebarsky. It was just the two of them left in space.
Meanwhile on Earth
News from Earth was sparse as Sergei continued to remain on the Mir Space Station. By August 1991, Sergei received unsettling news from his hometown. The Communist leaders of the Soviet Union had started a protest against then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The communists were storming the Red Square in Moscow.
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The Communists were led by Boris Yeltsin. They were not happy with the recent reforms that were implemented. The whole world watched as the Soviet Union, considered at that time to be a world superpower, started to dissolve. From space, Sergei worried about how this event could affect his space mission now that the government that sent him there was in trouble.
Helpless from space
The coup in the Soviet Union had shocked the world. How the superpower nation started unraveling was a surprise. In space, Sergei started feeling helpless. He had a hard time getting news and updates. There was uncertainty hanging in the air.
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Sergei had a hard time processing these unexpected turn of events. with the lack of information. He was concerned about how this coup would affect the Russian space program. And just like he feared, this historical event would have a colossal impact on his mission in space.
Uncertainty takes over
Months passed and the news that reached the Mir Space Station was more upsetting than the last. One by one, Soviet States started to declare their independence. This worried Sergei further and just as he feared, he got bad news from mission control.
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Space officials in Kazakhstan informed Sergei that because of the revolution, money was drying up. They no longer had the funds to support Sergei’s return to Earth. Mission control requested him to wait until things have settled down.
Man of the house
During Sergei’s first trip to space, he was able to form a connection with the woman working on the radio, Elena. They fell in love and Elena eventually became his wife. On his second mission, the two were communicating as much as they can with the help of mission control.
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During his second mission, their conversations were far from romantic. Sergei was mostly worried about Elena and their child who was only 9 months old. With what has been happening, Sergei’s salary was not that much and he was worried about how his family would survive on his meager salary.
Sergei’s patience
Elena shared in an interview that whenever she had the chance to talk to Sergei while he was in space, they both tried their best not to talk about unpleasant things. Elena was aware that being stuck in space longer than expected would have been hard for Sergei. He was started to feel more stressed as he waited for an end date for his mission.
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Sergei felt stressed as mission control kept telling him to stay in place because there was no money yet to bring him home. But he also knew that he needed to work on the space station. Sergei had no choice but to remain in the space station and wait.
Serious concerns
Sergei was not only starting to feel homesick and lonely but he started to be concerned about how this extended stay in space would affect his health. Staying in space for long periods has significant effects on the human body. It could lead to conditions like a weaker immune system, radiation, muscle atrophy, and a higher risk of getting cancer.
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Aside from that, Sergei was not trained enough to handle the effects of a long-term stay in space. He started to question if he was strong enough to survive his extended stay now that he was sure his mission would go beyond 5 months.
An option out
All this time, there was actually a way out for the two men onboard the Mir Space Station. The station had a Raduga re-entry capsule, which could make a trip back down to Earth. However, the two decided not to use it.
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The two cosmonauts have been trained for years and they both knew the intricacies of the space station – they could not leave it empty. Jumping ships could have been an easy way out for them but they chose to stay put as part of their responsibility.
A new crew comes in
Months passed before Sergei received word that a new crew was being sent to the Mir Space Station. Sergei had made a very simple request – that the new crew brings some honey with them as he missed it. However, when the new crew arrived, they were unable to give him honey.
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They did, however, bring more supplies and equipment to help Sergei in his extended mission. Unfortunately, no one in the new crew had the skillset that Sergei had so Sergei still could not be relieved of his post. With no one taking over for him, Sergei had to stay behind when the crew members left with Commander Anatoly Artsebarsky. An astronaut from the new crew stayed behind to keep Sergei company.
Stranded once more
You could just imagine how frustrating all of this could have been to Sergei. The chance to go back home was so close but as the only flight engineer on the space station, he had no choice but to stay on board. The good news is that he now has supplies to do further work on the space station – this can keep him occupied.
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Although thankful for his new companion, the Mir Space Station was a big area. Sergei was still left alone for most of the day as they both worked on their respective missions in the Space Station. Every time he was left with only his thoughts, the worries and doubts would start to bother him.
The fall of an empire
On December 26, 1991, the Cold War has ended and the Soviet Union was dissolved. This meant that the home Sergei left in May would be a different place when he gets back. This meant that the Russian space program may have different priorities at the moment. By then, Sergei had been in space for more than 7 months.
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Despite this development, Sergei chose to have faith and trust the people in mission control. The Russian space program still had no funds to send him home. Mission control was feeling the pressure of figuring out what to do with their stranded cosmonaut.
Sergei’s mark in history
With Sergei stuck in space, he became the last Soviet citizen in the world. He was in space, sent on a mission by a government that no longer exists, wearing a flag in his uniform that no longer represented any country. Sergei had no idea how all of this would change his life.
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Back on earth, the new government worked tirelessly to get Sergei home. They even tried to sell seats on the Mir Space Station but unfortunately, this did not work. They also had to look for a flight engineer with the same skillset to take over his post in the space station.
The call
March came and Sergei has been in space for 10 months. This was twice the amount of time that his mission was supposed to take. It has been 3 months since the Soviet Union fell. By then, Sergei was starting to feel the effects of prolonged exposure to zero gravity had on his body. He could feel his body getting weak.
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But that month gave Sergei hope. He finally had the call that would change his current circumstances. Mission control informed him that they finally found a replacement! Sergei was told to prepare himself to come home.
Landing back on Earth
Sergei finally landed on Earth on March 25, 1992. The last Soviet citizen in the world is finally home. He stepped out of the spacecraft still wearing the red flag on his arm. Although celebrated and welcomed as a hero, the joyous event took a dark turn. It was very clear how being stranded in space took a toll on the cosmonaut.
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Sergei had a drastic change in appearance. A news report described him as looking like a lump of wet dough because Sergei was sweaty and was pale as flour. He obviously lost some weight and looked frail. Sergei could not even stand on his own. Four people had to help him move and carry him.
Welcome back
Sergei was placed on a stretcher so that they could transport him indoors. It was snowing when he landed, giving his homecoming a dramatic effect. The snow also meant that Sergei was going through a dramatic shift of temperature, having been on a hot space capsule. The people around him made a fuss to regulate his body temperature.
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Despite all this, Sergei told reporters later on that his homecoming was a pleasant experience for him despite the physical toll he had to go through after feeling gravity again. He was also glad that the psychological toll he had was gone the moment he landed.
It’s a different world
Sergei had circled the Earth over 5,000 times. He watched 5,000 sunsets and sunrises. While he spent 300 days above Earth, the world below him had gone through drastic changes. After medical observation, he was allowed to return to his home, which turned out to be so much different than when he had left.
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First, he landed in Arkalykh, which is now a part of the independent republic of Kazakhstan. When he got home, he found that the city where his family lived is now called St. Petersburg. And because of the inflation brought by the revolution, the salary he made was now less.
Sergei’s adjustment
Sergei’s story could easily be the plot for a science fiction novel. He became well known all over the world, considered a legend in Russia, and his story would never be forgotten in the world of space travel. Despite all this, Sergei downplayed his fame. He was not a fan of being in the spotlight.
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Sergei focused on the changes that he got to see from space. He noted that it was summer when he left and now it is winter. He gave simple answers and tried to avoid being in the spotlight as much as he can. This is probably because his body still needed more medical attention.
The road to recovery
Although Sergei was given the clearance to go home to his family, this did not mean that he was out of the woods. There was no doubt that his health was seriously affected by his prolonged stay in space.
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Sergei shared in his interview with The Guardian that it would take 2 to 3 weeks for the first stage of recovery as the body gets used to gravity again. But it would take 2 to 3 months for the body to be truly and fully recovered. Luckily enough, Sergei also did exercises in space so he was able to recover faster than expected.
Sergei’s passion
After being stranded in space for an indefinite time then returning to a completely different world, you would have expected Sergei to retire as a cosmonaut right then and there. But, as mentioned earlier, Sergei loves what he does. In fact, he surprised everyone when he immediately went back to work as soon as he recovered.
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When Sergei regained his strength, he flew to the USA for his next mission. He was to fly with NASA astronauts to the newly constructed International Space Station and was the only Russian in the crew. The crew left for space in 1998.
Hero of Russia
Sergei went on to complete more space missions. In fact, he was able to do 6 missions throughout his career as a cosmonaut. Sergei also signed himself up for the first long-stay mission to the International Space Station in 2000 that lasted 136 days.
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Sergei was not just the last Soviet Union citizen. He was also the first person who got the title Hero of the Russian Federation. He had received numerous awards from the USSR throughout his career. He was also recognized outside the USSR. France made him an officer of the Legion of Honour. And in the USA, Sergei got the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal and three NASA Space Flight Medals.
A colorful career
Sergei retired from spaceflight in 2007. He was then appointed to be Vice President for the SP Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia and was in charge of manned space flights. He also became the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center’s administrator.
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Overall, Sergei has spent 803 days, 9 hours, and 39 minutes in space. There is no doubt that he was an exceptional man and that he loved his job. The events that transpired were recorded in the 1995 documentary, Out of the Present. His story has also inspired the plot for the film Sergio and Sergei.