Space, Today

In an exclusive interview with RST, cosmonauts Yuri Gregorovitch and Sergei Kalishnakov described their feelings about living together in the International Space Station for the past few years. Since first meeting aboard the Mir space station in the late eighties, the two veterans of the Soviet space program have become inseparable space buddies, and now hold the record for longest continuous stay in space at 17 years.

RST: How does it feel not to see your family and friends for the past 17 years?
Gregorovitch: It's tough, especially since I want to see my kids growing up, being there for them, being a normal dad. You know, helping with the homework, teaching them to ride a bike.
RST: You don't actually have kids, do you?
Gregorovitch: No, probably because I've been living in space with Sergei here for the last 17 years. (laughter) But hypothetically...
RST: Sergei, how about you?
Kalishnakov: I left behind my wife and two kids. Now we can talk via satellite link up, so they can see what I look like, but we've never met in person since they were babies. Now Ivan is a university student, and Olga is finishing school this year.
RST: So to them their father is just a face on a television screen?
Kalishnakov: To them their father is the television. They don't realise I have a body and float around here in space yet. It was easier that way.
RST: What have been the best and worst times about the new ISS?
Kalishnakov: We have more room than in Mir. Yuri and I can sleep in separate sleeping bags now. That is good thing. For me the worst was when the space agency forgot us during the Moscow terrorist crisis. We went for two months with no signal, no message. I thought we would die here adandoned.
Gregorovitch: Best thing has been meeting many different people who come to us from Space Shuttle. We meet Americans for first time here and we become good friends very quickly. Also we can eat chocolate and spam from US.
RST: And the worst?
Gregorovitch: We never see them again. Say goodbye, lock the hatch, release the shuttle, and ten minutes later, KABOOM! Everytime. Very sad.

The two men have little concern for loss of bone density and muscle deterioration. These pioneers of life in space consider their bodies the smallest sacrifice to make to their cause. After 17 years, they hardly notice the lack of gravity, the extreme radiation and the permanent high from sniffing thinner all the time. To some they are heroes, to others just two crazy old Soviets too fucked up to head back to planet earth.

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