Word: space
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...shelf technology of the Venera probes. But he wanted the scientific instruments to be custom designed, even though the expertise was not available within the U.S.S.R. So he recruited scientists from nine countries, including the U.S., to join the project. That was unheard-of in security-conscious Soviet space circles. Recalls Sagdeyev: "Sometimes my opponents, in order to take over, were almost ready to say that I was too much for foreign cooperation. But if you have a belief that what you are doing is right, you can survive difficult times...
...Vega mission put the world on notice that the Soviet Union would not take a backseat to anyone in space science. Admits NASA's Briggs: "They closed a big gap." But Sagdeyev has made it clear that catching up was only the beginning. He has now directed his considerable intellect, political capital and diplomatic charm to another high-risk international mission. If all goes according to plan, the Phobos probes will take off next summer for Mars. When they reach the Red Planet some 200 days and 118 million miles later, they will orbit for a time, taking data...
...enthusiasm for robot probes, however, brings with it an inevitable tension: in the U.S.S.R., just as in the U.S., the unmanned and manned programs compete for budget dollars, and so far the manned missions have been the big winners. But, says Sagdeyev, "99% of what man can do in space can be done by robots." The statement irritates his comrades at Soviet mission control. "This crew has done 100 repair jobs," scoffs Victor Blagov, the deputy flight director, arguing that humans are needed to deal with unanticipated situations. Snaps Stepan Bogodyazh of Glavkosmos, the Soviet equivalent of NASA: "You need...
Psychological problems too are likely on a long flight. To keep motivation sharp and productivity high, the Soviets pay plenty of attention to the space station's livability. The interior of Mir, for example, has been painted in two colors to provide the crew with a sense of floor and ceiling. On Mir, cosmonauts get two days off each week and have special radio hookups so they can talk with their families and with virtually any sports figure, scientist or celebrity they choose...
Nonetheless, says Nicholas Johnson, author of the book Soviet Year in Space, "the Soviets still have much to learn before they can reasonably responsibly put together a Mars mission." They need, for example, a reliable propulsion system for their interplanetary space capsule; at least two of the later Salyut systems had propulsion failures. The Soviets are weak, Johnson says, in communications technology. "They know they do not have the best technology," he observes. But they are working...