On the eve of the Day of Russia, the head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin dismissed from the post of executive director for manned space programs of the corporation, a very significant person for Russian cosmonautics – cosmonaut, twice Hero Sergei Krikalev. Transferred to the status of his advisor. What was the real reason for the demotion of Sergei Konstantinovich remained behind the scenes. After talking with people from the industry, we tried to present the true picture of what is happening, which, as it turned out, many have known for a long time.
Let us remind our readers once again who we are talking about. Sergei Krikalev is a pilot-cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of the Russian Federation (one of four people in the country who were awarded both titles). For 10 years, from October 2005 to June 2015, Sergei Konstantinovich was the holder of the title of Earth record holder for the total time spent in space – 803 days for six launches (the new record belongs to Gennady Padalka).
At the end of the flight stage of his career, Krikalev became the head of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, which he headed for five years, then he was transferred to the position of Deputy General Director for Manned Programs of FSUE TsNIIMash.
Krikalev held the position of executive director of manned space programs of Roscosmos from March 31, 2016 to June 11, 2021 … And then what? The final? Such is the gratitude of the country to its hero? Let’s figure it out.
In fact, for a very long time, many saw Sergei Konstantinovich as head of Roscosmos. He is not only an astronaut, he is an engineer who worked, by the way, in 1985 on troubleshooting a malfunction at the Salyut-7 station, he tested equipment used in space flights, and participated in the work of the MCC.
The administrative experience that he gained in recent years only added to the image of the ideal leader in the industry. But … All the time something didn’t work out. I remember that several years ago a great professional in his field, Krikalev, was not always invited even to the Space Council. “Apparently, manned space exploration is no longer needed by our state,” experts commented to us then on this incident. – They are afraid that he will speak out and say something that does not fit into the “course of the party.”
Roscosmos of recent years, despite the assurances of its head about building up our potential and power, about wiping the nose of the Americans, in fact, it seems, is striving for the exact opposite. Gradually removes from the leadership of people from the space sphere. At first, everyone was acutely worried about the ex-head of RSC Energia, Nikolai Sevastyanov, now it’s Krikalev’s turn. “The feeling is that the current team has come to engage not in astronautics, but in naked PR,” one of the experienced employees of Roscosmos tells me. – Instead of active steps in space exploration, we launch fashionable clothes for the catwalk, for bikers, design trams – whatever, just not to engage in space. Afterwards, we are ashamed to communicate with our Western and Eastern colleagues – the Americans and the Chinese, who are advancing their space technologies by leaps and bounds. In the meantime, we got to such trifles as patenting the logos of the crews that flew into space in different years. “
Ordinary experts in the industry, who are regularly tasked with finding ways to save money (there is a crisis in the country, a lack of money), laugh: “Well, where is the logic? What else can we save on? You would start with yourself – look how many duplicating suborganizations we have: Glavkosmos, the Roscosmos corporate academy … With the existing huge building at 42 Shchepkina and an office center on Berezhkovskaya embankment, Roskosmos is also building the Cosmonautics Tower! How many new missiles and salaries of valuable designers will be spent on its construction! “
Let’s return now to Sergey Krikalev. The first thing that several colleagues of the ex-executive director told me about his transfer to the status of an advisor at once is that he has long been a real danger to Rogozin as a competitor, who, if something happens, can take the place of the head of the corporation. It cannot be that he immediately lost his leadership position after only one criticism about the filming of the film on the supervisory board.
But Krikalev is a self-sufficient figure, and wherever he is transferred, as now, it will be very difficult to get rid of him completely. It is strange that the head of state has not yet stood up for his confidant in the 2018 elections. But, apparently, Rogozin himself enjoys even greater support.
And here is what one of the former employees of Roscosmos Vladimir Gundarov said to MK: “In my opinion, the place of Sergei Konstantinovich was freed up for a more“ worthy ”- perhaps someone’s close and dear relative. Let’s see who will take his place in the near future, then it will become clear for whom or for what it was prepared. “
For many, Krikalev is associated with international cooperation: he is the first Russian to fly on the Space shuttle, he is respected in space agencies around the world. They say that it is only thanks to his authority that the Global Space Exploration Conference (GLEX-2021) is being held this year in Russia, in St. Petersburg. And at this moment Sergei Konstantinovich is exactly there, is engaged in organizational issues, is in his place. But does our country now need international cooperation to the same extent as before? Maybe Krikalev also “flew” from his post due to the uselessness of such connections?
There was also a version, not too pleasant for Sergei Konstantinovich, that his statement against the film at the supervisory board was used in a big game of pro-government structures that have long been fighting against Rogozin, dreaming of his dismissal from the post of general director of Roscosmos.
And one more nuance. Whatever intrigues the current functionaries wove around the cosmonaut, they clearly did not take into account the real weight and importance of Sergei Krikalev. They were transferred to the status of an advisor – read, a watchman compared to an executive director – and for what reason, they forgot to say. Many former and current cosmonauts read in this a message for the future: whoever you are, whatever feats you perform for the sake of our country, the time will come – you will be kicked out the door, forgetting to even warn you about it.
Newspaper headline:
No astronaut – no problem?
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