The approach of Russian cosmonauts to the ground
On October 17, a descent vehicle with Oleg Novitsky, Yulia Peresild and Klim Shipenko landed near the city of Dzhezkazgan. They returned to Earth. And on Earth they were met by a special correspondent of Kommersant, Andrei Kolesnikov.
It was late evening, we were now at the Vostochny cosmodrome, and the information came from NASA through open sources, but not only to him, but to the whole world. Information from MCC and from the ISS was lacking.
It turned out to be rather overwhelmed. That is, when the engines of the Soyuz-MS-18 spacecraft, which is supposed to lower the cosmonauts from orbit, operated in test mode (this was a mandatory test launch before descent) and the test window closed, the engines were still loaded. And it even seems to have intensified. And the ship affected the station. And how could he not influence? .. Thank God, we have the engines that are necessary, there are no questions for them …
The departing cosmonauts said goodbye to those who remained at the MS-18 hatch, of course, like relatives.
The broadcast was again hosted by NASA. The commentators of the American agency were accustomed, it was felt, to the names of Peresild and Shipenko and hissed them without overpowering themselves (the Ukrainians have a peremog, and we have Peresild, at some point Mr. Rogozin was pleased to comment).
It was seen how Yulia Peresild, not overpowering herself, was sending air kisses to everyone, and she even clung to one of the cosmonauts, hugging him: for some reason he turned out to be especially dear to her. Looking closely, I was surprised to see that she was saying goodbye to Oleg Novitsky, who was to fly with her to Earth. Well, just a little mixed up with the hosts. She was nervous, of course.
In Karaganda, actor Vladimir Mashkov, General Director of Channel One Konstantin Ernst and head of Roscosmos Dmitry Rogozin were planting birches at the entrance to the Cosmonaut Hotel, where they had just spent the night. If all the guests of the hotel did the same, there would have long been a huge birch grove. But these were not all.
Konstantin Ernst explained to me already in the helicopter:
I asked him if, as they say, at the time of the separation of the third stage of the rocket at the start, he really was on his knees, considering that he was praying.
On the way to the Karaganda airport, they discussed how, after landing, to avoid the appearance of Klim Shipenko in the frame: he is not in the film, in orbit he removes Yulia Peresild and everything else except himself.
We should have pulled it out first. Well, or the last one (needless to say that he went second).
The Mi-8 helicopter barely (yes, it was incredibly cramped and no, not a shame) accommodated the crew of Channel One, Vladimir Mashkov, Dmitry Rogozin and Konstantin Ernst. With difficulty, because there were still two 1000-liter tanks of kerosene. It was necessary to fly at least two hours in one direction.
I noticed that the outside windows of the helicopter were rather dirty, but I had to shoot like the whole way. And I even shared my doubts with one of the pilots.
Vladimir Mashkov, meanwhile, entered the character before my eyes. He played the head of the Mission Control Center, a man with a difficult fate, an independent man, therefore, with difficult relations with his superiors, and also one who is not afraid to make decisions. And all this was now visible at even one cursory glance at Vladimir Mashkov. He sat at the closed door and waited. Was focused.
That is, all the main things, he meant, still happened in his corner.
Vladimir Mashkov was still looking painfully through the window, but I saw that the film crew, and especially Mr. Ernst, who was now directing the filming, was actively not liking something. I realized that it was when the door suddenly opened and too fresh air rushed into the cabin. Didn't like the porthole. Vladimir Mashkov looked incredibly tragic through the open door.
And most importantly, now all nine helicopters were clearly visible, which were moving to the right and especially to the left of us. They walked, almost touching each other with screws and forming a ladder, from which it was simply breathtaking. This was simply an extraordinary rescue power.
The helicopters walked like on the May 9 parade, in this there was a gloomy solemnity, and a promising coherence, and a hint that these would certainly not let you down … And what was not there yet …
No, well, you should have seen it. And I saw it. And I thought that I only saw this in the movies. Yes, but I was in it.
The door, of course, was not supposed to open during the flight. It was a helicopter nightmare. But here, I saw it myself, it was open.
I also admitted that without hesitation. It's easy to admit. It's hard to fly.
But nevertheless, in space now there were simple, as they say, people, such as you and me, and not the gods, as it is customary to think about them and what they most likely are. It means that we can, but what is it?
And wasn’t it that I think so now, was the main purpose of this flight, about which no one thought so aloud?
The helicopters, I noticed, were now moving in a semicircle, and the distance between them increased markedly. They formed a search radius.
And I wish I didn't know that.
An alarmed cameraman made his way to us. He just spoke to the pilots, and a terrible detail came to light. The commander said that we might not be in time by the time of landing.
It really was bitter news. After all, it was about disrupted filming. This could not be allowed. Maybe he should have picked up speed.
But at least Vladimir Mashkov was now sitting with an understandably mournful face.
To be honest, they only reminded me of boots.
I studied the descent schedule and saw that seven minutes later, at 7:19 local time, the astronauts were at their maximum overload. But not catastrophic, about 5 G. However, nonetheless. The landing was scheduled for 7:36 am.
Meanwhile, our helicopter began to shake as if we were entering the atmosphere. That is, the wind began.
The helicopter pilots saw the parachute canopy at 7:24. A minute later I saw it too: a rapidly increasing orange-white dot. And already some helicopter was loitering near her.
You won't forget the landing. This is not only about those who are inside the gravitsapa, as all the rescuers called it here. And the truth is, exactly like a gravicap (and what else can you call it, if it is a gravicap) stood, burnt by the earth's air, in the steppe. Several tons of dust, it seemed to me, would not settle down even in an hour. No, after five minutes the air was, one might say, transparent. Earthy because damn it.
We sat down about a hundred meters from the gravitzap. I ran to her and realized that I would be the first, well, maybe the third … Oh, no, the fifth … But here she was, you can touch … I touched it, the metal was hot, but not what I thought. Warm, lively. I didn't want to pull my hand away.
I looked into the windows, hoping to see the astronauts, they were there, alive and well. And honestly, I was overwhelmed with some kind of puppy delight at what happened here – both with me, and, most importantly, with them.
I heard them shouting something, and shouted myself, and from there, too, it seemed to me that something was coming. They are back.
I looked at the bottom, as if hoping to see radiation there, going into the ground. No, she really didn't exist.
The design consisted of ladders and a trapezoidal base on top, which was superimposed on the top of the gravity cap. The construction was assembled very quickly, and now Vladimir Mashkov flew up one of the ladders and shouted down there, “Hello, guys!”
From other helicopters poured out members of the film crew, there were already dozens of people feverishly adjusting their equipment.
I approached this man and asked if he really is as they say about him. He confirmed. A minute later, he was already proposing to rearrange the structure, after another five he was ready to get the astronauts.
I thought that by the hero is meant here Oleg Novitsky, for example.
But he didn't run. And I haven't even walked yet.
The first was Oleg Novitsky.
And no help was needed. Oleg Novitsky was grabbed by the arms and gently and at the same time jerked out of the gravitzap. He threw his legs over and slid down a metal gutter to his native land. Rather, the Earth.
Finally, Vladimir Mashkov appeared here, he had gone somewhere.
So the astronauts have not yet been extracted anywhere and never.
And Vladimir Mashkov went. He peered into the depths of the gravicapa and was relieved to find people there. Then other people found them.
Klim Shipenko turned out to be more alive than all the living.
And he, in my opinion, was not joking at all.
You never know what the returnees tell them … And not that much yet …
Yulia Peresild before going out, in my opinion, had time to make up. It is just before the exit, otherwise the arrows under the eyes and the powder would have flowed from sweat during overloads.
Yes, only the fingers almost did not bend and were, probably, twice as thick as in ordinary life.
Julia Peresild and Oleg Novitsky were put side by side, they were also now supposed to be filmed in films, and Klim Shipenko was carried aside, and he lay, I could not believe my eyes, almost unnoticed, behind the crowd that surrounded those two.
He looked at me, in my opinion, with pity.
With Julia Peresild and Oleg Novitsky, meanwhile, they shot the final of the film, which, I was warned, nothing can be said about. So I won't. But everything was short, short.
I understood that such filming in the world really never happened. I somehow could not comprehend all this. But nature was real and true to the point of insanity.
Not so well rested. The costs of the service were pursued, I suppose.
I remembered about the 14th day, when a heart attack occurs without physical education.
And she was really sad.
There was a strange smile on her face all the time … She winked suddenly …
Oleg Novitsky, I saw, was given a cardboard bag of juice.
He instantly pulled the entire packet out of the tube, so that it shrank and dried.
Then he wrote “Thank you!” (apparently, it was her. – A. K. ), and for this he had to get up. And he got up.
Julia Peresild, already sitting, under his “Thank you!” wrote “Love everyone!”
I also noticed that there are many strangers here who did not come very close, but did not stay far away either. Their leader was the bearded man Alexander, as it turned out later, Lazarenko. They arrived here almost at the same time as the helicopters arrived.
Later I was told that this is a whole business: people like him recruit groups and chase the descent vehicle, because they are almost one of the seven billion … Apparently they are, but the abilities of these people made an impression.
Vladimir Mashkov has finally worked this day of shooting.
This man also impressed me. Every stunt double lives with tragedy. And it works too.
In half an hour, all three were already in the helicopters. Each had his own. And two hours later we met these helicopters in Karaganda.
No, well, she put on her makeup again! And she was in civilian clothes. Julia Peresild now looked just spectacular.
She got out of the helicopter.
This topic came up in conversations something all day.
Already on the bus, on the way to the plane “Yuri Gagarin” (they were also lowered from orbit by the ship “Yuri Gagarin”), she hugged her acquaintances and said:
She also had the strength to be polite.
Yes, and a shovel, of course! ..
Andrey Kolesnikov
Read also:
