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| It took may years to understand the fact that
space exploration is a common task of all mankind and even a super power
cannot carry out full scale research in this area. To this end there was
a need to imagine or really take off from the earth to watch the planet
from the side and understand that you see values common to all mankind
from the universe rather than political borders. In short, understanding
which was later known as planetary thinking began to emerge. At the time
it was just foreboding.
The Soviet Union was the first country to establish international cooperation in space exploration. It called on its close allies, the Socialist Countries, to make joint efforts in space exploration. In response to this appeal special programme was adopted in 1967 and it was named Intercosmos that embraced Bulgaria, Hungary, Vietnam, GDR, Cuba, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia. It must be noted that the economic potential and scientific and industrial development of these countries was different. Since these countries had similar political systems and they were the Soviet Union’s allies the Intercosmos was a politically motivated programme. The inspires of the programme even said that Socialism was the launching pad of space flights. Leaving aside the political aspects linked with the programme we will focus on the achievements reached owing to international cooperation. The entire complex linked with space exploration, satellites, booster rockets, cosmodrom, mission control centre and navigation systems belong to the Soviet Union was also put under the Intercosmos programme. Under the programme any partner could propose its own research project, participate in other projects or develop equipment. The results of the joint achievements were shares among all partners. The experts from the ten Socialist countries realized big space projects under the Intercosmos programme. Those researches were aimed to study urgent space problems. To carry out joint researches 23 Intercosmos satellites, 11 vertical high altitude research rockets and several hundred meteorological rockets were launched. Equipment developed as a part of international cooperation was installed on the Soviet manned space ships and stations, the satellites of the series, Kosmos, Meteor and Prognoz and automatic interplanetary stations Venera and Vega.  The
space flight of international crew was a new stage in cooperation. This
was started in 1978 when the long-term expedition of the Soviet cosmonauts
Georgy Grechko and Yuri Romanenko was underway in the station Salyut. The
two men welcomed the first Intercosmos-crew, a soviet cosmonaut Alexei
Gubarev and his counterpart Vladimir Remek from Czechkoslovakia on board
the Salyute. Remembering how the Soviet orbital station was prepared to
receive guests Georgy Grechko said that he and his comrade were quite exited.
The two men were worried about how the two crew would work, how they could
help the international crew to realize their programme and how to accommodate
them comfortably.
Georgy Grechko said that the place of honour was given to the Czech cosmonaut and he slept on the ceiling. In fact, in zero gravity there is no difference between the floor and ceiling. Georgy Grechko added that the Russian tradition to meet guests with bread and salt was introduces later. The mechanism of cooperation between the two crew in implementing the programme of joint flights and carrying out experiments was worked out during such flights. Intercosmos flights followed one after another. Each crew shared their experience and traditions with the next crew. According to a Soviet cosmonaut, it’s a great pleasure to realize that the Soviets were the first to start international cooperation in space. In an interview with the Moscow Radio, Czech cosmonaut Vladimir Remek had this to say. “It’s excellent that we all are participating in a space flight! Future space explorations demands for the coordination of efforts of all countries in preparing and carrying out space flights. Owing to international cooperation experts from various countries could do researches on board space laboratories. Space equipment is extremely complicated ones. The cosmonauts have to overcome many obstacles. If he is mastered in them he can overcome the obstacles for the sake of mankind’s progress.” In another interview Vladimir Remek said that Gagarin was his loving hero. He liked Gagarin’s optimism, persistence, purposefulness and liking for hard work. More he knew about Yuri Gagarin when Remek followed a training course at the Zvedhy Gorodok or Star City near Moscow more he respected the world’s first cosmonaut and tried to be like him. This ordinary but great man will be an example for all who arrive in the Star city. The cosmonauts from all member countries of the Intercosmos programme made orbital flights. They were Miroslav Germashevsky from Poland, Zigmund Yen from GDR. Georgy Ivanov from Bulgaria, Bartalan Farkash from Hungary, Fam Tuan from Vietnam, Zhugderdemidiin Gurrachca from Mongolia, Dumitru Prunariu from Romania and Arnaldo Tamaio Mendes from Cuba. The archive of the Moscow radio has an interview with Arnaldo Tamaio Mendes. “We carried out 20 experiments in space. Among them are studying earth and its atmosphere and biological and technological experiments. We used various equipment for this purpose. Soviet and Cuban experts involved in drawing the programme for experiments...When Gagarin visited Cuba he said a son of Cuban people will fly to space in future. Certainly, this happiest day appeared. I never thought that I would be the first Cuban to see our beautiful island from the space. I am happy to be among the associates of Gagarin.” A Cuban television journalist commented: “Soviet Rocket helped the Cuban scientists to over cone one of the obstacles, earth’s gravity.” |