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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| I was a Russian cosmonaut in space as the Soviet Union collapsed – any questions? | I was a Russian cosmonaut in space as the Soviet Union collapsed – any questions? |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| 5.29pm BST17:29 | |
| The end of a golden era? | |
| There have been a lot of reports about failed launches and rocket malfunctions - is it a sign that the golden years of Russia's space exploration are over? | |
| I don’t think so, I think you get that feeling because negative things are much more evident than the the positive. But when we do see the negative, it’s down to the lack of experts working in the sector | |
| 5.26pm BST17:26 | |
| Soviet space pride | |
| Sergei. Thanks for doing this!Do you think that people in the Soviet Union were more aware of the achievements of cosmonauts than Americans were of their astronauts?I ask because when I was chatting to an elderly Russian woman in VDNKh in Moscow. She knew everything about the space rocket displayed there, which surprised me. | |
| Hi thanks for the question. I think on the contrary - Americans may have been even prouder of their country’s achievements, especially during in the 1990s when the state really promoted the space programme. Everyone was more or less aware of what was happening | |
| 5.21pm BST17:21 | |
| How did your work change? | |
| Sergej, was the Russia you came back to markedly different to the one you left? Did the changes make an immediate difference to your work? | |
| After the landing I left Russia a few months later to train for the joint shuttle program [with the US]. My work didn’t change significantly, it was straight back to training. | |
| 5.18pm BST17:18 | |
| The fall of the USSR | |
| @GuardianNewEast When were u actually aware the soviet union had fallen, how did you find out n what were ur 1st thoughts immediately after | |
| It was a long process and we were getting the news, not all at once, but we heard about the referendum, for example. I was doing my job and was more worried about those on the ground - our families and friends - we had everything we needed! | |
| Updated at 5.24pm BST | |
| 5.04pm BST17:04 | |
| Maeve Shearlaw | |
| Hi all, apologies for the delay but we are now ready for the Q&A to start. Please continue to leave your questions in the comments and Sergei will do his best to answer as many as possible. We will also be feeding in questions from Twitter @GuardianNewEast, or you can email maeve.shearlaw@theguardian.com | |
| Updated at 5.06pm BST | |
| 4.03pm BST16:03 | |
| Maeve Shearlaw | |
| Hi all, Sergei’s flight has been delayed so we’ve had to push the Q&A back by 30 minutes. Please continue to leave questions in the comments and we’ll let you know as soon as we are ready to go. | |
| Updated at 4.04pm BST | |
| 5.27pm BST17:27 | 5.27pm BST17:27 |
| Maeve Shearlaw | Maeve Shearlaw |
| Until recently Sergei Krikalev held the record for the total number of days in space – 804 days, nine hours and 39 minutes to be exact, a number only surpassed a few months ago by Gennady Padalka, who clocked up 879. | Until recently Sergei Krikalev held the record for the total number of days in space – 804 days, nine hours and 39 minutes to be exact, a number only surpassed a few months ago by Gennady Padalka, who clocked up 879. |
| The Russian cosmonaut was integral to the Soviet Union’s contribution to space travel and its love of all things cosmic which, according to the Calvert Journal, was the closest thing you could find to religion in the atheist state. In 1957 Russia became the first country to send an artificial satellite in to space, Sputnik. Four years later it sent up the first human in the form of Yuri Gagarin. | The Russian cosmonaut was integral to the Soviet Union’s contribution to space travel and its love of all things cosmic which, according to the Calvert Journal, was the closest thing you could find to religion in the atheist state. In 1957 Russia became the first country to send an artificial satellite in to space, Sputnik. Four years later it sent up the first human in the form of Yuri Gagarin. |
| Sergei Krikalev returned to space in March 1991 as history was being rewritten back down on Earth. By December the USSR had collapsed and a new Russia was born. Sergei Krikalev became “the last Soviet citizen” until his return home in May 1992. | Sergei Krikalev returned to space in March 1991 as history was being rewritten back down on Earth. By December the USSR had collapsed and a new Russia was born. Sergei Krikalev became “the last Soviet citizen” until his return home in May 1992. |
| Any questions? | Any questions? |
| Sergei Krikalev, who was also part of the first joint US-Russian mission in 1994, is currently in London for an exhibition being held at the Science Museum to celebrate Russia’s role in kickstarting the global space race. | Sergei Krikalev, who was also part of the first joint US-Russian mission in 1994, is currently in London for an exhibition being held at the Science Museum to celebrate Russia’s role in kickstarting the global space race. |
| He’ll join us for a live Q&A today 16 September, between 4.30-5.30pm BST to answer your questions about the twists and turns of the Soviet space race, that lasted for more than two decades. | |
| Use the comments section below to post your questions, tweet them at @GuardianNewEast or email maeve.shearlaw@theguardian.com. | Use the comments section below to post your questions, tweet them at @GuardianNewEast or email maeve.shearlaw@theguardian.com. |
| Updated at 4.03pm BST |