Coincidence or political gesture? Three Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) on Saturday wearing yellow and blue suits, which match the colors of the Ukrainian flag. A gesture hailed by many Internet users, who saw it as a declaration against the ongoing war in Ukraine. An interpretation that Russia quickly rejected
Three Russian cosmonauts who took off on Friday aboard a Soyuz rocket arrived as planned on Saturday at the International Space Station, where they were warmly welcomed by two Russian colleagues, four Americans and a German. One detail, however, caught the eye: their uniform was entirely yellow and belted with blue lines, the two colors of the Ukrainian flag.
In the context of the ongoing Russian invasion in the Eastern European country, the reactions were quick to fuse. Several international media, including the British daily The Times, associated this situation with “a declaration against the war”, while many Internet users described this gesture as “courageous” and “strong”. “Nice to see” tweeted renowned astronaut Chris Hadfield.
“Today, the three Russian cosmonauts arrived at the International Space Station wearing the colors of Ukraine, the gesture is strong. And to see the four American astronauts, the two Russians and a German welcoming them, just as much. notably wrote on the social network new technologies and digital media specialist Bruno Guglielminetti. The latter, however, agreed in a subsequent publication that this gesture was “surely not” intentional, since the outfits of the cosmonauts “are decided well in advance”.
“Typically, these Soyuz flight suits are selected and packaged a few months before the launch of the mission. It is therefore possible that it is a coincidence, ”also noted on Twitter the journalist specializing in the space field for the media Ars Technica, Eric Berger. “But it seems like a very, very big coincidence if that’s the case,” he added.
Typically these Soyuz flight suits are selected and packed a few months before the mission launch. If it is possible this is a coincidence. But it seems like a very, very big coincidence if so.
— Eric Berger (@SciGuySpace) March 18, 2022
Russia denies
The director general of Roscosmos, the agency responsible for the Russian civilian space program, Dmitry Rogozin, reacted quickly on Saturday by deploring an “information war against Russia”. In a statement on his Telegram account, he pointed out that the uniform colors of the three cosmonauts who traveled to the ISS for a six-month space mission were intended to represent some of those found “in the ’emblem’ of the Moscow-Bauman State Technical University, where they graduated.
“We are not going to give up certain colors in the emblem of Bauman University” or those of the Soyuz-2 carrier rocket launch complex, he insisted.
The university in question for its part rejoiced on its website that “for the first time during the operation of the International Space Station, five cosmonauts from Roscosmos are on board [de celle-ci] at the same time “. However, she did not comment on the uniform of the three cosmonauts who arrived there on Saturday.
Fragile international cooperation
Until recently, space cooperation between Russia and Western countries was one of the few areas not to have suffered too much from the sanctions decreed against Moscow after the annexation in 2014 of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
However, some tensions had arisen, especially after Russian President Vladimir Putin appointed nationalist Dmitry Rogozin as head of the Russian space agency Roscosmos in 2018.
The latter regularly shows his support for what Russia calls “a special military operation” in Ukraine.
” Ours ! For the first time in many years, it’s an all-Russian crew,” he said on Twitter a few hours before the launch.
This weekend, the official had claimed that the recent Western sanctions introduced against Moscow could cause the downfall of the ISS.
According to him, the functioning of the Russian vessels supplying the ISS will be disrupted by the sanctions, thus affecting the Russian segment of the station. As a result, this could cause the “landing” of the ISS, which weighs “500 tons”, he warned.
The thrusters of the Russian vessels docked at the station are used to correct the orbit of the space structure. A procedure carried out ten times a year to keep it at the right altitude, or to avoid space debris in its path.
Americans alone do not have this capability, Joel Montalbano, the station’s program director for NASA, confirmed Monday. “The Space Station was designed on the principle of interdependence […] it is not a process in which one group can separate from the other. »
“Right now, there is no indication that our Russian partners want to do things differently. So we plan to continue operations as we do today,” he said.
-With Agence France-Presse