We Used to Say to Our Colleagues Going to Space: “God Help You!"

  1. Lemma
  2. "Мы говорили коллегам, провожая их в космос: "Бог в помощь!"
  3. Russian
  4. Asliturk, Miriam
  5. Orthodox view on technology and engineering
  6. 06-07-2018
  7. Горбатко, Виктор [Author]. Мы говорили коллегам, провожая их в космос: "Бог в помощь!"
  8. Русская народная линия информационно-аналитическая служба. Православие Самодержавие Народность.
  9. Cosmonaut - Outer Space - Space exploration - Russian Orthodoxy - Soviet Union
  10. Click Here
    1. <p>Горбатко, Виктори Новопашин, Александр (2013). “Мы говорили коллегам, провожая их в космос: "Бог в помощь!” <em>Русская народная линия информационно-аналитическая служба. Православие Самодержавие Народность. </em>Retrieved from: <a href="http://ruskline.ru/monitoring_smi/2013/08/07/my_govorili_kollegam_provozhaya_ih_v_kosmos_bog_v_pomow/">http://ruskline.ru/monitoring_smi/2013/08/07/my_govorili_kollegam_provozhaya_ih_v_kosmos_bog_v_pomow/</a> </p>

    1. The article states that the space industry and the Church have a very different relationship now, compared to the times of the Soviet era. "Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture" is taught at the Air Force Academy, there is a church in the city of Baikonur, all spaceships have been blessed by priests since 1999 and all cosmonauts since 2000. Even Americans who use the Baikonur Cosmodrome for their launches have demanded an Orthodox blessing.

      The author mentions that today’s astronauts willingly communicate with clergymen. The article represents a story about one such meeting between the abbot of the Novosibirsk Cathedral, Archpriest Alexander (Novopashin) and the famous Soviet cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Major-General Viktor Vasilievich Gorbatko. The cosmonaut told the priest that his mother was a believer and baptised Viktor during the war (when his atheist father was not there to prevent it). Viktor Gorbatko had three flights and every time had to deal with extraordinary and difficult situations. He believes that his faith (even though at that time he did not consider himself to be a true believer) and his mother’s prayers helped him overcome all the difficulties.