Putin Celebrates 60th Anniversary of Sputnik Launch By Watching New Space Drama With Renowned Filmmakers and Famous Astronauts
Yesterday night Vladimir Putin saw a new film "Salyut-7", made with contributions from VGTRK. It's a fictional film based on actual events. It focuses on the valiant recovery of the orbital station "Salyut-7" in '85. Dmitry Petrov has the details.
The first screening in the Kremlin cinema was attended by the President, the film's creators, leading actors, the daughter of the Earth's first cosmonaut, Elena Gagarina, and, of course, the main characters, cosmonauts Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Viktor Savinykh. It was them who saved the Salyut-7 station in June 1985, when it was blacked-out and expected to fall on Earth or into the Americans' hands.
This film is about a heroic deed of the Soviet guys, about those who weren't afraid of the deadly risk and rushed to the cosmic abyss to save not just 20 tons of iron, as some may think, but much more: their Homeland, their domestic cosmonautics as a whole.
Of course, at first it was necessary to dock to an unpiloted station, which went spinning uncontrollably at an altitude of 280 kilometers above the Earth and at a speed of about 28.000 kph. But twice heroes of the Soviet Union Savinykh and Dzhanibekov, telling the president about how it was, say that this wasn't difficult at all.
Vladimir Dzhanibekov: "I waited for the station to approach, I put it on the dock and docked it. It wasn't difficult".
Vladimir Putin: "It's difficult even when it comes to air refueling, you know. It's about the same".
Vladimir Dzhanibekov: "Yes, yes, one must hit the target".
Vladimir Putin: "Yes, I watched it myself, and I understand that there are difficulties. Actually, not just watched, I sat next to the pilot-captain who did air refueling. Firstly, he didn't succeed on the first try. Secondly, he was all covered in sweat. He was dripping with sweat".
But docking was half the battle. They had to revive the station which had already been frozen.
- Their prototypes were quite accurate. It's rather metaphorical.
Vladimir Putin: "And lively".
- Yeah, and there were caps.
When solar cells were on, and the Salyut was heated, another problem occurred: all the rime ice turned into water. "Salyut-7" is a real blockbuster. 40 minutes of the screen time are in zero gravity, and 20 more minutes in outer space. Nobody has filmed this before. World-class computer graphics. It took the powerful computer in Kurchatov institute 2 weeks to calculate some of the scenes.
Vladimir Putin: "Very well. It's interesting, captivating. And the way zero gravity is shown..."
Klim Shipenko, director: "A complicated system of cables and cranes was used to move the guys, they were hanging upside down, cursing us for it, but they all overcame it bravely".
Vladimir Putin: "Did you curse in space?"
Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Viktor Savinykh: "No, we didn't. — Of course we did!"
Even the harsh professionals had a sense that what was happening was real.
Viktor Savinykh: "It's much better here, you can't say it's graphics, though it is computer graphics. The scale is completely different".
You don't have to tell Viktor Savinykh about the scale. The whole planet was under him when he went out into the outer space to save it.
Viktor Savinykh: "I looked down and saw Italy right under me, the boot!"
They completed the task, though many considered it impossible, when every hour there were fewer chances to return home.
Commander's instincts and determination appear much more valuable.
Vladimir Dzhanibekov: "I was the boss after we undocked from the carrier".
Of course, they knew that they were much waited for at home, and it gave strength.
This film is about the heroes who can't give up and step back, about those who are always ready to do the unthinkable.
Vladimir Putin: "Congratulations, guys!"
- Thanks!
- Thank you.
Dmitry Petrov, Pyotr Ravnov, Viktor Vinogradov and Viktor Mamaev for Vesti.