For the first time direct connection with ISS was established in the Presidential Library

Two important events within the framework of the All-Russian Patriotic Space and Aviation Forum took place in the Presidential Library — a panel discussion on “60 years of the space age of mankind. Future outlook” and “Nearby cosmos” videoconference with a participation the ISS astronauts Sergei Ryazansky and Alexander Misurkin.

From the administration of St. Petersburg and personally the governor Georgy Poltavchenko, the vice-governor Konstantin Serov greeted the representative forum with his brief welcoming speech: “Today the best strengths of our aerospace industry and those who will replace them in the near future — school and university students — have gotten together in the Presidential Library. Russia was, remains and will always be the first in space!”

What kind of scientific experiments are led today onboard the International Space Station, and what technologies of the future will help in the outer space exploration? How to fascinate the younger generation with the idea of exploring interstellar space, what disciplines to include for this in school and university programs, and what prevents them from returning astronomy to the curriculums? There are some other equally important issues were discussed in the Presidential Library during the panel discussion. “I looked at the program of the forum and, I will tell you, it is, in fact, a scientific and practical conference, it goes beyond the ordinary,” — the cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Dzhanibekov said in his turn in his welcoming speech.

There are five cosmonauts, the heads of “Roskosmos” state corporation, rectors and students of leading related to the aerospace industry universities, the representatives of the “School students Movement of Russia” publically-state-owned children’s and youth organization, CEO of aerospace enterprises and their partners are around the circuitous conference table of the assembly atrium of the Presidential Library.

Anticipating a busy agenda, vice-president for relations with regional and local organizations of the Russian Cosmonautics Federation Vyacheslav Bardenkov has taken the floor. Mentioning the great contribution of the Presidential Library into the popularization of the space theme along the process of building of the electronic fund, he entrusted the library in the person of its General Director Alexander Vershinin the Order of K. E. Tsiolkovsky — the highest award of the Federation of Cosmonautics of Russia.

In his response Alexander Vershinin noted, “the Presidential Library has been for a long time cooperating with the Federation of Cosmonautics of Russia, in fact, from the first days of its existence. Apart from amassing our electronic “space” collection, we also supply the outgoing cosmonauts with our rare electronic books. We wish them beside mastering the interstellar space, but also to conquer the information space of knowledge.”

In the process of exchange with the opinions almost all participants in the discussion wanted to answer the aroused for everyone question: how to instill in kids and in young people interest in outer space, encourage them to enroll an aerospace university, how to deploy for that an effective vocational guidance in schools? “We used to have the DOSAAF poster which was saying “Komsomolets — aboard the plane!” in the student cafeteria, — as Vladimir Dzhanibekov shared with an audience on Soviet methods of professional orientation. — According to science, visualization of the idea gives almost 90-percent effect. And exactly, 45 guys off the course, including me, went and signed up for the parachute section. So it turns out — the poster played the role of the best teaching aid. Many of us then became ill with an idea of the sky, I seriously plunged into the sciences that teach the construction of aircraft engines.”

The central part of the event was, of course, a direct videoconference “Nearby cosmos” with the cosmonauts, Heroes of Russia Sergei Ryazansky and Alexander Misurkin, during which Russian cosmonauts talked with the participants of the forum, gathered in the Presidential Library, directly from the ISS. The astronauts answered all questions posed by inquisitive school and university students. There was something to laugh about in this exchange of opinions, but there were also serious questions of the philosophical essence, for example: “Has your view of the Earth and the inhabiting it people changed — from the Cosmos?” “Look, there are no borders are seen from there, — Sergei Ryazansky replied. — All the borders are in our heads. And while in there, up in space, you getting to know: people need to live differently on our only planet.”

In addition to the Presidential Library, the forum is also taking places at other venues in St. Petersburg: in the main building of the St. Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation and in the creative space of the Lumiere-Hall Planetarium and Projection Museum. The program of the festival also includes lectures, master classes, discussions, excursions to the St. Petersburg enterprises of the aviation and rocket and space industry.

The event was aired online on the Presidential Library website under the Live Broadcast section.