The final frontier

As a space nerd, Kazakhstan is of course one of the prime targets for travel. Baikonur in southern Kazakhstan is where Sputnik and Jurii Gagarin was launched from. And it is ideal for such operations. It is dry, relatively warm, and has vast empty areas where rocket parts can fall semi-securely into the ground. Unlike the US, the Soviet Union didn't have a cozy place by the sea where they could launch their rockets. So using the ocean as drop zone wasn't an option. Kazakstan with it's wide open areas was ideal. For both launching rockets and testing nukes. 

After the dismantling of the Soviet Union, Russia made a deal with Kazakhstan to rent the area. But they don't want to be dependent upon the kindness of Kazakhstan, so they have built another space-port. Leaving Baikonur with only a few launches per year. 

I wanted to visit this historic site, but with the current political climate, it left me weary. Since technically, Baikonur, both the city and the launch site, is Russian territory. And you need a special permit to enter. Almost like a visa. And you have to apply at least 90 days prior to the visit. I found out the latter when I decided to apply. Another thing was that it was impossible to get the permit outside of a tour-company. And they, of course, insited you buy a tour with them. And the cheapest I found came in at around $500. If it had included viewing an actual launch, I wouldn't have flinched. But just for a tour? Nah. Maybe I'm just a cheapskate...

Sooo. Without any trip to the "main site" for space operations in Kazakhstan. I decided to find anything space related and enjoy that. And the first site, I found by accident. When I was planning the train rides and buying tickets, I found I had to break the trip between Aralsk and Karaganda. And I found a city named Dzjezkazgan in the middle of nowhere. At first, it was just a place to stop for the night. But since I was going to stay there anyway, I decided to check if there was anything worthwhile to check out. And indeed it was. Before Gagarin was launched, he planted a tree in this very town. As a "good luck" thing. And since then, all cosmonauts have made it a tradition to plant a tree here before they are launched. So there is a large park packed with trees planted by the cosmonauts.

I tried finding a hotel in the town, but the only thing available was a rented apartment. But I had to apply to be allowed to rent it. And I was refused... Which meant that I had to just get off my first train, go to see what I wanted, and then get back on the next train to Karaganda. I had a few hours.

I arrived in the morning. As usual, the train was on time. To the minute. So I knew I had a few hours. I didn't find any lockers for my bag, so I had to carry it. I was contemplating taking a taxi into the city centre, but I felt a need to walk. I had been sitting/sleeping on a train for way too long, so I needed to move my legs. I walked to the centre. A few miles from the train station. And I passed the Juri Gagarin street. And then I arrived at the park. I was hoping the trees would have some sort of plaques or something identifying which tree "belonged" to which cosmonaut. But nothing. Just a bunch of trees. I assessed that the biggest and oldest looking tree probably was Gagarin's tree. So I looked for that. I don't know if this is the correct one, but I assumed it was. Since it was the largest and oldest looking I could find.

Cosmonaut trees

Maybe Gagarin's tree?

I continued walking, and I found a space monument, and by sheer coicidence, I spotted another monument depicting a Sojus rocket. So I got a lot more than I bargained for.

At the end, I walked into a small shop to buy something to drink and eat. It was packed with youths. As they saw me, I felt like a celebrity. As they all wanted to greet me and say "Hi!". It seemed like that was the only English they knew. Or felt confident enough to say. Then they all giggled. I just smiled. I left the store eating one of my favorite ice-creams here in Kazakhstan. A plain vanilla type. Delicious after a long, sweaty walk in the heat.

I got back on the next train taking me to Karaganda. I had found that there was a museum here with lots of parts of rockets falling down as they have been launched. Because, even though much of Kazakhstan is empty, there is always the odd chance stuff will fall down close to people. And Karaganda is "down-range" from Baikonur.

As I started walking from my, I should say, magnificent hotel, the first thing I found, was a magnificent murial depicting a cosmonaut. The old soviets loved murials. And I love them too. Even though most of them are just plain propaganda, they are beautifully made. So too with this one.

As I was closing in on the museum, I expected to see some signs. But nothing. I checked my GPS, and found the building. But no signs. Whatsoever. I walked into a door I found and in a corner sat a middle aged woman behind a small desk. Looking at her phone and looking bored. "Museum?" I asked. She said something in Russian. I pointed to the sky, trying to explain I wanted the "space museum". She pointed to a door. I took out my walled. She waved her hand and said something I interpreted as "free". Hm. A freebie! Not that common. But certainly appreciated. But as soon as I entered the "museum" I figured out why. It felt more like entering a storage room belonging to a hoarder. The whole place was packed to the rafters with not only space stuff, but with anything and everything. From stacks of papers to old soviet era tv sets and of course, space debris falling from the skies...

The stuff was just strewn out on the floor...

Nozzle of a small rocket engine. My foot for comparison

Looks like the fuel injectors for a rocket engine

Some form of antenna?

I walked through the "museum", trying not to step on anything, and found some interesting bits and pieces. Sometimes literally..

I left the museum and checked if I could find anything interesting on the map on the phone. And then I noticed a large heart. I zoomed in and checked. It was a hotel. I smiled when I realized this was the hotel all cosmonauts stayed in after they landed. Did I go to check it out? Silly question! It was an interesting looking hotel to say the least. It looked like a flying saucer had landed on the roof. And it was obviously a luxury hotel. If I had known in advance, I would probably had stayed here instead. Imagine, staying in the hotel of the famous cosmonauts. Maybe taking a dump on the same toilet as Gagarin? Oh well. In the reception, there were images of the most famous cosmonauts, like Gagarin and Tereshkova. First man and woman in space. 

As I walked back to my hotel, I came across a guy who had set up his telescope to let people look at sunspots through a solar filter. He didn't speak any English, so I only checked out the sunspots before giving him a thumbs up. Hopefully, it means the same thing here as in my home country...

So even though I didn't get to see Baikonur, at least I got some space related stuff. And the train to Aralsk actually passed through the Baikonur area, so I got to see some space antennas far out into the distance as we passed. That is something, I guess...

Ragnar

Space nerd