What Happened to the Astronaut Who Was Lost in Space for 311 Lonely Days?

 

We've all imagined what it would be like to visit outer space. But while being an astronaut is a dream for many, there was one spaceman who found himself in a real-life cosmic nightmare, being lost in space. Join me on this wild tale of the astronaut who was lost in space for 311 days.

The Race for Space

Our story begins in the Soviet Union, specifically in Russia. Sergei Krikalev was born on August 27th, 1958, in the city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). As a young boy, Sergei was fascinated by the intense space race between the Soviet Union and the USA. He continued to pursue his dream of becoming an astronaut and gained a degree in mechanical engineering in 1981.

After graduating, Sergei joined the NPO Energia, the Russian industrial organization responsible for manned space flight activities. He played a crucial role in the rescue mission of the Salyut 7 space station and was eventually selected for cosmonaut training. After completing his training in 1986, Sergei earned his cosmonaut wings.

Life on Mir Space Station

In early 1988, Sergei began training for his first long-duration space flight aboard the Mir space station. Launched on February 20th, 1986, Mir aimed to research the effects of space travel on the human body and study the Earth's surface. Sergei's first mission to Mir lasted 151 days.

By December 1990, Sergei was preparing for his second space flight to Mir. This time, he would spend 311 days in space. However, life on Mir was far from glamorous. The space station faced constant technical malfunctions, and the astronauts had to rely on faulty technology for survival. Despite the challenges, Sergei considered Mir his home away from home.

A Space of Collapse

Sergei's mission was planned to end in October 1991, and he still had five months left on Mir. He and his crewmate, Anatoly, had several spacewalks planned to conduct repairs and upgrades on the station.

However, Mir experienced frequent electrical problems, temperature fluctuations, and mold growth. Despite these challenges, Sergei and Anatoly continued their mission to maintain and repair the station.

The Last Soviet Cosmonaut

In the final spacewalk of the mission, Anatoly's helmet visor fogged up due to his spacesuit's heat exchanger running out of water. While still tethered to the station, Sergei had to guide his basically blind commander back to safety. Thankfully, they made it.

In August, not far from their mission's end date, everything changed. Sergei was able to take a whistlestop tour through the wonders of the world in just an hour and a half as Mir circled Earth. What he couldn't see were the tanks rolling through Moscow's Red Square, which signaled the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Sergei kept up with the unfolding events in the USSR as best he could, mainly being kept informed by his wife Yelena who worked in mission control. There were also various amateur radio operators who Sergei was able to speak with via Mir's communication system. One of these radio operators was Margaret Laquinto who provided him with uncensored news about the political situation in the Soviet Union.

The Last Soviet Cosmonaut

As the months unfolded, individual Soviet states began breaking away from the Soviet Union, and by December, most states were independent. One of the last to do this was Kazakhstan, which declared independence on December 16th, 1991. This threw a sizeable spanner in the works for the Soviet space program.

Remember the Baikonur Cosmodrome, where Sergei took off from? Well, that now belonged to the new government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and they weren't too keen on sharing. Kazakhstan's government tried to charge astronomical fees for use of the space complex, and Russia, strapped for money due to the dissolution of the USSR, needed a solution fast.

To appease this new Kazakh government, the Soviet space program agency agreed for a spot on the next shuttle to Mir to be given to a Kazakhstani cosmonaut. This was a big problem for Sergei, as the inclusion of Toktar Aubakirov meant that the planned flight engineer replacement, Aleksander Kaleri, was bumped from the mission. Without the ability to send someone in possession of the skills needed to replace him, mission control informed Sergei that he would have to remain on Mir, indefinitely.

The team of three new cosmonauts joined the Mir crew on October 4th led by Commander Aleksandr Volkov. Just six days later, two of the cosmonauts returned to Earth along with Anatoly, whose job as commander was passed over to Aleksander Volkov. By December 26th of that year, the Soviet Union had completely broken apart into 15 different republics, with Gorbachev resigning.

Stranded in Space

After ringing in both Christmas Day and New Year in outer space, Sergei began to wonder if he'd ever get back down to Earth. While the company of his fellow cosmonaut Commander Volkov was nice, the problem was that the longer Sergei remained in space, the more strapped for cash Russia became. It got so dire that the rebranded Russian space agency could barely afford to fly food and supplies the 240 miles outside of the Earth's atmosphere to Mir, let alone find the funds to get a replacement for Sergei.

With his future, and even survival, growing increasingly uncertain, Sergei could do nothing but continue waiting and wishing on every passing star that good news would come soon and that his prolonged stint in space wouldn't have any dire consequences on his health.

Returning to Earth

Despite the physical and mental toll that his space stay was taking on him, Sergei's sheer determination and commitment to his mission outshone even the brightest star. He remained busily working away to keep Mir going for almost three more months.

In March 1992, Germany paid $24 million for Klaus Dietrich Flade to travel to Mir, becoming the first German astronaut in space. This meant that Russia could finally afford a replacement for Sergei, who by this time, had spent a total of 10 months orbiting Earth. Elated by the news that he was finally homeward bound, Sergei could finally turn his mind to getting his feet back on solid ground and reuniting with his wife and daughter.

Using some of the money paid by Germany, Russia's space agency selected cosmonaut Aleksandr Kaleri to replace Sergei. On March 17th, 1992, the Soyuz TM-14 crew, including Aleksandr and Klaus, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome towards Mir. A week after the new crew arrived, Sergei was finally able to make his way back down to Earth alongside Klaus and Commander Volkov.