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Author
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Topic: Astronaut and cosmonaut traditions
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John Charles
Member Posts: 274
From: Houston, Texas, USA
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted September 18, 2005 03:39 PM
  
It once occurred to me that there are now so many "traditions" involved in space flight that a large part of each mission is so predictable as to seem scripted. To prove my point, I have occasionally tried to list all the traditions I know of, but so many come to mind that I feel overwhelmed and go have a lie down.For example: designing the crew patch; launch day cake; post-landing walk-around (just writing those has triggered a flood of others...). Many of these traditions seem to have originated as, or evolved into, photo opportunities. Has anyone succeeded where I have failed, and listed all known astronaut (& cosmonaut) traditions? I would greatly appreciate a pointer to any such listing. If not, I would welcome all inputs from contributors to a definitive listing (so I can quit worrying about it). (Apologies if this is an old topic, but I Googled the WWW and searched this message board, with only a few relevant hits.) ------------------
John Charles
Houston, Texas |
FFrench
Member Posts: 2604
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted September 18, 2005 03:49 PM
In this article about Bill Shepherd and the first ISS mission. I mentioned some of the traditions he tried to begin aboard ISS (some of which have continued, some did not). FF |
MCroft04
Member Posts: 739
From: Smithfield, Me, USA
Registered: Mar 2005
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posted September 18, 2005 06:41 PM
I recall reading that the cosmonauts had a tradition of urinating on the tire of a trailor before each launch, apparently something that Yuri Gagarin did before his flight. There's also another tradition of the cosmonauts having to do with their office, but I can't recall the details at his time. I doubt that my memory on either of these is very good; anyone out there remember the details of either of these traditions? |
John Charles
Member Posts: 274
From: Houston, Texas, USA
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted September 18, 2005 06:50 PM
quote:
Originally posted by FFrench:
I mentioned some of the traditions he tried to begin aboard ISS (some of which have continued, some did not).
Francis, thanks! I captured those from my initial search of collectSPACE.------------------
John Charles
Houston, Texas |
John Charles
Member Posts: 274
From: Houston, Texas, USA
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted September 18, 2005 06:57 PM
quote:
Originally posted by MCroft04:
I recall reading that the cosmonauts had a tradition of urinating on the tire of a trailor before each launch, apparently something that Yuri Gagarin did before his flight. There's also another tradition of the cosmonauts having to do with their office, but I can't recall the details at his time. I doubt that my memory on either of these is very good; anyone out there remember the details of either of these traditions?
Thanks for the reminders. The recent book about Soviet/Russian space suits by Abramov claims that Gagarin never "christened" his bus in this way, and that it was all an invention of the press. But he doesn't explain why most (all?) subsequent cosmonauts still do it, and are even sometimes photographed in the act. Cosmonauts also visit a replica of Yuri Gagarin's office at Star City near Mosccow, maintained just the way it was the day he died, to pledge to do a good job on their upcoming mission. ------------------
John Charles
Houston, Texas |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 16778
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted September 18, 2005 07:46 PM
quote:
Originally posted by John Charles:
The recent book about Soviet/Russian space suits by Abramov claims that Gagarin never "christened" his bus in this way, and that it was all an invention of the press.
Supporting this contention, I was talking with someone who had watched film of the entire procession of Gagarin to the pad, who claimed it was an uninterrupted ride. One wonders then: how did this very odd tradition begin? quote:
Cosmonauts also visit a replica of Yuri Gagarin's office at Star City near Mosccow, maintained just the way it was the day he died, to pledge to do a good job on their upcoming mission.
The office is "frozen" to the degree that the clock on the wall is said to have stopped at the moment Gagarin died. While visiting, they sign a book on his desk, seen in this photo (taken during a trip to Star City in 2000):  Other cosmonaut traditions before launch: - Visiting the graves in the Kremlin wall of Gagarin, Komarov, Volkov, Patsayev, Dobrovolski and I believe Korolyov.
- Touring the forest behind their living quarters at Baikonur; each tree represents an individual who has launched from the base.
- Signing the door to their room in the living quarters.
- Signing a poster of the Soyuz rocket on the pad at the Gagarin Memorial Museum in Baikonur.
- Not attending the rollout and erection of the Soyuz on the pad.
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kosmonavtka
Member Posts: 170
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted September 18, 2005 08:20 PM
I have a couple of pages about cosmonaut traditions on my website. |
John Charles
Member Posts: 274
From: Houston, Texas, USA
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted September 18, 2005 09:07 PM
quote:
Originally posted by kosmonavtka:
I have a couple of pages about cosmonaut traditions on my website.
Suzy,This is just what I was hoping to find out about! Thanks! ------------------
John Charles
Houston, Texas |
John Charles
Member Posts: 274
From: Houston, Texas, USA
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted September 18, 2005 09:10 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
Other cosmonaut traditions before launch
Robert, Thanks! I had not heard about the last two on the list.------------------
John Charles
Houston, Texas |
Tom
Member Posts: 931
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted September 19, 2005 08:06 PM
Isn't there an American (astronaut) tradition that the CDR and PLT play a card game in the suit-up room with other NASA officials....and the CDR must lose a hand before they can proceed to the vehicle? |
kosmonavtka
Member Posts: 170
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted September 19, 2005 11:18 PM
I saw that card game mentioned in a couple of space novels - it's called "Possum's Fargo", whatever that is!From "Titan" by Stephen Baxter: "There were more rituals, as they headed out of the building towards the bus that would take them to the pad. There was a card game called Possum's Fargo that they had to play, for instance, with a couple of the techs. Rosenberg couldn't believe his eyes. Here they were, the five of them, like huge insects in their glaring orange pressure suits, standing around a table to play what seemed like, to him, a kid's version of poker. But - rigid tradition had it - they couldn't leave, until the commander, Angel in this case, had lost a hand. It took six hands." |
kyra
Member Posts: 378
From: Louisville CO US
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted September 20, 2005 12:59 AM
Regarding cosmonaut traditions:1. Rookie cosmonauts don't sign autographs oustide of those dictated by other traditions (ie. the door, Gagarin's Guest Book) 2. The "Cosmonaut's song" night before launch - started with Vostok 3/4 but I'm not sure that has continued, although the song is still popular among cosmonauts, and still played in space. I have full versions of the lyrics (Russian and English) if anyone is interested. "I believe my friends caravans of rockets will carry us from star to star.." the refrain goes. NASA's traditions may be more subtle and hidden in requirements: The Boeing Bench Review - often a photo-op. The crew photo. The signing of the supplimental life insurance policy, next of kin documentation.
Lazy-Boy recliners during the suit-up. And not to forget - The Family Escort, and the Beach House, and the distant goodbyes from quarantine. |
kosmonavtka
Member Posts: 170
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted September 20, 2005 07:10 PM
quote:
Originally posted by kyra:
I have full versions of the lyrics (Russian and English) if anyone is interested.
Yes, I am interested! |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 1182
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted September 20, 2005 09:00 PM
Didn't the cosmonauts also have a traditional but humorous ceremony in which new cosmonaut graduates were pushed fully clothed into the training pool by King Neptune? Started, I believe, by Alexei Leonov. Bit hazy on this, so someone else may have full details. |
John Charles
Member Posts: 274
From: Houston, Texas, USA
Registered: Jun 2004
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posted September 20, 2005 09:31 PM
Friends, many thanks for all of your inputs. Keep them coming! ------------------
John Charles
Houston, Texas |
pokey
Member Posts: 316
From: Houston, TX, USA
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted October 17, 2005 09:53 PM
No one mentioned it, but I thought there was a cosmonaut tradition of watching a particular comedy of errors movie prior to launching. A military officer is returning home after WWII and all he wants is to go home, yet he is persuaded to escort a chieftain's wives somewhere as a favor, etc. The wives begin to fight because they think their protector has designated one of them the primary wife, etc. I guess the message to the cosmonauts is if something can go wrong it will go wrong. If someone remembers the title of the movie and could give a better summary...On edit: Suzy's web site has this movie, White Sun of the Desert. Suzy's web site shows Pettit ringing a ship's bell at the JSC welcome home reception for an ISS crew. The original tradition was to have someone from the previous ISS crew welcome back the next crew. This held up for a few flights, but has become anyone from a previous ISS crew. Usually it is an American because they're more likely to be on-hand at JSC than a Russian. I think Krikalev was helping Pettit that particular day. |
ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 1182
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted November 17, 2007 12:29 AM
Hi Suzy/Kosmonavtka,I noticed that the link you provided above on your website to Russian superstitions has expired. Is there a new link available? Chers, Colin |
kosmonavtka
Member Posts: 170
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted November 17, 2007 01:38 AM
Oops! I put them back on the one page so the URL changed again (bit of a bad habit of mine  ). |
NavySpaceFan
Member Posts: 385
From: Norfolk, VA
Registered: May 2007
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posted December 05, 2007 11:47 AM
Does anyone know if any crews put together a ship's ball cap (like the ones on Navy ships) for their orbiters? A navy blue cap with the obiter's name and number (e.g. DISCOVERY, OV-103) would look great! Heck, I'd buy one! |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 16778
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted March 02, 2008 04:19 PM
A possible new cosmonaut voting tradition...Xinhua: Russians vote for Putin's successor from earth, in outer space While millions of Russian voters went to the polls on Sunday amid snow flurries to elect their new president, Yuri Malenchenko cast his ballot far away from any polling station on Earth -- He voted in outer space."Malenchenko's trusted person will enter a special room where he can comfortably talk with his comrade working in orbit and, having learnt his decision, fill out a ballot and drop it into a special ballot box that will then be carried to the territorial election commission," Cosmonauts' Training Center spokesman Sergei Tafrov said. While Malenchenko is radio-contacting his friend, the cosmonauts from Star City will go to the Cosmonauts' House where three polling stations have been set up to cast their ballots simultaneously with him. "By voting simultaneously with Malenchenko, they will show their solidarity with their colleague who is doing his duty under the challenging conditions of space," Tafrov said, adding that the way they voted could probably start a new voting tradition. |
rjurek349
Member Posts: 595
From:
Registered: Jan 2002
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posted March 02, 2008 06:38 PM
quote:
Originally posted by kosmonavtka:
"There were more rituals, as they headed out of the building towards the bus that would take them to the pad. There was a card game called Possum's Fargo that they had to play, for instance, with a couple of the techs."
Living in the states, and being able to speak German, I use a system called "shift.tv" to record German TV via the internet -- like my own private Tivo in Munich. Pretty cool. Anyway, last night, I was watching a German program I recorded a while back about Columbia. It was a great documentary that had tons of behind the scenes footage, and amazing computer re-enactment of the break-up in re-entry. Anyway, they showed video of Rick Husband playing the black-jack-like card game with the head of flight crew operations. Rick Searfross was on as one of the documentary participants, and he described the tradition, saying it went back for years – that the CDR can’t take his crew out to the shuttle for launch until he plays the game, and they have to keep playing until the CDR loses. |
kosmonavtka
Member Posts: 170
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted March 04, 2008 01:32 AM
quote:
Originally posted by rjurek349:
Rick Searfross was on as one of the documentary participants, and he described the tradition, saying it went back for years – that the CDR can’t take his crew out to the shuttle for launch until he plays the game, and they have to keep playing until the CDR loses.
Wonder what happens if the commander takes ages to win - is the launch delayed?  (No information about "Possum's Fargo" on Wikipedia or Google, curiously!) |
DKS22
Member Posts: 19
From: Norman, OK, USA
Registered: Feb 2008
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posted March 12, 2008 11:43 PM
I know that during Gemini and Apollo projects the astronauts usually ate steak and eggs for breakfast before liftoff. |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 16778
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted May 28, 2008 05:09 AM
The Space Review: The losing hand: tradition and superstition in spaceflight It may seem incredible that in the world of manned spaceflight, of high-tech mission control and protocols for everything, there is a body of folklore, superstition, and tradition that is followed by each and every crewmember as if performing a sacred rite. Invocation of spirits of the dead, holy water, lucky card games, talismans, ritual words to be uttered at certain times -- it reads like the initiation into some secret lodge. |
blacklion1
Member Posts: 20
From: Bronx, New York
Registered: Nov 2007
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posted May 28, 2008 07:06 AM
There is also a tradition after a manned launch at Kennedy Space Center of launch officials and family's of astronaut crew members sharing a meal of beans after a launch. And that the returning astronaut crew shares in this meal after they return. I don't know how this tradition started. |
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