The exploration of outer space remains a key factor in Russia's competitiveness in the world. According to a VTsIOM poll, over 90% of citizens consider the development of the space industry important, with 54% seeing it as a driver of technological progress and 36% as a guarantee of the country's defense capability. Roscosmos Cosmonaut Squad Commander, Hero of Russia Oleg Kononenko, spoke about the importance of space for Russia, the development of manned spaceflight, and future achievements.
First of all, cosmonautics is an industry at the forefront of scientific and technological progress.
Kononenko notes that any interruption in this area threatens a rapid loss of competence. A prime example is the US lunar program, which had to be rebuilt almost from scratch after a long hiatus.
Russia maintains a leading position in the space industry, has the most experience in creating and operating orbital stations, and the Russian cosmonaut training system is recognized as the best in the world. The «Spektr-RG» space observatory is successfully operating one and a half million kilometers from Earth, providing scientists with unique data about the Universe.
The reliability of rockets remains at the highest level — a series of 139 accident-free launches in a row has been ongoing since 2018. The development of a new Russian Orbital Station and modern launch vehicles is underway.
Kononenko notes that artificial intelligence is becoming an important assistant in space exploration, but humans cannot be completely replaced.
The help of machines will increase every year, but I think that decisions will be made by people. My personal experience shows that many processes in space cannot be automated; this requires a person with their non-standard thinking, going beyond the scope of machine algorithms.
The development of robotics and automatic devices is also very important. So far, long-term space flights are only safe at a distance of about 400 kilometers from Earth (the orbit of the International Space Station). Flights to distant planets, such as Mars, require solving the problem of cosmic radiation — the journey there will take at least six months.
Humanity will not be able to stay on Earth forever. Our global task is to learn to live in space, on other planets.
The Russian space industry continues to develop in all directions, thanks to public support and government plans. This helps the country maintain its position in the global space race and opens up new opportunities for technology.
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