2007_07_19_archive

We make friends, we create!

And we maintain peace in space!

On 12 April 1961 Yuri Gagarin became the first man to travel to space

and the first to orbit the Earth. This was a major breakthrough for

the human kind and significant achievement for the Soviet Union, which

managed to create such an advanced technological and industrial

project in only 15 years after the devastating World War II.

In the seventies the Cold War was in full swing, with Soviet Union and

United States of America investing numerous resources in their space

programs. We all owe something to that confrontation, because

fundamental research and experimental works of the decade finally

resulted in development of civil microelectronics, supersonic

avionics, polymeric chemistry and other scientific fields. Amazing,

but even the Cold War has advantages...

This space race was not only about world prestige and scientific

discoveries. Both Soviet and American military authorities were

dreaming about space domination. Nuclear Deterrence Theory was

preventing the strike and space could give key advantage over

potential adversary. In 1983 Ronald Reagan proposed Strategic Defense

Initiative project, which implied deployment of ground and space-based

stations, with a purpose of protection in case of a nuclear missile

attack. The project was soon nicknamed "Star Wars" because of its

futuristic elements, including space lasers, rail guns and kinetic

warheads - things technologically improbable even in the modern times.

But SDI's main design flaw was its intricacy, which resulted in

certain unreliability. Nevertheless the surveillance part of the

project proved to be quite useful and despite the overall flop of the

SDI, is now being implemented as a part of National Missile Defense

Program.

By that time Soviet Union was developing its own space defense system,

with more than 20 small space stations equipped with surveillance

equipment and counter strike missiles. The information about is highly

classified, reportedly this system is still operational.

The poster above proclaims the official Soviet attitude to SDI -

Soviet Union stands for Peace and United States calls for war. The

idea is being illustrated with Yuri Gagarin and white dove - an

international peace symbol. Its wings are covered with flags of

Eastern Block Countries - the allies of Soviet Union. These countries