A Year in Orbit Starts in Kazakhstan

7 minute read

It’s easy to roll your eyes at PR—and easier still when you’re talking about space PR. Space has always been an industry built as much on imagery as engineering.

The Russians tended to go big. Their Yuri Gagarins and Alexei Leonovs became titans of iconography—figures of bronze and steel, their faces cast on coins and their heroic forms raised on pedestals in parks. The Americans went folksy—with reporters and photographers invited into astronauts’ homes while the family ate staged meals or played staged board games, the better to frame the man in the silver pressure suit as just a guy who worked hard and made it big.

MORE: Watch the Trailer for TIME’s Unprecedented New Series: A Year In Space

Similar semiotics were on display this weekend at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where reporters were invited for a final series of press availabilities as cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko and Gennady Padalka, and astronaut Scott Kelly prepare for a March 28 launch to the International Space Station—a mission that will include a marathon one-year stay for Kelly and Kornienko. If you came to Baikonur to watch the show—the faux scenes of faux training that played out while cameras fired and reporters tossed puffball questions—it was easy to wonder why the entire kabuki business wasn’t abandoned decades ago. But the kabuki business is a deeply important—even poignant—one, and the job of spacefaring would be much the poorer without it.

MORE: Meet the Twins Unlocking the Secrets of Space

Baikonur looks like what it is, which is to say a company town, albeit it one built for a very particular employer at a very particular time in its history. Much the same is true of the space coast of Florida and the communities around the Johnson Space Center in Houston—but much is different, too. The developers in Houston and Canaveral gave their neighborhoods names like Timber Cove and Cocoa Beach, and built ranch homes and beach houses in a ramble of neighborhoods and along strips of sand. If you worked there and lived there and ever tired of life there, you could always up sticks and move into the private sector.

Baikonur is known as, well, just Baikonur, a development of Soviet-era bleached-cream housing blocks built along paved-over promenades for families working in the service of the space center. Here too, you were always free to walk out of town, but once you did you’d find yourself in the Kazakh steppes, and there was no work to be had anywhere else, so best to stay where you were.

Today, Baikonur is the same—only older. The bleak Soviet housing is now bleak and flaking Soviet housing, and while there is a new hotel near the space center that, graded on a Kazakh curve, has a certain glitter to it, the space program as a whole is a much-reduced thing. Gone are the Mir and Salyut space stations. Gone are the unmanned missions to the moon and the planets. All that survives are the Soyuz rockets launching three-person crews to the space station, with seats going for north of $70 million each—a fat revenue stream for the modern Russian state, but one which will be choked off in 2017, when new manned spacecraft built by SpaceX and Boeing start flying.

Astronaut Twins: Mark and Scott Kelly, the Early Years

October 1965: Scott, left, and Mark with TK
At age 1, Scott, left, and Mark with their mother, Patricia Kelly in Oct. 1965.Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
Scott and Mark on the porch in 1965
Scott and Mark on their porch in 1965.Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
June 1966
At age 2, Mark and Scott in 1966Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
December 1966: Mark and Scott in West Orange, N.J.
Mark and Scott building a snowman in West Orange, N.J in Dec. 1966.Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
1967: Scott, left, and Mark
At age 3, Scott, left, and Mark wearing matching attire in 1967.Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
Aug. 1967: Mark (left) and Scott with their MOM CK? at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, N.J.
Mark, left and Scott with their mother, Patricia Kelly at the Turtle Back Zoo in West Orange, N.J in Aug. 1967.Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
April 1968: Mark, left, and Scott
At age 4, Mark, left, and Scott in April 1968.Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
1970: Mark, left, and Scott on the Jersey Shore
At age 6, Mark, left, and Scott at the beach on the Jersey Shore in 1970Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
1970, Mark and Scott at home in West Orange, N.J. on Christmas Day
Mark and Scott at home in West Orange, N.J. on Christmas Day in 1970.Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
1971: Mark, left, and Scott in 1971
At age 7, Scott, right, was the pitcher and Mark played second base in 1971.Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
April 1972: Mark (left) and Scott at home in West Orange, N.J.
At age 8, Mark, left, and Scott at home in West Orange, N.J in April 1972.Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
1974: Scott (left) and Mark with their mother, TK NAME
At age 10, Scott, left, and Mark with their mother Patricia Kelly in 1974.Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly
1979: Scott, left, and Mark pictured with TK?
At age 15, Scott, left, and Mark with their father, Richard Kelly in 1979. Richard retired as a Captain from the West Orange, N.J., Police Department.Courtesy Mark and Scott Kelly

But Baikonur is more than a space-age theme park. Much like the rest of the old Soviet Union, it’s a city where space has always been something of a secular faith. There are sacred spaces—the massive replica of a Soyuz rocket in the center of town, where, on an overcast day this weekend, a bride and groom danced at the center of a circle of twirling children. There is the alley of cosmonauts on the space center grounds, where every man or woman who has launched from here has planted a poplar tree before leaving Earth, beginning with Gagarin’s—the tallest and, at 54 years old, the oldest.

And into all this history this week, stepped Kelly and Kornienko and Padalka, still on the Earth but already disengaging from it. The press crowded in as the men were put on display, but they approached no closer than three meters, and no one could come even that close without clearing a medical screening and donning a surgical gown and mask, lest they pass on a cold or flu.

The three crewmen and three backup crewmen posed with a flight director and pretended to review procedural manuals, then worked at computer screens and pretended to run a docking drill, while the cameras flashed and flashed. They played at playing, too—10 minutes of ping pong and pool and badminton staged for the cameras. They’re boys, after all, and they work hard and play hard and the rough camaraderie and competitiveness that comes from that is just what they’ll need in space.

Kelly, who’s making his fourth flight, knows the drill well. “Misha, rematch!” he said to Kornienko as they approached the pool table, as if they do this every day. He knows too to poke gentle fun at the drill. “I wonder if they’ll notice if I pedal backwards,” he said to nobody in particular as he worked a stationary bike for a gym photo op.

And it all could have seemed too much, it all could have seemed too silly. But then, at the end of the day, the six crewmen came to visit cosmonaut alley. They walked past Gagarin’s tree first, and they walked past many others too—like the one planted by Leonov, the first man to walk in space, or Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. But they also walked past those of the three men of Soyuz 11, who planted their poplars in 1971 and then flew off to space and never touched ground again—or at least never touched it alive because their spacecraft depressurized during reentry and they thumped down on the same Kazakh steppe dead from asphyxiation, cold and silent when the rescue team opened the hatch.

All three prime crewmen for the upcoming mission have flown from Baikonur before, and all three thus already have trees, so they simply watered them for the photo op. Kelly’s is still little more than a twig, and he gave it only about half of the bucket of water he’d been provided. “I don’t want to drown him,” he said.

The pronoun, the him, was playful, but it was something more too. Kelly has two daughters—very much a pair of hers—and he’s spending a year in a place from which some people do not return. He knows that he’s leaving his girls and his friends and his family and his tree, that he’ll be gone till this time next year and would very much like to come home and see them all again.

The magical rituals—the wedding dance and the tree planting and yes, the staged press op where reporters are told to stand at a respectful distance and take the pictures they’re offered because the men and women who are the subjects of your shots are going into space and, let’s be honest, you’re not—have been part of the space fabric for a long time. Baikonur is a place built on such things, and the fact is, after half a century, far more cosmonauts have come home to see their trees than haven’t. The old ways, for better or worse, seem to work.

See the Most Beautiful Space Photos of 2014

NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array's first picture of the sun taken in high-energy X-rays released on Dec. 22, 2014.
NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array's first picture of the sun taken in high-energy X-rays released on Dec. 22, 2014. JPL-Caltech/GSFC/NASA
An infrared image of a small portion of the Monkey Head Nebula (also known as NGC 2174 and Sharpless Sh2-252) captured by the Hubble telescope, released on March 17, 2014. The nebula is a star-forming region that hosts dusky dust clouds silhouetted against glowing gas.NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
An infrared image of a small portion of the Monkey Head Nebula captured by the Hubble telescope released on March 17, 2014. NASA/ESA/Hubble Heritage Team
A spiral galaxy, also known as M106, about 23 million light years from Earth.
NGC 4258 is a spiral galaxy well known to astronomers for having two so-called anomalous arms that glow in X-ray, optical and radio light. Chandra X-ray Observatory/CXC/Caltech/NASA
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasamarshall/15050207206/Eta Carinae: Our Neighboring Superstars (NASA, Chandra, 08/26/14)Eta Carinae is one of the most luminous known star systems in our galaxy. It radiates energy at a rate that is 5 million times that of the Sun. Most of this energy is radiated at infrared wavelengths. It is shrouded in a rapidly expanding cloud of dust which absorbs radiation from the central star and re-radiates it in the infrared.
Eta Carinae is one of the most luminous known star systems in our galaxy seen here in this photo released on Aug. 26, 2014.JPL-Caltech/NASA
A reprocessed picture shows off the amazing colors of Europa, a mysterious ice-covered moon of Jupiter, as they have never been seen before released on Nov. 21, 2014.
A reprocessed picture shows off the amazing colors of Europa, a mysterious ice-covered moon of Jupiter, as they have never been seen before released on Nov. 21, 2014.NASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI Institute
Reid Wiseman ‏@astro_reid Jun 1A simple toy from my childhood makes for a cool picture in space. pic.twitter.com/yddfNTwiow
Astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo on June 1, 2014 from the International Space Station "A simple toy from my childhood makes for a cool picture in space."Reid Wiseman—NASA
Infrared Image of Saturn's Rings
This image of Saturn's rings was taken by a camera on the Cassini spacecraft released on Jan. 21, 2014. JPL-Caltech/NASA/EPA
ESA's Optical Ground Station in Tenerife
A long exposure of the European Space Agency's Optical Ground Station at the La Teide Observatory on the Canary Islands, Spain released on April 27, 2014.EPA
An aurora near Australia seen from the International SPace Station, released on July 15, 2014.
An aurora near Australia seen from the International Space Station released on July 15, 2014.NASA
NASA: LL Ori and the Orion Nebula
This close-up of cosmic clouds and stellar winds features LL Orionis interacting with the Orion Nebula flow. NASA/Sipa
The Eagle Nebula, also known as as Messier 16 or M16, and the 'Pillars of Creation' in the constellation Serpens in May 2014.
The Eagle Nebula also known as as Messier 16 or M16, and the 'Pillars of Creation' in the constellation Serpens in May 2014.Adam Block—Mount Lemmon Skycenter
Russell Crater dunes on Mars released on Feb. 5, 2014.
The Russell Crater dunes seen on Mars in this photo released on Feb. 5, 2014.JPL/University of Arizona/NASA
NASA image of Saturn taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera
Saturn taken with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Nov. 23, 2013 and released for the first time on Feb. 3, 2014. NASA/JPL/Caltech/Reuters
This vista of the Endeavour Crater rim taken by Opportunity Rover combines several exposures taken by the rover's panoramic camera (Pancam) on the 3,637th Martian day, or sol, of the mission on April 18, 2014 and was released on May 19, 2014.
This vista of the Endeavour Crater rim taken by Opportunity Rover combines several exposures taken by the rover's panoramic camera on April 18, 2014 and was released on May 19, 2014.JPL-Caltech/Cornell University/NASA
Alexander Gerst ‏@Astro_Alex Jul 6 View translationHarsh land. Windswept valleys in northern #Africa / Hartes Land. Windgefraeste Taeler in Nordafrika pic.twitter.com/sFcbhRIF2Z
Astronaut Alexander Gerst ‏tweeted this photo on July 6, 2014 from the International Space Station "Harsh land. Windswept valleys in northern #Africa / Hartes Land"Alexander Gerst—NASA
The moon over northeast Greenland in March 2014.
The moon over northeast Greenland in March 2014.Michael Studinger—NASA
NASA picture of a crescent moon rising over the cusp of the Earth's atmosphere
A crescent moon rises over the cusp of the Earth's atmosphere in this picture by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Koichi Wakata onboard the International Space Station on Feb. 1, 2014.NASA/Reuters
An optical image, from the Digitized Sky Survey of the Flame Nebula released on May 7, 2014.
An optical image, from the Digitized Sky Survey of the Flame Nebula released on May 7, 2014. DDS/NASA
New Hubble infrared view of the Tarantula Nebula
New Hubble infrared view of the Tarantula Nebula released on Jan. 9, 2014. NASA, ESA, E. Sabbi (STScI)—NASA, ESA, E. Sabbi (STScI)
The sun emitted a significant solar flare, peaking at 7:28 p.m. EST on Dec. 19, 2014. NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, captured an image of the event. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however -- when intense enough -- they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This flare is classified as an X1.8-class flare. X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength. An X2 is twice as intense as an X1, an X3 is three times as intense, etc.
The sun emits a significant solar flare on Dec. 19, 2014 as seen from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, SDO/NASA
Astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted on July 3, 2014 "Hurricane #Arthur has grown an eye since we last met."
Astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on July 3, 2014 "Hurricane #Arthur has grown an eye since we last met." Reid Wiseman—NASA
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula, also known as IC 1396, on April 14, 2014.
The Elephant's Trunk Nebula, also known as IC 1396 on April 14, 2014.Eric Coles
As an island in the moist, atmospherically turbulent North Atlantic, Iceland is often shrouded in cloud cover and hard to observe from space. And lately, the island is making some of its own cloud cover, as the Earth has split open between the Bardarbunga and Askja volcanoes and spewed lava and hot gas. The view of the Holuhraun lava field has been spectacular from the ground and from low-flying aircraft. Infrared imaging makes the view spectacular from space, too.On September 6, 2014, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured this view of the ongoing eruption. The false-color images combine shortwave infrared, near infrared, and green light (OLI bands 6-5-3). Ice and the plume of steam and sulfur dioxide appear cyan and bright blue, while liquid water is navy blue. Bare or rocky ground around the Holuhraun lava field appears in shades of green or brown in this band combination. Fresh lava is bright orange and red. (Download this large image to see the same area in natural color.)“Thermal imagery can be used to determine the extent of the lava flows and the heat loss,” noted Ashley Davies, a Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientist and leader of NASA’s Volcano Sensor Web team. Infrared imagery can help scientists estimate the effusion rate—the rate at which lava is pouring out of the Earth—as well as the sulfur dioxide content of the plume. “And high resolution imagery of this kind allows us to model the dynamics of the emplacement process. In this case, individual vents can be seen feeding separate lava flows that combine into a main channel feeding an expanding lava flow field.”By some accounts, Holuhraun has spewed more lava this month than any Icelandic volcano since the 19th century. As of September 9, 2014, the new lava flow was 16 kilometers (10 miles) long and covered about 20 square kilometers (8 square miles), according to the University of Iceland.The plume from Holuhraun is rich with sulfur dioxide (SO2), a rotten-smelling gas
The Holuhraun lava field as seen with infrared imaging captured by the Operational Land Imager on Sept. 6, 2014, NASA
INDIA-SPACE-SCIENCE-MARS
Mars is seen in an image taken by the ISRO Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft released on Sept. 30, 2014.ISRO/AFP/Getty Images
APTOPIX Kazakhstan Russia Space Station
The Russian Soyuz-FG rocket booster with Soyuz TMA-13M space ship carrying the Expedition 40 crew to the International Space Station launches from the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on May 29, 2014.Dmitry Lovetsky—AP
Using the CIVA camera on Rosetta’s Philae lander the spacecraft snapped a ‘selfie’ with a comet passing by in the background in this photo released on Oct. 14, 2014.
Using the CIVA camera on Rosetta’s Philae lander the spacecraft snapped a ‘selfie’ with a passing comet in this photo released on Oct. 14, 2014.Rosetta/Philae/CIVA/ESA
Saturn, which appears as a thin crescent, broken only by the shadows of its rings, was captured by the Cassini spacecraft cameras in this image released on March 17, 2014. This view looks toward the unilluminated side of the rings from about 42 degrees below the ringplane.
Saturn was captured by the Cassini spacecraft cameras in this image released on March 17, 2014. JPL-Caltech/NASA
Handout of the evolving universe is shown in this composite of separate exposures taken in 2003 to 2012 with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3
A composite of separate exposures taken in 2003 to 2012 with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3 of the evolving universe is shown in this image released on June 3, 2014.NASA/Reuters
Reid Wiseman ‏@astro_reid Jul 1Here is a #TodaySunrise from space for @MLauer pic.twitter.com/xyckQ0AAdVHere is a #TodaySunrise from space for @MLauer." - Reid Wiseman via Twitter on July 1, 2014.
Astronaut Reid Wiseman tweeted this photo from the International Space Station on July 1, 2014 "Here is a #TodaySunrise from space for @MLauer"Reid Wiseman—NASA

More Must-Reads From TIME

Write to Jeffrey Kluger / Baikonur, Kazakhstan at jeffrey.kluger@time.com