The first youth space camp"Zvezdnaya estafeta" ("Star relay") (YSC-2003)

(June 29 - July 13, 2003)

The first Youth space camp (YSC-2003), consisting of 23 winners of "Zvezdnaya estafeta" contest (contest was conducted in April 2003 withing the framework of the 5th international science-practical conference on manned cosmonautics), was held in Star city from June 29 to July 13, 2003. This camp can by right be called an international, since besides 20 Russian school students from cities Vologda, Kaluga, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Novosibirsk, Gagarin, Friazino (Moscow region),Star city (Moscow region), Nalchik(Kabardino-Balkaria), also representatives of Kazakhstan (Baikonur), Ukraine(Chernovtsy), Bulgaria(Sofia) took part in it. This is one more orbit of the youth movement, new step in the aerospace education, social space, which unite the native cosmonautics patriots and supporters in exploration of the intergalactic space.
 

Main goal of YSC-2003 was to provide the possibility for the space enthusiastic school student to get in touch with real cosmonaut training process. Therefore an educational program was developed, which included 42 hours of lectures and practical lessons in the GCTC classrooms and on the simulators. The best GCTC specialists, who train Russian and foreign cosmonauts (astronauts) for the flights, worked with kids. Also a special training manual was prepared for the kids, which helped them during the classes and became a wonderful YSC-2003 memorable souvenir.

Some topics of the educational program:

  • Studying of the transport vehicles design and layout
  • Life support system
  • Biomedical training of the cosmonaut
  • Flight theory and space navigation
  • Docking of the space vehicles
    • For the purpose of YSC-2003 participants patriotic education, a lot of interesting meetings with outstanding people of our times were organized and conducted.

    Guests of our meetings:

    Lazutkin А.I. – cosmonaut-pilot, Hero of Russia
    TitovV.G. – cosmonaut-pilot, Hero ofthe USSR
    VolkovS.А. –test cosmonaut
    Michael Foale – NASA astronaut
    Solovieva I.B. – test cosmonaut, veteran of the 1st women cosmonaut team
    Bogdashevskiy R.B. - GCTC specialist, psychologist
    Potekhin V.F. – retiredgeneral-lieutenant , Great Patriotic War veteran
    Platonov V. А. – honorable combat pilot, space regimentcommander
    Flying crew ISS-7 (Yuriy Malentchenko and Edward Lu), TV communication session in the Mission control center

    They also had enough time to do useful deeds -like a help to the Star city school, lilacplanting, congratulations with professional holiday of the post office workers.
     
    Good deeds,which were performed by YSC-2003 participants:
    • Lilac planting in the memory of the first youth space camp. Lilac branches from the bush, planted by Yu.A. Gagarin, were brought by Filatova Tamara Dmitrievna, employee of the Yu.A. Gagarin memorial museum, city Gagarin, niece of the first cosmonaut.
    • Congratulations with professional holiday of the Star city post office workes and cosmonaut-pilots mail workers on July 9 - Post office worker day.
    • Helping V.M. Komarov school to decorate a new flower garden.

    Games and entertainment:

    Camp participants were involved not only in science and "space affairs". Their free time was also a fun.A lot of interesting games, psychological trainings and testing, sporting events, contests, meetengs and excursions were held. Here are some of them:
    An organizational committee was formed to organize and held the youth space camp. It consisted of:

    President:
    Gidzenko Yu.P. - cosmonaut-pilot,Hero of Russia, deputy chef of 1st department

    Deputy president:
    Lutokhina L.Yu. - head of GCTC public relations assistant 
    Kovrigin S.N.-head of GCTC department 27 

    Secretaries:
    Blinova L.I. - GCTC scientific officer
    Titova  А.R. - GCTC engineer 

    Consultants:
    Ermolenko G.V. - dean of the prehigher education faculty of the Moscow socioeconomic university, Ph.D in pedagogical science.
    Goncharova О.V. - pedagogue, head of the Vologda space club-house

     

    YSC-2003 participants

    Youth space camp consisted of three crews: "Gagarintsy", «Zvezdy– 2003», «Grani». All YSC-2003 crews were multiple-aged. Different cities and countries were represented in them, there were someones to take care of and there were someones to learn from. There were a bit more boys, however girls, with their erudition and care of the boys' living conditions, took a worthy place in such sort of  military formation as a «crew».
    Each of three crews included: Temporary missions in the duty crew were performed by:

     
    AlexandrovRodestin Bulgaria, Sofia
    Annenkova Svetlana Novosibirsk
    Blinova Anna Star city, Moscow region.
    Buzdin Pavel Friazino, Moscow region.
    Vinkovatova Irina Kaluga
    Goriachev Vasiliy Moscow
    Zharov Evgeniy Baikonur, Kazakhstan
    Zinoviev Vladimir Star city, Moscow region.
    Kovrigin Vadim Star city, Moscow region.
    Kazarian Kristina Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria
    Kostyukova Anastasia Chernovtsy, Ukraine
    Mil'kin Vladimir Moscow
    Miroshnichenko Dmitriy Star city, Moscow region.
    Mitloshuk Ivan Star city, Moscow region.
    Novikova Sofia Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkaria
    Polikanova Irina Star city, Moscow region.
    Churkin Dmitriy Vologda
    Schipanov Evgeniy Star city, Moscow region.
    Filatova Daria Samara
    Fedoseev Alexandert Yaroslavl
    Khodykin Oleg Gagarin
    Yurchenko Olga Gagarin
    Yarushkin Nikita Moscow

    YSC-2003 participants thank GCTC management for the granted opportunity to make a first step on their way to the sacred dream.

    Special thanks to the Schelkovo region Administration and Education committee for their support of«Zvezdnaya estafeta» contest and youth space camp creation, for their help in financing.

    THANKS a million to the 1st youth space camp sponsor 
    "Optima" holding general director Ermoshkin Alexander Igorevitch!