YT Files - Blog by Yuliya Talmazan » cosmonaut http://www.ytfiles.com Blogging about Russia Tue, 10 Aug 2010 02:47:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Out Of This World: Cosmonaut Maksim Surayev And His Blog http://www.ytfiles.com/2010/01/10/out-of-this-world-cosmonaut-maxim-suraev-and-his-blog/ http://www.ytfiles.com/2010/01/10/out-of-this-world-cosmonaut-maxim-suraev-and-his-blog/#comments Sun, 10 Jan 2010 05:42:36 +0000 yuliya_talmazan http://www.ytfiles.com/?p=373 There used to be a time in Russia when cosmonauts were more popular than movie stars. Back in the day, most people knew their names by heart. Now, hardly anyone in Russia can name a single Russian cosmonaut, aside from maybe Yuri Malenchenko who made headlines when he got married in space in 2003. Yet, decades ago, cosmonauts were more than celebrities. They were these unapproachable legends that everybody aspired to. No one ever saw them or talked to them, but people would cut out their photos from newspapers and hang them in their kitchens. But, that was when "cosmos" was every kid's dream, and cosmonauts were the selected few who got a chance to get that much closer to it.

Maxim Suraev - Photo by Russian Federal Space Agency

Maksim Surayev - Photo by Russian Federal Space Agency

Nowadays, despite the fact that cosmonauts in Russia are largely unknown, they are way more accessible than they used to be. One example is Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev, who keeps his own "in-space" blog. Surayev has been onboard the International Space Station for over three months now and has been blogging live from space all this time. I have to say I got hyper like a kid when I started reading his stuff. Surayev talks about all the different fun gadgets that he gets to play with at the station and explains cool space phenomena with photos and videos attached. He also answers questions from his readers. For example, his last post was addressing a question about the rumour that astronauts get bright flashes in their eyes when they try to go to sleep in space. According to Surayev, that is totally true!

And, in case you were wondering, Surayev does not blog in English...yet.

Now don't you wish Yuri Gagarin kept a blog back in the day? That would make for one fun read.

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