Cosmonaut Vasilevskaya warmly and honourably welcomed back to Belarus
The first cosmonaut of sovereign Belarus, Marina Vasilevskaya, has returned to Minsk. Her special plane landed at Minsk National Airport in the morning, and Marina was greeted with flowers and smiles by her relatives and friends, as well as representatives of the scientific community of Belarus. Among those who congratulated the cosmonaut on the successfully completed mission were also sb.by correspondents.
The first cosmonaut of sovereign Belarus, Marina Vasilevskaya, and the Hero of Russia, Belarus-born Oleg Novitsky, returned from their orbital flight on April 6th, spending 14 days in space (of which twelve days were spent on the International Space Station). On the ISS, Marina Vasilevskaya carried out a scientific programme embracing seven projects developed by the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus jointly with Roscosmos and the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Marina Vasilevskaya got off the plane with a bouquet of flowers. She was smiling, despite an intense schedule of the last two weeks. There was no sign of fatigue on her face. The cosmonaut was greeted with bread and salt, as is traditional. At the airport, Marina was welcomed by Deputy Prime Minister Piotr Parkhomchik, Chairman of the Presidium of Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences Vladimir Gusakov, and Belavia CEO Igor Cherginets. The cosmonaut shared her impressions of the space travel upon arriving, “I am very glad to set foot on my native land.”
Belavia flight attendant Victoria Fidrus was happy for Marina, she had been looking forward to her friend’s return. “Marina and I were united by our joint work, and life brought us closer. I saw how she was preparing for the flight, starting with the medical examination at the Cosmonaut Training Centre (in late 2022) and until the spacecraft launch. I watched the start from Baikonur, but I did not worry, since Marina is an incredible professional, and I knew that everything would be fine, she was one hundred percent prepared,” the lady said.
Among those who met Marina was Anastasia Potalova, a member of the Republican Council of Working Youth at the Education Ministry. Watching the landing of the plane, she shared her impressions, “I was very worried about the cosmonaut. I watched her start. I watched all the stages of the spacecraft launch. I also watched the return of the crew with excitement. I am happy everything went well. I am looking forward to seeing Marina Vasilevskaya, to meet her in person. She is our pride! I have come to the airport to give her flowers and welcome her to our native land. Her flight into space is now part of the history of sovereign Belarus, and I am glad to being a party to it.”
