Salyut-7
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | Salyut-7 - Deadly Race in Space |
| Original title | Салют-7 |
 | |
| Country of production | Russia |
| original language | Russian |
| Publishing year | 2017 |
| length | 111 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Klim Schipenko |
| script | Natascha Merkulowa, Alexei Tschupow, Klim Schipenko, Bakur Bakuradze |
| production | Julia Mischkinene, Natalja Smirnowa, Sergei Seljanow , Bakur Bakuradze, Anton Slatopolski |
| camera | Vladimir Bashta |
| occupation | |
| |
Salyut-7 - Fatal race in space (original title: Салют-7 ) is a Russian film by the director Klim Schipenko from 2017. Its largely fictional plot is based on the events of the Soyuz T-13 mission to rescue the Soviet space station Salyut 7 in 1985, which is considered to be one of the most significant achievements of manned spaceflight in low earth orbit .
action
The cosmonaut Vladimir "Volodja" Fyodorov is exempted from space flights until further notice by the medical commission of the Salyut program . When investigating an incident during an extravaganza on the Salyut 7 space station , he had stated that he saw a strange bluish light. Some time later there was a power failure in the unmanned space station. The ground station loses the radio connection to and thus control of the space station. To prevent possible application and acquisition of the station by the United States by a space shuttle to prevent the head of the Salyut program, Valery Shubin, is forced by the military leadership of the country to act. The military demand that Schubin immediately send a Soyuz crew up to Salyut 7 to make the space station afloat again or at least to bring it down in a controlled manner. The Soviet Defense Minister threatens to otherwise “bring down the Salyut 7 with a rocket”.
Schubin selects the engineer Viktor "Vitja" Aljochin, who played a key role in designing the space station, but has never been in space before, as one of the crew members. He wants his experienced friend Fyodorov to be in command, but Schubin refuses, referring to the decision of the medical commission. But when all other candidates in question fail in the simulator when trying to dock the Soyuz on the Salyut 7, which rotates around two axes, Schubin gets Fyodorov on board. Both Alyochin's and Fyodorov's wives are far from enthusiastic about their husbands' participation in the mission.
The launch of the rocket from the spaceport in Baikonur went smoothly, and once in its orbit, Fyodorov succeeded in docking the Soyuz at the space station after only one failed attempt. After opening the lock bulkhead of the space station, the two found that the air pressure was normal, but the temperature was well below zero degrees. Walls and instruments are covered with a layer of frost or ice. Apparently a water pipe burst. It is unclear whether this is the cause or just a consequence of the power failure. Given the situation, Schubin gives the two cosmonauts five days to get the station afloat again. If they do not succeed by then, they should initiate the controlled crash "into the ocean". Fyodorov and Alyokhin get to work, and indeed they manage to melt the ice, suck out the water and dry the electrics and electronics of the Salyut 7. However, an initial attempt to restart the station fails. Fyodorov gets out to examine the station from the outside. He confirms the observation made by the employees of the ground station based on photos that the cover of the solar sensor, which is necessary for the correct alignment of the solar panels , is badly damaged. This apparently prevents the systems from restarting. After radio contact with the mission control, which lasted only 20 minutes during a circumnavigation of the earth, was broken off, Fyodorov saw through a porthole that a fire had broken out on the station. Despite all their caution, a larger drop of water had got lost in the Soyuz unnoticed by the two and triggered a short circuit there.
Aljochin can put out the fire, but suffers from relatively severe burns and smoke inhalation. Moreover, the life support of the Soyuz, that is, limited currently only available life support in their function. The control of the Soyuz has also failed. Meanwhile, the American shuttle has also started. The military are pushing for the Salyut to be shot down before it falls into the hands of the Americans. Schubin asks for a period to be able to evacuate the two cosmonauts. However, the staff at the ground station have calculated that the oxygen supply for the return flight in a rudderless Soyuz is only sufficient for one of the two cosmonauts. Schubin then gave Fyodorov the order to put Aljochin in the Soyuz capsule and then to disconnect it from the station. Fyodorov's wife Nina and his little daughter Olja are checked by his former Salyut colleague and brought to the ground station to be able to say goodbye to him. Nina's last words to her husband, however, are "come back". Aljochin's heavily pregnant wife, who is at home, has meanwhile started labor.
When Fyodorov Alyokhin discusses the plan drawn up by Schubin, Alyokhin refuses to fly back alone. Instead, he suggests another exit to remove the cover of the solar sensor and get the station afloat again. Fyodorov agrees, but after numerous unsuccessful attempts to knock off the cover with a hammer, the two surrender to their supposed fate. Drifting on the night side of the earth, Aljochin suddenly remembers that metal is more brittle at very low temperatures and breaks more easily. So they try again and with the last bit of strength Fyodorov makes it. The solar panels align, the Salyut starts up and the ground station has full control again. She informs Alyochin that he has just become the father of a daughter. The space shuttle flies by near Salyut 7, the astronauts salute Fyodorov and Alyochin. At the end the two cosmonauts, still outboard, see the strange bluish light that Fyodorov had seen at the beginning of the film.
Historical accuracy
The background of the film Salyut-7 , the failure and reactivation of the space station of the same name in 1985, is a real event, but for dramaturgical reasons the plot of the film does not correspond in many details with the events of that time. For example, at that time, in a completely different way than shown in the film, the sun sails could be realigned without any problems. Furthermore, in order to protect the electrical and electronic systems, the cosmonauts evaporated the ice in the station by means of a fan, instead of using too much heating to generate the probably enormously exaggerated amounts of free-floating water shown in the film. As a result, there never was a fire during the real rescue mission, neither in the space station nor on board the Soyuz. All names in the film are also alienated: the commander of the Soyuz T-13 mission was actually called Vladimir Dzhanibekov and his engineer, who flew into earth orbit not for the first but for the second time, was called Viktor Savinych . The figure of Valeri Schubin is - also optically - based on Valeri Ryumin . During the flight of Soyuz T-13, US space shuttles took off three times, but there were two satellites to be launched in the hold and the Spacelab once . On one of these flights, Patrick Baudry , a Frenchman, was actually on board, but he was not previously on board Salyut 7. Baudry was a replacement for Jean-Loup Chrétien for the 1982 Soyuz T-6 flight .
production
The premiere of the Russian movie took place at the Fantastic Fest film festival on September 21, 2017 in Austin, Texas .
music
The film contains several excerpts from Russian songs:
- Трава у дома ( Gras am Haus ) from the band Zemlyane
- Арлекино ( Harlequin ) by Alla Pugacheva
- Song of the Water Carrier by Pavel Olenev (Song of the musical comedy Volga-Volga )
- Корабли ( Ships ) by Vladimir Vysotsky
- Золушка ( Cinderella ) by Alexey Arkhipovsky
- Нам бы выпить перед стартом… ( We should have a drink before we start ... ) by Yuri Vizbor
reception
criticism
"Continuing Russia's claim to creating glossy, gorgeous opuses, SALYUT-7 is brilliant cinema of the most entertaining kind, a spectacle designed to be seen on the big screen that not only impresses visually but also with its very Russian heart and soul."
“They started in June 1985 with the“ Soyuz-T 13 ”and docked manually with the station. That alone was a huge achievement. We are currently simulating this type of docking at the Technical University of Munich. It's incredibly difficult - and portrayed very real in the film. The representations of how the two move in the space capsule, how they get the thing going again like good mechanics, is shown very authentically. That was a huge achievement. Astronauts and cosmonauts do things that a machine cannot. That comes across well in the film. I'm usually very reluctant to do space representations. But here it is very convincing in terms of content and subject, similar to the film " Apollo 13 " - albeit without the Hollywood twist. "
Awards
- 2018: Golden Eagle Award: best film
distribution
The film has been released by Concorde on DVD and Blu-ray Disc. A making of is also included . It reports that for the animation of the scenes in weightlessness, due to the required computer capacity, etc. a. the computers of the Kurchatov Institute were used.
Web links
- Salyut-7 in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Salyut-7. CTB Film Company, accessed March 31, 2018 (website of the production company for the film).
- Salyut-7 at Rotten Tomatoes (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release certificate for Salyut-7 . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF).
- ↑ a b Evrim Ersoy: Salyut-7. World premiere. Fantastic Fest, September 21, 2017, accessed April 1, 2018 .
- ↑ Anke Kotte: The film shows the spectacular rescue operation of the Salyut-7. In: Focus Online . March 22, 2018, accessed October 14, 2018 .
- ↑ Vladimir Kozlov: 'Salyut-7' Wins Best Russian Movie at Golden Eagles Ceremony. The Hollywood Reporter, January 26, 2018, accessed April 1, 2018 .