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Where It All Began

Posted 10/20/2012 12:10 AM by Steven Lee | Comments

Baikonour is in central Kazakhstan; makes Eastern CO look like an oasis!

Our flight was aboard a very old Tupolev Tu-154 (1960's vintage). Got us where we needed to be, though!

A very tired crew, checking in at the hotel in Baikonour.

The first statue of Lenin we've seen so far!

Baikonour is in central Kazakhstan; makes Eastern CO look like an oasis! Our flight was aboard a very old Tupolev Tu-154 (1960's vintage). Got us where we needed to be, though! A very tired crew, checking in at the hotel in Baikonour. The first statue of Lenin we've seen so far!

We've arrived at Baikonour Cosmodrome -- where the Space Age began when the USSR launched the first artificial Earth satellite in 1957. Certainly feels like a pilgrimage! Also feels a long way from home, as we're now 12 hours ahead of Denver ...

Baikonour itself is a small city (population of about 70,000) mainly devoted to operating the launch facility. Our first major activity at the Cosmodrome will be Sunday at 7:30 am, when we walk next to the Soyuz rocket and spacecraft as they're rolled out to the launch pad. Look for lots of pictures tomorrow!