Mission to Mars. When humans colonize the Red Planet

Olga Fokina did not seek to write lyrics for songs, she simply composed poems in which she expressed her feelings. And the news that the text of the song “My Clear Little Star” was created from one of her compositions became unexpected and joyful for her. The poetess understood perfectly well that now her creation would be known to a much larger number of people.

It so happened that the song “My clear little star, how far you are from me,” thanks to Stas Namin’s group, became popular at a tragic moment for our country.

In 1970, one Soviet plane was hijacked by terrorists. As a result, a young flight attendant Nadya Kurchenko died. Due to the close meaning of the text, the authorship of the words was attributed to the fiance of the deceased flight attendant. After all, Nadya was planning a wedding in just a few months, which could no longer take place. But Olga Fokina wrote her poem back in 1964, in which she poured out her feelings about her love for a man with whom she could not be together.

It turns out that the song, created on the basis of poems about unrequited love, was destined to perpetuate the memory of two people at once: the creator of the poems and the girl whose dreams and youth were tragically cut short.

Lyrics of the song “My Clear Star”

People have different songs,
And mine is one for centuries.
my clear one,
How far you are from me.

Chorus:

You and I realized too late,
That two people are twice as fun
Even float across the sky
It’s not like living on earth.

The cloud touches you
He wants to close me off.
My pure, strict,
How I want to be next to you.

Chorus:

You and I realized too late,
That two people are twice as fun
Even float across the sky
It’s not like living on earth.

I know that for you I am not a god,
The wings, they say, are not the same.
I can't go to heaven with you
Aaaand to fly.

Chorus:

You and I realized too late,
That two people are twice as fun
Even float across the sky
It’s not like living on earth.

By the way, for some reason, the lyrics of the song do not contain the last lines of Fokina’s poem. This is how the full version of “The Clear Star” sounds in the author’s performance.

Probably everyone remembers the song “My Clear Little Star”, but few people know that this popular song is dedicated to a young 19-year-old girl who was killed by terrorists just 3 months before her wedding...

On October 15, 1970, taking off from Batumi airport, the AN-24 aircraft (flight 244) with 46 passengers on board was supposed to land in Krasnodar. A few minutes after takeoff at an altitude of 800 meters, two passengers - father and son Brazinskas - called flight attendant Nadezhda Kurchenko and passed a note to the pilots demanding to change the route and fly to Turkey. She rushed into the cockpit and shouted: “Attack!” The criminals rushed after her and, in an attempt to break into the cockpit, began shooting. Later, 18 holes were counted in the casing. Several bullets were fired towards the cabin; none of the passengers were injured. The first pilot, Georgiy Chakhrakia, was hit in the spine by a bullet, and his legs were paralyzed. Overcoming the pain, he turned around and saw a terrible picture: Nadya lay motionless in the door of the pilot’s cabin and was bleeding. Navigator Valery Fadeev was shot in the lung, and flight mechanic Oganes Babayan was wounded in the chest. Co-pilot Suliko Shavidze was luckiest of all - the bullet got stuck in a steel pipe in the back of his seat. Senior Brazinskas took out a grenade and, threatening to blow it up, demanded that the pilots obey and fly towards Turkey...

In October 1970, the USSR demanded that Turkey immediately extradite the criminals, but this demand was not fulfilled. The Turks decided to try the hijackers themselves and sentenced 45-year-old Pranas Brazinskas to eight years in prison, and his 13-year-old son Algirdas to two. In 1974, a general amnesty occurred in this country and Brazinskas Sr.’s prison sentence was replaced with... house arrest in a luxurious villa in Istanbul, and from there American intelligence services took them to the United States. This was the first case in the global practice of air terrorism with the murder of a crew member, the hijacking of an aircraft to a neighboring country and the non-return of the criminals, which was facilitated by an obvious double standard.

In 1980, Pranas said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times that he was an activist in the movement for the liberation of Lithuania and fled abroad because he faced the death penalty in his homeland. However, for some reason he forgot to say that he was imprisoned in his homeland not for patriotism, but received two sentences for theft and abuse of official position.

In America, Algirdas officially became Albert-Victor White, and Pranas became Frank White. They settled in the town of Santa Monica in California, where they worked as painters. It would seem that the American dream of two bastards had come true, but Themis did not leave them unpunished. In his old age, Algirdas' character became unbearable and he and his son often quarreled. During one of these conflicts, a 45-year-old son beat his 77-year-old father to death with a baseball bat. In November 2002, a Santa Monica jury found Albert guilty of second-degree murder and he was sentenced to 16 years in prison.

P.S. In memory of the brave girl, poetess Olga Fokina wrote a poem entitled “People have different songs” about the deceased flight attendant on behalf of her boyfriend. Olga Fokina’s poem caught the eye of the then aspiring composer Vladimir Semenov. He wrote the song “My Clear Little Star” in 1971, which became a hit for centuries.

People have different songs,

And mine is one for centuries.

My clear star

How far you are from me.

You and I realized too late,

That two people are twice as fun

Even float across the sky

It’s not like living on earth.

The cloud touches you

He wants to close me off.

My pure, strict,

How I want to be next to you.

You and I realized too late,

That two people are twice as fun

Even float across the sky

It’s not like living on earth.

I know that for you I am not a god,

The wings, they say, are not the same.

I can't go to heaven with you

Aaaand to fly.

You and I realized too late,

That two people are twice as fun

Even float across the sky

It’s not like living on earth.

*************

Aerospace engineer, writer, founder of the Mars Society and popularizer of the ideas of colonizing other planets Robert Zubrin made presentations at the INSCIENCE conference in Kyiv.

He presented the Mars Society project Mars Direct – manned flight to the Red Planet – and promised to send people to Mars in 10 years.

After landing, the nuclear installation is dug into a small crater. It will provide the station with electricity on the surface of Mars.

Then, with its help, we launch a chemical laboratory in which we will produce carbon from the atmosphere, and with the help of imported hydrogen we will obtain methane. This is a well-known exothermic Sabatier reaction that does not require additional energy, and it occurs with catalysts that we can also select.

As a result of this reaction we get water and methane. From water we will obtain oxygen by electrolysis, which will become fuel for the return trip, and we will collect the remaining hydrogen and store it in a special compartment. From carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Mars we will also get oxygen, decomposing it into oxygen and carbon monoxide.

This way, we won't need to carry fuel to Mars. On site we will be able to produce 110 tons of methane and rocket fuel. This way we will save significantly on cargo - 18 times.

Of the 110 tons of useful fuel, we will need 96 tons to return to Earth. The remaining 14 tons can be used to propel vehicles on the surface of Mars. They will be much more powerful than electric cars. This is very useful for research planned on Mars. Mobility is a fundamental requirement for fruitful research.

Travel duration

It will take six to eight months to get to Mars, and 10 months to produce fuel. We are allocating a total of 26 months for the entire mission from inception to launch.

We will be able to fly to Mars every two years. Thus, long before the manned flight, we will know that there is a rocket and fuel that can deliver the crew back to Earth.

Two years after the start of the program, we will launch two rockets - a manned one (with four astronauts on board) and an unmanned vehicle. And since we already have a reverse rocket, we do not need to use a huge and super-equipped apparatus. We can use a fairly simple machine - as simple as a tuna can.

This "tin" will be slightly larger in size than the one you bought at the supermarket. Its diameter is 8 meters, height is 6 meters. The lower deck will be intended for cargo transportation, the second deck will be for crew accommodation.

The ship has four small rooms for each astronaut, a research room, a kitchen, a gym, a library, and a solar radiation shelter in the center.

Danger for astronauts

Two types of radiation could harm the crew. Solar flares from the Sun (prominences) and cosmic waves. Solar flares occur all the time, but large ones occur once or twice a year, and they occur unpredictably. The likelihood of an outbreak occurring within six months of travel is very high.

Solar radiation is protons, and to slow them down, a layer of water 12 cm thick is enough. We will equip a section in the center of the ship where astronauts can hide from a solar flare for several hours, and shield the shelter with the ship and its cargo.

We do not fully know the nature of cosmic radiation. Its power is enormous, and a layer of water of 12 cm will not be enough to protect against radiation. But we can estimate the risk of developing a fatal type of cancer as a result of such radiation within 1%, because in quantitative terms the dose of such radiation is not so large.

For example, the average non-smoker has a 20% chance of dying from cancer. On a ship this probability will be 21%. If you smoke, this probability is 40%. So if we hire a team of smokers and send them to Mars without tobacco, it will significantly reduce the likelihood that they will get cancer.

Zero gravity can also cause harm to astronauts in space. Because of it, muscles and bones will weaken. You need to use artificial gravity. We can create it and get rid of the harmful effects of zero gravity. But this issue still needs research.

Manned mission and risk factors

We are exploring Mars to exploit the materials and minerals available there. The idea is that we can use local resources. This will not only make the mission cheaper, but also make it more effective.

We need six months for a one-way flight to Mars. The ship will be able to begin returning to Earth two years after the crew launches from Earth.

We also looked at risk factors. First, we launch an unmanned vehicle, which begins to produce fuel and conduct research using robotic vehicles. The manned vehicle must arrive at the same point as the unmanned one.

What to do if the second device lands at a point several hundred kilometers from the first? Our first unmanned vehicle has a Mars rover that will be able to deliver the unmanned vehicle to our rocket.

What if our ship lands much further than hundreds of kilometers? We will have an option with a spare engine, which we will equip the manned vehicle with, and it will be able to deliver the crew to the unmanned vehicle.

And even if we fail to find the first unmanned vehicle, if we fail to find the second unmanned vehicle, and the crew lands on Mars, the rocket will have everything necessary for life on the planet within three years, during which we will be able to launch another unmanned vehicle.

Let’s assume that the second unmanned vehicle lands far from the rocket, we still have backup options with the first rover. So, in the fifth year, a second crew will land on Mars, which will bring another unmanned vehicle. One manned and one unmanned vehicle will be launched to Mars every two years to support ongoing exploration of Mars.

What will we explore?

The first is whether there is life on Mars. We've tracked signs of erosion on Mars. This means that there was once water on the planet. Moreover, this year we learned that there is an underground lake on Mars. We assume that there are many such lakes, perhaps hundreds. This means that Mars was once similar to the early earth. Over 200 million years, life developed on Earth, but not on Mars.

If we find any living organisms on Mars, this will indicate the presence of life and prove that life is a general phenomenon for the entire Universe.

If there is life everywhere, this means that there is intelligent life everywhere and will prove that we are not alone.

After several missions and exploration of different parts of Mars, we will get answers to questions that concern all of humanity: is there life on Mars, is there any form of life there, what type of existence is used here, what is the genetic code, what is life in general? and how it coincides with the form of life on Earth, etc.

We will be able to prove or disprove the hypothesis about the emergence of life by chemical means, and conduct experiments that prove the possibility of the emergence of life evolutionarily from simple elements to complex compounds. Or we will find evidence that chemical evolution does not always lead to the emergence of life and that DNA cannot be formed solely by chemical means. And then the experience of the Earth is unique.

To do this, we just need to get to Mars, drill through the soil, reach water and carry out these studies.

Colonization of Mars

When we launch a regular shuttle program, we will fly to Mars six times a year.

Now we need to understand whether life on Mars is possible in the future.

After all, Mars is not just an object for scientific research. This is a world, a planet that is larger in area than all the continents of the Earth combined. This is a place that in the future may become the territory for the development of our entire civilization.

What do I mean when I talk about settling Mars? Does this mean that we will turn Mars into a beautiful planet with meadows, trees, birds, fish and monkeys? Exactly.

This is the nature of life - it can transform different environments of existence and turn them into places friendly for the continuation of life.

What do we know about Earth? Life changed her story. This is how the geosphere and biosphere arose on Earth. Life has created a ball of soil on the continents. Different species of animals and fish have colonized our planet. Life penetrates wherever it can reach.

Hawaii emerged from the oceanic abyss. Life has created plants, animals and good hotels here. And it would be unnatural if people stopped and did not fly through space, as they are now flying across the oceans.

Colonization of Mars will not happen in our lifetime. But what can we do now? We can transform Mars, make it suitable for life, not so much physically, but intellectually.

Survival depends on intelligence. If we learn to live on Mars, learn to grow plants and animals there, produce materials, we will be able to develop a region that will later revitalize all of Mars.

The song discussed in the article is undoubtedly the calling card of the formerly famous vocal and instrumental ensemble “Flowers”. The melodic composition by Vladimir Semenov based on the verses of the poetess Olga Fokina appealed to millions of Soviet music lovers and was loved by many fans of Russian music many years later.

History of creation

The history of the song’s creation is associated with a once very common misconception that is still shared by many listeners. They are sure that “My Clear Star” is connected with the terrorist hijacking of an airplane in October 1970. A terrible tragedy led to the death of the young flight attendant Nadezhda Kurchenko, who was planning a wedding with her loved one in a few months.

When the group “Flowers” released “Zvezdochka”, out of nowhere the opinion arose that it was performed on behalf of the fiance of the deceased girl. But in fact, Olga Fokina composed the poem that formed the basis of the song back in 1964, so it cannot possibly be dedicated to Nadezhda.

Interestingly, Fokina did not write lyrics for the songs, and therefore she was surprised when she learned that her creation had become a musical composition. However, this came as a more than pleasant surprise for her:

A poet who is not sung, in my opinion, is not complete. I am very grateful to both composers and performers that they do not forget my “Star”.

According to the memoirs of Stas Namin, the recording of the song was not without problems. Vocalist Alexander Losev that day was going to a hockey match between the USSR and Canada national teams, so he had no time for studio work, to put it mildly. But the musicians did not have the opportunity to postpone the session, so Namin almost forced him to sing:

The song didn't work out. He cried and left. We did thirty takes. They sculpted according to the word. At concerts he sang this song worse than on the record. And he sang it better than on the record only after the death of his only son Kolya in 1995.

Olga Fokina's poem was initially very touching, but in the song it acquired some special and real tragedy. Russian chanting verses alternated with a dramatic rock chorus, characterized by harshness.

Subsequently, the famous song was performed by many legends of the national stage, including Boris Grebenshchikov and Valery Meladze.

A symphony orchestra took part in the recording of the composition, which included, as they say, Yuri Bashmet.

Lyrics of the song “My Clear Star”

People have different songs,
And mine is one for centuries.
My clear star
How far you are from me.

Chorus:
You and I realized too late,
Which is twice as fun together.
Even float across the sky
It’s not like living on Earth.

The cloud touches you
He wants to close me off...
My pure, strict,
How I want to be next to you

Chorus

I know that for you I am not a god,
The wings, they say, are not the same...
I can't go to heaven with you,
Oh-oh-oh to fly...

Chorus 2 times

Quotes about the song

Now I’ve gotten used to the new rhythms, but before I used to sing this song myself, only a little slower. Actually, I always hum my poems.

Olga Fokina

I used to sing a song from 25 years ago, “My Clear Little Star,” with one subtext, but now I sing it in memory of my son. Inexplicably, the main song in the program became the main song in life.