This project was officially signed-off by Putin and Lukashenko in April 2022, and in June 2022, a statement attributed to the Belarus Academy of Sciences (AoS) said that one hundred candidates had been identified. All candidates had to be between 22 and 35 and with a scientific, medical or engineering degree and relevant experience.
Belarus has released little information about the selection process for the Belarusian Woman in Space’ project. No open call was made, so it seems reasonable to assume that scientific, medical, engineering, and, possibly, military organisations were invited to nominate candidates. Much more recent statements said that Marina Vasilevskaya and Anastasia Lenkova had been chosen from three thousand applicants, so there’s an obvious inconsistency here in the true number of applicants.
By late 2022, the list was down to twenty-nine names, nineteen men and ten women. At some point, someone remembered that Lukashenko had promised to send a woman and so it seems that the men dropped out. Six of those women went to Star City, near Moscow, for vetting by Russian experts, over several days, in December 2022. All six were said to have passed, which, when compared to other similar selection groups,
The six comprised two doctors, two scientific researchers and two flight attendants.
On the final day of this process, Lukashenko visited, and one of the six, Belavia flight attendant, Marina Vasilevskaya, repeated her 8 g centrifuge run. The same day, Lukashenko was photographed standing between Vasilevskaya and Dr Anastasia Lenkova, perhaps suggesting that he had made the selection of the final two candidates himself, at that moment.
Dr Anastasia Lenkova, 28, is a doctor, a children’s paediatric surgeon, and radiologist. Initially, that was the extent of her official biography, but some online research told us a lot more. She won the Belarusian award as the Outstanding Young Medical Practitioner in 2019. She undertook studies, and work, at hospitals in Great Britain (York) and in Moscow. She has authored numerous medical and academic papers, and has presented her work at conferences across Western Europe. On 1st March 2024, her official cosmonaut biography was published by Roscosmos, and now includes all this information. It is a very impressive resume for someone who is only 28 years old.
So, what do we know about Marina? Well, the first thing we can say is that her resume is much less impressive, and it is a mystery how she was even allowed to enter the selection procress.
Marina Vasilevskaya is 33 years old, and became a flight attendant, with Belavia, in 2017. At some point, she became a cabin crew instructor. According information released through the Belarusian media, prior to 2017, she was a professional ballroom dancer. Unlike Anastasia, her online history is almost non-existent. What we have been told, implies that she began her dancing career in 2002, when she was twelve. Whilst this is perfectly plausible, it is perhaps a little strange that there is no record or ‘footprint’ of any of this online. She apparently left school at sixteen without any higher education, to pursue her dancing career. A professional dancer might be expected to win competitions, or appear on TV, but there is no information available about any such events.
In addition, she had no social media presence prior to 2017. This is extremely unusual for a young woman, especially one allegedly involved in a career where publicity and self-promotion are quite important.
Her high school graduation record is available, online, and it shows she left school in 2006, seemingly confirming that she did not continue to higher education, at that time.
When her official biography was also published on 1st March 2024, it was revealed that she obtained a degree in 'Management' at the Minsk University of Innovation, in 2017, just before she joined 'Belavia'. There is now no mention of dancing, which now appears as a hobby, and no explanation of what she was doing between 2006 and 2017. This period simply isn't mentioned by Roscosmos, the Belarusian AoS, and is not questioned by the compliant Belarusian media.
A degree in a STEM related subject was said to be a pre-requisite to apply for the cosmonaut selection process. How did she overcome this obstacle? How was Marina even able to enter the selection process?
So, all this raises the distinct possibility that perhaps Marina had another career between 2006 and 2017. One which gave her some education, skills or experience which eventually enabled her to be invited, or fast-tracked, into the cosmonaut selection. Or, perhaps it was also a career, or role, that brought her into contact with Lukashenko, or his circle, and reaffirmed her political loyalty and reliability. This would certainly have been a key consideration in Lukashenko’s eyes.
When the search for a woman cosmonaut began, perhaps Lukashenko, one of his sons, or one of his advisors, threw Marina's name into the mix. How else would a flight attendant even be eligible to apply?
Whatever she did between 2006 and 2017, it seems to be something that the Belarusian regime, the AoS and Marina Vasilevskaya herself don't want to talk about. Perhaps it is something that NASA, ESA and the other ISS partners might not be wholly comfortable with?
Since their assignments were announced in May 2023, Vasilevskaya and Lenkova’s contact with the media has been very carefully managed. They had given only a handful of interviews, to selected Belarusian state controlled media outlets. On each occasion, Lukashenko, or a member of his family was involved. Clearly the dictator wants some of the glamour, and prestige, of this flight to rub off on him.
In these few public appearances, Vasilevskaya has come across as very confident and self-assured. One of her instructors described her as fearless. She has praised Lukashenko and the AoS for giving her opportunity to go into Space. She has clearly been carefully vetted by both the Belarusian and Russian sides, and she does come across as someone who is more than a typical flight attendant.
For several months, Dr Lenkova was a little more reserved with her remarks, although as the back-up, she is always going to be in Vasilevskaya’s shadow. However, during the final few days of activities at Star City, and during the pre-departure press conference, she was more open and forthright about her hopes and feelings.
In the last two weeks, both Soyuz MS-25 crews have completed their training, exams and all pre-flight traditions, before leaving for Baikonur. To be fair to Marina Vasilevskaya, she achieved an excellent rating from her instructors, and her Soyuz commander, Oleg Novitsky said that was capable of flying as a fully-fledged flight engineer. Anastasia Lenkova also achieved similar rating in the exams.
This has opened up a lot more media attention on both Vasilevskaya and Lenkova, and also their families. Marina has given the impression of being a strong, confident, and even charismatic, woman, who is totally focused on performing the task she has been selected for.
Anastasia Lenkova is clearly equally well-prepared, qualified and willing to fly. She has responded to all questions about being the back-up professionally, and with dignity. She gives the impression that she definitely hasn't given up on the possibilty that she could still fly on MS-25. But, as is often the nature of such situations, as the back-up, she is always slightly in the background. Perhaps her turn will come on a long duration flight, in a couple of years?
So, to go back to the question we asked at the beginning; "Why is Belarus sending a Flight Attendant into Space?"
The most likely answer is that Marina Vasilevskaya is, somehow, more than a regular flight attendant. She has probably done other things in her career, that allowed her into the cosmonaut selection process, and once in that process, her strong personality, and perhaps her contacts, enabled her to emerge as the favoured candidate, ahead of women with much superior professional qualifications.
It now looks almost certain that Marina will be launched into Space on 21st March, so, however she managed to get the assignment, we wish her good luck and a safe trip.
When she returns, she will doubtless become a useful, loyal and reliable 'poster girl' of the Lukashenko regime.
Updated 13th March 2024
Photos GCTC/NASA
No comments:
Post a Comment