Russia consecrates its spaceships

english.pravda.ru ^ | 05/10/2004 14:58 | Anna Ossipova

[Destro]

Russia consecrates its spaceships

05/10/2004 14:58

Two priests, father Sergii and father Mikhail of an Orthodox church located at the Baikonur cosmodrome have both been awarded a title of "Honorary space-system testers", informs RIA "Novosti" with a reference to Kazakh media. Both of them will receive special certificates of the Cosmonautics Federation of Russia.

The priests have been consecrating space rockets and sputniks since 1998. Not a single one of the consecrated pieces of machinery has been in real danger since 1998. Two "Protons" that crashed in 1999, had not been consecrated. Back then, a customer did not wish to consecrate the rockets.

Today, almost all rockets at the cosmodrome as well as all launching pads are consecrated. This has become a tradition.

Recently, all crew members also undergo the ceremony at the local church of St. George the Victor.

Read the original in Russian: (Translated by: Anna Ossipova)

[Destro]

Think about the significance of this by Russia as reported by Pravda. How the world has changed. As bad as 9/11 was - the world did get better.

[Mad_Tom_Rackham]

This is sensible to me. It is ironic that, just as the Russian government is seeing the light, ours has such strong forces (Democrats) arrayed against it.

[Destro]

You don't even have to be Christian to ponder the significance of the Russian space program incorporating Christian prayer and ceremony as part of the pre-filght check list. The communists are spinning in their graves.

[peter the great]

Good point, and look at the results. Who ever would have guessed that a barrel of oil would be nearly $40 when only 6 years ago it was $12. Think of what that means for us and think of what that means for the Russians. To sum it all up the Democrats will lead us straight to hell if they ever get in power again.

[thoughtomator]

Yeah it's wild... Russia is rediscovering its identity.

[klpt]

[NewRomeTacitus]

If we currently bless our own craft the ACLU will soon be there to step between God and this government endeavor. Only they would try to disassociate space from it's creator.

[Spirited]

I suppose this shows that we have less freedom here than there. I know we can no longer speak as freely as they can.
May God help us.

[NewRomeTacitus]

Believe me, as a former cold warrior it hurt to point that out.

[OldCorps]

is this picture real or fake? I can't believe a priest would allow himself to be photographed holding a machine gun.

[spetznaz]

In Russia, as in Israel, the sheer proximity and ubiquity of terror give rise to certain things that would be shocking in the US. For example, imagine seeing US pastors on their knees picking up human body parts after a terror attack? Happens all the time in Israel (only certain people are religiously allowed to touch dead people, hence a special 'unit' deals with the sad task of collecting remains).

I'd be surprised to see an American priest or pastor holding a HMG, but in Russia i would onyl see it as an opportunity to snap a picture.

[spetznaz]

Imagine what would happen if some pastors went to a shuttle launch (once they resume) and tried to consecrate them. And they were allowed to do so by government. The ACLU would be out in such numbers, and litigation would be flying so thick, that we would never hear the end of it.

One thing i found interesting is that the 2 rockets that crashed were the ones that had not been consecrated. Even if i was an atheist i would demand my rocket to be blessed. LOL.

[spetznaz]

Imagine what would happen if some pastors went to a shuttle launch (once they resume) and tried to consecrate them. And they were allowed to do so by government. The ACLU would be out in such numbers, and litigation would be flying so thick, that we would never hear the end of it.

One thing i found interesting is that the 2 rockets that crashed were the ones that had not been consecrated. Even if i was an atheist i would demand my rocket to be blessed. LOL.

[spetznaz]

Ooops, sorry for the echo

Echo

Echo

Echo ........

[NewRomeTacitus]

In the highest realms of cutting edge science among the most disciplined technical minds our planet has to offer one will find...

irrational superstition running amok. Armed Marines couldn't separate Gene Krantz from his lucky vest during the Apollo missions. On the human level I can't see the Anti-Christian Leftist Union gaining traction trying to eliminate any ceremony that has accompanied so many successful missions.

Not that they wouldn't try.

[skepsel]

The priest is holding a PK, a pulemyot kalashnikov, general purpose machine gun in cal. 7.62 x 54R, ie. a .30 cal. medium machine gun, about equivalent to our M-60. The chaplains I knew loved to go out to the ranges and fire anything the troops were shooting, the bigger the bang the better! Never saw one at the demo range tying a catspaw or crimping blasting caps but it wouldn't have surprised me.

skepsel

[Looking for Diogenes]

This is a big change from the other pre-flight tradition I've heard of, one that carried over from the early days of Soviet cosmonauts.

Before every space flight the cosmnonauts would urinate on the treads of the rocket transporter. This came to light when Americans starting going up to Mir.

I wonder if the new practice supplants or adds to the old tradition.

[dennisw]

Good.

[Jonx6]

ping

[Truth666]

signs of the end times : perceived reality suddnely turned upside down