A routine space mission could turn into a historic ordeal. In May 1991, Sergei Krikalev blasted off for what was meant to be a standard five-month mission to the Mir space station. He was to perform experiments, maintain equipment, and keep the station in working order.
Everything seemed ordinary at the time.Back on Earth, the situation was anything but ordinary. The Soviet Union, the country that had trained and launched him, was facing deep political and economic turmoil. Republics were declaring independence, the Communist Party was divided, and a coup attempt added to the chaos. Krikalev was trapped in orbit, thousands of kilometres above a world that was changing faster than anyone could predict.
He ended up spending over 311 days in space. That’s nearly ten months. He orbited the Earth roughly 5,000 times. When he finally returned, his country no longer existed.
Sergei Krikalev remains in space while the Soviet Union collapses
Krikalev launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, accompanied by Anatoly Artsebarsky and British scientist Helen Sharman. The Mir space station, orbiting about 400 kilometres above the Earth, was a symbol of Soviet pride and scientific achievement.
Everything appeared normal at the start.But funding issues and the collapsing political system caused delays in the cosmonaut rotation programme. Krikalev could not return as planned. Weeks became months. His original five-month mission stretched to ten months. He remained on Mir, performing his duties while uncertainty loomed over his home country. Living in microgravity is physically demanding. Muscles weaken.
Bones lose density. NASA reports that long-term exposure increases the risk of radiation-related illness and can affect immunity.
Experts also suggest that psychological strain is significant. Isolation and limited communication make it harder to cope, especially when the world below is in turmoil.Krikalev reportedly kept in touch with people on Earth through the station’s radio. Casual chats became a lifeline.
They allowed him to maintain some connection with a planet that seemed to be slipping away.
Krikalev faces life after the Soviet collapse: Returning to a world that no longer exists
By October 1991, Kazakhstan had declared sovereignty. On December 25, Mikhail Gorbachev resigned, and the Soviet Union formally ended. Fifteen independent countries emerged. Cities were renamed, borders were redrawn, and the country Krikalev had left behind ceased to exist. His wife, Alina Terekhina, a radio operator in the Soviet space programme, avoided giving him full details about the political upheaval.
She reportedly told him that everything was fine, perhaps to shield him from stress. Nonetheless, Krikalev faced the mental strain of being out of touch with events that reshaped the world.Returning to Earth was physically challenging. Gravity required extensive readjustment, and the social and political environment had changed completely. He had to adapt to a world that was recognisable yet fundamentally different.
Krikalev’s journey through history and space
Sergei Krikalev became more than an astronaut. He was known as the last citizen of the Soviet Union. People around the world followed his mission. He symbolised endurance, duty, and human connection during a period of upheaval.In 2000, he joined the first team to the International Space Station, participating in a new era of international cooperation in space exploration. Yet his first mission remained unique. Ten months in orbit, a disappearing country, and a man suspended between two worlds. Krikalev witnessed history from a perspective few can imagine. He became a symbol not just of space exploration but of resilience amid uncertainty.
