The flight of cosmonaut Marina Vasilevskaya to the ISS heralds a new milestone in Belarus’ participation in space programs and a new level of allied relations with Russia, Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko said at a ceremony to honor the Belarusian cosmonauts, BelTA has learned.
Opening the ceremony, the head of statenoted that one slogan, motto, idea defined the life in Belarus for the last two weeks: “Space is ours!”
“We all thought about it, dreamed about it, and so it happened,” the president said. This phrase was said when the country saw off and welcomed back Marina Vasilevskaya, the first cosmonaut in the history of sovereign Belarus.
“Of course, we are proud of our fellow Belarusians, of everyone who, over the years, has made their Motherland proud by developing space technologies and conquering space,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.
People in Belarus are very happy about the successes of their compatriot Oleg Novitsky who lent a helping hand to Marina Vasilevskaya and did everything he could to help her adapt to difficult conditions and fulfill non-standard tasks, the president noted.
“Her flight marks a new stage in sovereign Belarus’ participation in space programs and a new level of allied, very kind, fraternal relations between Belarus and Russia, between our peoples,” said the head of state. According to him, the state flags unfurled at an altitude of more than 400 km above the Earth became a symbol of the fraternal ties of the two peoples.
Belarus was watching the flight with bated breath and admired the courage and determination of their compatriot, the president emphasized. In fact, the country can be proud of all the young women who signed up for the project; there were more than two thousand of them (and after the flight, even more people wanted to go into space). All of them are amazing people who want to test their limits and meet the expectations of millions of Belarusians. Aleksandr Lukashenko sincerely thanked each of them: “You are smart and beautiful, real patriots of Belarus.”
“Marina, one can say that you were luckier than others. You did a great job, indeed. You deserved this flight, absolutely objectively. It was not easy. The flight was preceded by extensive training, there were a lot of anxiety and stress,” the president said. He noted that he himself experienced this feeling of excitement and anxiety, especially before the spacecraft launch. After all, a launch can fail, and this has happened in the history of Belarus when the launch of the first domestic satellite did not go as planned. Marina Vasilevskaya and other crew members were very uneasy when the first launch was aborted and postponed to a later date. When the spacecraft stopped, it was the most nervous moment. “Your composure simply shocked me. Well done!” said the head of state.
Although the most difficult period for the first cosmonaut is over, her mission has just begun. “I know what it means to be the first one. You have become a household name for people in Belarus and all other people who were worried for you, together with your parents. Being catapulted to fame comes with a new responsibility, it is a very heavy burden, which you will have to carry your entire life. I’m sure you can handle it. We won’t let you stay complacent. You will have to work very hard,” Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized.
The president sincerely thanked Anastasia Lenkova: “You did well, you aced all the tests, like the first cosmonaut. I know this. Of course, I know how you felt (I would feel the same way) when you were one step away from your dream and things turned out a little different. But you carried yourself with dignity. And I promise, your experience will come in handy. We will try our best to make your dream come true.”
Aleksandr Lukashenko also thanked everyone who provided scientific support for the project, who ran it, and who prepared the young women for the flight. This includes scientists, doctors, trainers and teachers - everyone who helped them become even more confident. Separately, the head of state thanked the parents of the cosmonauts for raising such amazing daughters.
“Frankly speaking, I really wanted the girls to fly and become the first cosmonauts of the ‘women’s’ president [Aleksandr Lukashenko is often dubbed so for enjoying significant support from women]. I thought: maybe, I’ve already done enough for women and I am no longer indebted to them,” added Aleksandr Lukashenko.
The president congratulated everyone on upcoming Cosmonautics Day: “Now this holiday will become part of your and our personal history!”
Answer:
Dear Shivendu Paul and Metali Listeners' Club,
dthank you for your comment! We'll send you some of our souvenirs ASAP.
Stay tuned and 73,
RBI
Hallo Radio Belarus,
ja der Dieter Leupold ist jetzt auch hier im Gästebuch vertreten... Super, bald sind wir alle zusammen hier im "Belarus Hörerclub", Dieter könnte 1.Vorsitzender werden und Jana und Elena Ehrernmitglieder, Helmut Matt Schriftführer, Alfred Albrecht Beisitzer und ich mache Hausmeister:-) Lutz Winkler wie fit bist Du bereits wieder, für Dich finden wir auch eine nette Aufgabe:-) Beste Grüße und ein schönes Wochenende.
Dietmar
Answer:
Lieber Dietmar,
das stimmt, für alle finden wir im Hörerklub eine Aufgabe!:)
Liebe Grüße und einen guten Start in die Woche!
I recently learned my surname is not Polish, but Belarusian. I heard you on shortwave in the past and am so happy to listen online in English. We hear nothing about Belarus here in the US so I am so glad to learn about your country. Keep on broadcasting in English. I also joined the Hoererklub on Facebook as I can understand German. If you have information or a station pennant, I will very much appreciate it.
Sheryl Paszkiewicz, 1015 Green St, Manitowoc WI 54220 USA
Answer:
Dear Sheryl, thank you very much for listening to us! We'll send you some of our souvenirs as soon as we can. By the way, if you're interested, you can participate in our "The Old Country's Loving Call" project and send a greeting to Belarus. You can find more detailed information at http://www.radiobelarus.by/en/content/hukaje_eng
Also, in case you like sports, here's the link to an international competition of ours "My Greetings to 2nd European Games" http://www.radiobelarus.by/en/content/games_eng
73 from the entire staff of RBI! Прывiтанне з Малой Радiзмы :)
Hello from Birmingham United Kingdom!
My name is Michael.
I really enjoyed listening to your program on the Hotbird satellite 13e. I very much love listening to your news and current affairs.
Ask you to send me a small gifts. I hope you guys are all good.
Lots of love from UK
Especially enjoying learning about Belarus. History and culture
Michael Rogers
Flat 2 463 City road Birmingham
B17 8LG
United Kingdom
Answer:
Michael,
thank you very much for listening to us! We're glad that you enjoy our programs. We'll send you some of our souvenirs as soon as we can. Best regards and stay tuned!
Hello. I am a new listener to your English service. I listen on the Radio 1 News app. I enjoyed listening to the news. Do you have any information on shortwave broadcasts you can send me?
Thank you,
Joe Cosimo
23 Ivy Ln, Dupont, PA 18641 U.S.A.
Answer:
Dear Joe, thank you for listening to Radio Belarus International! We're glad that you enjoyed our news. RBI broadcasts on shortwave only in German on 6005 and 3985 kHz. News and programs in English are available via our website and satellites. We'll also send you a postcard and a small souvenir as soon as we can. 73!
Hello,
My name is Younes Lazazi, I am from Algeria.
I am very happy that radio Belarus has started broadcasting in Arabic.
I would like to receive stickers and printed matter of the station and the Arabic and french services if possible.
My address:
Monsieur Younes Lazazi 14 rue Maza Boualem El-Harrach 16009 Alger Algérie
Thank you.
Answer:
Dear Younes Lazazi,
we're happy that you like our boradcasts. We'll send you some of our printed materials via mail in the nearest future. 73!
Dear English Service Radio Belarus,
Greetings to all staff and listeners of English Service of Radio Belarus. We listen your webcast program. Your program quality is very nice. Your website is colorful & documented. We liked your programs, News, and Current Affairs Program. We are interested about Culture, life style of Belarusian people, historical places, Tourist attraction and destination of Belarus.
Please send some program schedule, sticker, view card, Promotional items of Radio Belarus for our club members and students.
We are waiting for your reply.
With best wishes,
SHIVENDU PAUL
President
Metali Listeners' Club
India
Answer:
Dear Shivendu Paul,
thank you very much for listening to us! Your club is among our most dedicated listeners. We will send you some of our promotional products as soon as possible. 73!
Hello!
Did the arabic programmes start? I don't see them on your Internetcast schedule page. Thanks!
Answer:
Hello! The Arabic programmes have been on air since October, every Monday. You can see the schedule and listen to them on our Arabic page http://radiobelarus.by/ar
FM transmitters and frequencies:
Rakitnitsa - 106.2 MHz
Hrodna - 95.7 MHz
Svislach - 104.4 MHz
Heraniony - 99.9 MHz
Braslau - 106.6 MHz
Miadzel - 102.0 MHz
Satellite broadcasting:
see satellite parameters here
