Superstitions surrounding Russian space launches revealed

It was a sight that would have been unthinkable in the godless Soviet era, when progress was the only recognised religion.

The Soyuz FG rocket sits on the launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, from where it is set to carry British astronaut Tim Peake to the International Space Station. Image by Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

A Russian orthodox priest walked around the 162ft (49m) high rocket that will carry British astronaut Tim Peake into space, sprinkling holy water on its fuselage and boosters and muttering prayers. Then he flicked more holy water on the watching relatives of Russian officials involved in the mission. Finally, it was the turn of the press. TV crews and photographers got a similar dousing as more prayers were said in Russian.

During the Cold War, Russian space activities were cloaked in secrecy. Today, they are steeped in tradition and superstition. Blessing the rocket is a ritual that dates back to the mid-1990s, after the fall of the Soviet Union. Monday’s ceremony took place at Launch Pad 1, the spot from where Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space, blasted off in 1961.

The Soyuz FG rocket sits on the launch pad at Baikonur Cosmodrome. Image by Gareth Fuller/PA Wire

Four priests dressed in black and gold arrived at the launch site, where invited guests and media representatives had already gathered. One of them slipped behind the superstructure surrounding the rocket to deliver the holy water to the hidden body of the launch vehicle, before turning his attention to the onlookers. The blessing is just one of many rituals associated with Russian space travel. Not all are religious, and one is bizarre in the extreme.

In Moscow, cosmonauts on an up-and-coming space mission begin by placing flowers on the grave of Yuri Gagarin, whose ashes are interred within the walls of the Kremlin. Cosmonaut Alley, a peaceful area of the Baikonur Cosmodrome lined with trees, marks the location of another strong tradition. From Gagarin onwards, every new space traveller has planted a tree here. The youngest saplings were placed in the ground by Major Peake and his crew colleagues.

Tim’s six month mission on the International Space Station begins on 15 December 2015. Image by Bob Martin/Virgin Money London Marathon/PA Wire

The day before they launch, it also custom and practice for all cosmonauts to watch a Russian “cult” movie . “White Sun of the Desert” is billed as a Russian “Eastern” and features a desert hero vanquishing bandits. Before leaving the Cosmonaut hotel to “suit up” and head out to the launch pad, Major Peake will comply with another tradition by signing his hotel room door.

There is one more tradition – also started by Yuri Gagarin – that is spoken about but never witnessed by anyone outside the inner circle of the astronaut corps. On their way to the launch pad, the crew members step out of their bus at a hidden location and urinate on its wheels. One insider said: “Yuri Gagarin did this the first time, and that is why it has carried on.”

Whether or not Major Peake will observe this particular tradition is something that may never be known.

(Press Association)