Russia Launches Rocket From New Cosmodrome

Russia has recently finished construction on a new place to launch rockets called the Vostochny Cosmodrome. This new launch pad is located in an isolated area of the Amur Region in Russia's Far East.  On Thursday, a day after its original launch date, the cosmodrome had its first rocket launch at 5:01 AM (Moscow Time). The rocket carried three satellites into orbit. Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, was there in person to witness the launch. The first manned mission to the ISS (International Space Station) from the Vostochny Cosmodrome is expected to happen in the year 2023.

Here is the footage of the actual launch:
https://youtu.be/SkvBiD-XSeQ

Yuri Gagarin

55 years ago this past Tuesday, Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into outer space, and he was noted for his completion of an orbit around the earth. He was a Russian Soviet astronaut and quickly became an international hero after his orbit around Earth. Along with being an astronaut, Yuri Gagarin was a pilot in the Soviet Air Force, and later trained astronauts at the Cosmonaut Training Center just outside Moscow, Russia. (Since then, the training center has been named after him).

 

Hiking Trail in Russia

The Frolikha Adventure Coastline Track is a well-known hiking spot near Lake Baikal in south Russia.  The total distance of the trail is around 100 km (about 62 miles).  The trail is a difficult one since during one's time along the trail crossing 65 m wide rivers and climbing large boulders are not uncommon.  There are no bridges or ladders to overcome these obstacles either. As it gets extremely cold at night, hikers need the best equipment to protect themselves from the cold. Despite the difficulty of the trail, the sights are quite beautiful along the way!

First McDonald's Opened In Russia 26 Years Ago

Today marks the 26th anniversary of McDonald's coming to Russia.  The first Russian McDonald's was opened on January 31, 1990 in Moscow when the Soviet Union was still in tact.  The appearance of McDonald's in the Soviet Union at the time indicated the changing of the times.  People received this sign of capitalism with great enthusiasm and would line up outside the restaurant to buy its fries, shakes, and Big Macs (which would equate to a few days' wages for them).  According to a few journalists, the Soviets were amazed at the politeness of the restaurant workers and encouraged by the "expression of American rationalism and pragmatism toward food."  Today more than 500 McDonald's exist in Russia.

Russian Athletes Under Investigation for 2016 Olympics

Recently, after allegations that professional Russian athletes have been using performance-enhancing drugs, Russia's sports programs have been put under investigation for the upcoming 2016 Summer Olympics.  The Russian sports authorities are suspected of sponsoring a nation-wide doping program.  So far, the entire Track & Field team has been put under suspension for the upcoming 2016 Olympics. However, Russia is doing all they can to make changes to earn back their privilege of going to Rio de Janeiro by cracking down on the athletes, coaches, and officials who have been participating in this doping program. Russia's sports minister, Vitaly Mutko has taken up responsibility in making sure that all Russian professional athletes stop taking the performance enhancing drugs.  His hope is that in a few months, they can present themselves to the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) to show they are capable of following IAAF rules and have their competitive status back for the 2016 Summer Olympics.    

Unity Day: November 4

With November just around the corner, I thought Unity Day would be a fitting blog post. Unity Day is a national holiday observed in Russia.  Unity Day commemorates an uprising that freed Moscow from Polish-Lithuanian occupation, which occurred on November 4, 1612. Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky were the leaders of this uprising and therefore became national heroes.
Unity Day was not made a national holiday until 1649 and was done so by the Russian Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich.  Yet, when the Bolsheviks came to power, they replaced it with a new holiday, which was on November 7, and it commemorated the Revolution of 1917.  In 2005, the Russian Parliament removed the commemoration of the Revolution of 1917 as a national holiday and reinstated Unity Day as a national holiday.
Russians celebrate Unity Day in many different ways.  Many lay flowers on the statues of the national heroes who led the uprising.  Russian Orthodox Christians usually attend a church service to honor Our Lady of Kazan (a Russian Orthodox icon) who's feast day is held on November 4.  Many concerts and exhibitions will also take place on this day to commemorate the holiday.


*Statues of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky