The Incredible Shrinking Cosmonaut Corps

jonerik writes "Space.com (via MSNBC) has this article about the declining prestige — and size — of Russia's cosmonaut corps in these post-Soviet years of wild 'n' woolly Russian capitalism. Where at one time the mighty Soviet space program could count on thousands of applicants offering their services as cosmonauts, today the vast majority of young Russian civilians prefer more lucrative private sector careers, though recruitment among Russian Air Force pilots is still good since the pay is higher in the cosmonaut corps. Russia currently has a total of 37 active cosmonauts in three units, and though these numbers are considered sufficient, there would be fewer available reserves if the ISS crew expands to six, as had been originally intended. 'In the 1960s one would dream of becoming a cosmonaut, now the young men are dreaming of becoming bankers,' says Sergei Shamsutdinov, an editor at the Novosti Kosmonavtiki magazine. 'The romantic aspect of the manned space exploration is no longer there; it has been replaced by gray daily routine.'"

Because...

[SRA8]

I am similarly a sellout. As a child, I wanted to be a physicist -- like Newton. Then I realized that my fate (PhD) would be in the hands of a person I dont necessarily trust for 8 years. After that, i would not be able to afford decent housing or much of anything (unless I made it to the top 5% of my field.) Keep im mind its not just my own fate, but also of my wife and kids. Becoming a banker, programmer, consultant, whatever, was a decision to *not* save the world, but rather be able to find a job quickly whenever I needed and not have to worry about housing, childrens' wellbeing, etc. Housing is the key issue. I think if it wasnt for the exorbitant cost of housing, many more careers would be open to people who truly want them. With housing in the mix though, you spend every penny of your earnings trying to pay off your house and have little time to really contribute to society.

Let's not forget...

[bogaboga]

...that though these numbers appear to be shrinking, the US will still be relying on Russian technology when it comes to space. This should not be a surprise because even in these United States, there is change all over the place. Sadly, this change is not all positive. Who has not heard about corruption, incompetence and cronyism at NASA?

Let's remember too that Russia still possesses and is still capable of developing some of the most deadly weapon systems known to man. Just look at what the US says when arms are sold to the so called "rogue states."

Modernization of the Russian Economy

[reporter]

The Russians are slowly modernizing their government and their economy. At this stage of economic development, there is little resources for government projects that most rich nations can afford. Consider Japan. Before 1977, the Japanese made little progress on space projects. Most of the national budget funded the development of infrastructure to support the economy.

There is no reason to lament the fact that most Russians prefer to be bankers instead of cosmonauts. Russia is simply not at the right economic stage to splurge on space programs. During the Cold War, the Russians spent heavily on space projects, but that situation is due to government intervention (in the economy) against the will of the people. That intervention wrecked the economy.

When Russia becomes rich like the rest of the West, then the Russians will return to space. Given the the incredible accomplishments of Russian mathematicians, I expect that a Russian genius will decipher and advance the work of Burkhard Heim [newscientist.com]. In so doing, he shall develop the first working prototype of a warp drive. (The Americans have already developed phasers [slashdot.org], which can be deployed on a jet fighter. Are the Japanese working on shields?)

However, that is just an illusion for now. Right now, we must concentrate on steering Russia towards developing a true democracy and a real economy not based solely on commodities. The current pathetic state of Russia is partially due to the shenanigans of the Harvard elite [thenation.com].

Re:Bah

[heroofhyr]

I've never heard of a "young child" who even understood the concept of money and its limited supply and the fact people have to work for it let alone dreamt of one day being a banker. A bus driver, maybe. A pirate, probably. A cosmonaut/astronaut, I'm sure. A scientist, I can personally testify that that is a common child's dream. But a guy who sits at a desk all day filling out paperwork and wearing a tie? What the hell is wrong with a kid who wants to do that when they grow up? All right, maybe Michael J Fox in Family Ties, but other than that it seems unlikely. Incidentally, there were banks (sberkassy) in the Soviet Union as far back as the early 20s, and there were bankers as well. So if some weird, psychologically disturbed child really wanted to be a banker there was nothing stopping him/her.