Leonid Kadenyuk and Ukraine's students become a part of history (11/30/97)

Leonid Kadenyuk and Ukraine's students become a part of history

by Oleh Bula
Special to The Ukrainian Weekly

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Col. Leonid Kadenyuk on November 19 became the first Ukrainian cosmonaut to fly aboard a U.S. space shuttle. He will spend approximately 15 days in space at more than 150 nautical miles above the surface of Earth. His main mission is to conduct the Collaborative Ukraine Experiment (CUE), a middeck payload experiment designed to study the effects of microgravity on plant growth.

This is truly a historic moment for Ukraine and just one part of the beginning of enhanced relations between the United States and Ukraine in the realm of space exploration and development.

As is always the case on launch day for the space shuttle, the crowds at the Kennedy Space Center were enormous. Parents and children of all ages and sizes were here to look and marvel at the wonders of space.

The countdown seemed quick. It was only a matter of seconds and the space shuttle was miles in the air. It started with only a light, and then there were large plumes of smoke. We waited for the sound, but it didn't arrive until after the Columbia was well in the air. When the roar of the shuttle finally enveloped us, we welcomed it, proud to know that it was strong enough to let out such an enormous sound.

This is a normal experience for those of us who live close to the Cape; we can see a shuttle launch almost monthly here in Florida. When the crews return, the sonic booms of their re-entry can be heard as far as Orlando, 50 miles away. For many Americans, however, visiting the Kennedy Space Center can be a unique experience - a visit they make only once in their life. The trip is especially memorable for children. To visit during a shuttle launch is even more extraordinary and unforgettable.

There were many visitors at the Kennedy Space Center on November 19. They came from all across the country; many from California, Texas, New York and Ohio had driven hundreds of miles just to watch a launch. There were some from Canada, and several languages from across the Atlantic could be heard.

But on this launch, designated STS-87, there was one very special group: not only was this the first time they viewed a U.S. space shuttle launch, it was their first time in the U.S.

The group included nine students and three teachers from Ukraine who were living a dream come true. Thousands of miles away from home, these students, and thousands more in both Ukraine and the United States, have been working for many months to prepare experiments for the CUE. Dr. Vladimir Nazarenko of the National Academy of Sciences, who has led the CUE in Ukraine and trained many teachers and students on the details of the experiments, also was present.

The students had come from different parts of Ukraine, from schools that are participants in the CUE. Dr. Nazarenko leads those efforts in Ukraine, and, after two years of preparation, many teachers have now become expert in conducting this curriculum in their schools. In Ukraine as in the United States, these very real research-related experiments have been designed to be applicable in the middle and high school science curricula. On December 1 at 6 a.m. (EST), Col. Kadenyuk will be hooked up by special downlink through a Ukrainian television station in Kyiv to all the CUE participant schools in Ukraine. This will be the first time a Ukrainian astronaut is talking live from space with students from his own country. Thousands of students in Ukraine will be able to watch and interact during a short question and answer period with Col. Kadenyuk.

The nine Ukrainian students visiting the U.S. were outstanding in every possible way. At times it seemed they hardly had a moment to stop and think where they really were. They met and spoke to local, retired Ukrainians, they answered questions from President Leonid Kuchma about their stay, they participated in an Education Summit, and they were asked countless questions about their thoughts and feelings on the launch and the experiments.

They did very well, and when the shuttle successfully launched into space, they graciously posed for photos and received congratulations from Dr. Thomas Dreschel and Dr. Paul Williams, who have led the CUE effort in the U.S.

For these students, November 19 was a special day. Col. Kadenyuk became the first Ukrainian astronaut aboard a U.S. space shuttle; on the ground students from high schools all across Ukraine looked on and also became a part of history.

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