An astral double

NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Roskosmos astronauts Aleksandr Kaleri and Oleh Skrypochka (born in Zaporizhia, Ukraine), recently came back to Earth after a long mission at the International Space Station. Skrypochka graduated from Zaporizhia’s gymnasium No. 28 and “became obsessed” with space. He later joined the USSR’s only experimental unit for astronauts at the city’s station of young technicians. The recent spaceflight was Skrypochka’s first. Incidentally, the gymnasium No. 28 has a museum dedicated to him. However, Zaporizhia does not forget the astronaut either. The local press gave a detailed coverage of Skrypochka’s stay in orbit, and the oblast newspaper Industrialne Zaporizhia (Industrial Zaporizhia) composed a set of questions from the pupils of gymnasium No. 23 and members of the rocket society to be further answered by the astronaut and published by the newspaper. The Day called Skrypochka’s mother, Halyna, and asked her about her son’s state of health. Halyna replied, “He is undergoing a prophylaxis at the Star City, and he won’t be able to talk to anybody during the next two weeks.” She said that neither she, nor her daughter, Natalia Skrypochka, had been able to “have a nice talk” with her son. “He needs to gather strength and stay in bed for some time. Right now we communicate with him with the help of text messages.”

The Dayalso called the famous Ukrainian musician Oleh Skrypka and asked whether he was the astronaut’s brother. The Ukrainian musician gave a humorous answer to this question: “He is my astral double.” However, the singer refused to go to space with Skrypochka or substitute him. “I have no desire to go to space. It is way too dangerous. When there will be comfortable flights, we will go there,” the VV front man said, chuckling. Indeed, why would he go there? His admirers need him on Earth.