Байконур

August 23, 2012 10:17 PM

"... with the break-up of the Soviet Union, Baikonour, now part of Kazakhstan, had to be leased by Russia from the Kazakh government, and suddenly looks less and less like a long term solution to the future of space exploration."
posted by barnacles (7 comments total)

gophigure
posted by stbalbach at 10:24 PM on August 23, 2012

Have Elon Musk buy it. The dream cannot die.
posted by Apocryphon at 10:52 PM on August 23, 2012

It's better to fade away than to burn out.

No doubt this place was for many years a prime target for a few hundred American and NATO nuclear warheads so it is a satisfying pleasure to see it dying of old age - rusting away in neglect and disuse.
posted by three blind mice at 12:41 AM on August 24, 2012 [2 favorites]

Der Ätna ist erloschen
die Friteusen auf Standby
auch im fernen Baikonur haben die Raketen heute frei.
posted by brokkr at 1:52 AM on August 24, 2012 [1 favorite]

Here is an interesting piece about Baikonur from the perspective of 1984, at the height of the Cold War. I distinctly remember reading this article when it came out, but it's a shame that the graphics aren't in the archive, as they had some German WWII maps of the area and some other interesting items. Before the Russians declassified everything, the US just referred to it as "Tyuratam".
posted by crapmatic at 4:17 AM on August 24, 2012

Wow. That entire blog [http://newsfeed.kosmograd.com/kosmograd/] is fascinating -- lots of interesting stuff about the Space Race, Mars' place in it, its reflection in art & architecture, &c. Thank you so much, barnacles.
posted by Westringia F. at 6:04 AM on August 24, 2012 [1 favorite]

Lovely stuff.
posted by Artw at 8:36 PM on August 24, 2012