Lifestyle

Ellen Alexander releases a book in honor of her grandfather Nikolai Bugaev “The Radioman of Cosmos Era”

Published

4 years ago

July 23, 2021

In May, a book about NikolaiIvanovich Bugaev, a person who worked in the same team as Sergei Korolev, the founder of practical cosmonautics, an outstanding designer and organizer of rocket and space technology in the USSR, designers Georgy Babakin, Mikhail Ryazansky, Alexey Bogomolov, will be released on the markets.

NikolaiIvanovich Bugaev also organized and provided telephone and television communication with all cosmonauts starting from the first human-crewed flight of Yu.A. Gagarin and right up to the entry into space and the first manual landing of the Soviet manned spaceship Voskhod-2. He organized and conducted communications with the first deep space objects, “Moon”, “Venus”, and “Mars”.

In the middle of the last century, talk about an artificial satellite of the Earth, a man in space, the program to explore the Moon, Venus, Mars seemed to most people taken out of the context of a science fiction novel. But there were particular people behind their implementation.

In those years, not only the name of Chief Designer Sergei Korolev was strictly classified. People rarely talked on television about those who participated in space exploration with him. Colonel NikolaiIvanovich Bugaev is among them.

When our first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, German Titov, and their comrades were in space, Nikolai Bugaev was the commander of NIP-10 — the ground measuring station near Simferopol, which was established to ensure communication with space objects.

Exactly from there, on October 4, 1957, a connection was made on the reception of signals with the first artificial satellite, and exactly there were carried out tests of the first Soviet moon rover. On a specially created lunodrom, space geologists and designers created and built a moon section, similar to the real one, with craters, stones, and “moon dust” from the Evpatoria shell rock. That’s where the crews were trained to operate the moon rover.

And on October 7, 1959, the Soviet interplanetary space station “Luna-3” photographed the moon’s back side for the first time in human history, and the image was spread worldwide. “Kolya, you and I will fly to Mars and Venus soon!” – said then Korolev to Nikolai Bugaev.

NIP-10 provided radio and TV communication between Earth and space, enabling cosmonauts in orbit to communicate by telephone with the Mission Control Center. Nikolai IvanovichBugaev is one of the two people who spoke to Gagarin during his legendary flight into space: the first was Sergei Korolev.

Later, Gagarin and Nikolai Bugaev repeatedly met, both for work and leisure.

That famous session, as well as all the following ones — during Titov’s flight and when Leonov went into open space for the first time and Belyaev for the first time performed manual control of the spacecraft landing — were successfully conducted by NIP-10.

Thanks to the flawless work of NIP under the leadership of Bugaev, many other world-shaking breakthroughs in space exploration were made. Aircraft were controlled from there, and scientific and service information was received and transcribed there. It is no coincidence that Bugaev’s home archive keeps photographs with dedicatory inscriptions of people, in whose honor stations, streets, cities, and planets are named today.

In 2021, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s space flight, Major Publishing House published a book dedicated to NikolaiBugaev, the radio operator of the cosmos era, who was at the origins of the Soviet and Russian cosmonautics. And he sincerely believed that in the near future, the words spoken to him by Sergei Korolev about flights to Mars and Venus would come true.

Selling points:

“Moscow House of Books”, “Biblio-Globus”, “MolodayaGvardiya”, “St. Petersburg House of Books”.

Book chains: “Labyrinth”, “Chitay-Gorod”, “Bukvoed”, “Gogol-Mogol”.

Online stores: “Partner I.D.”, Wildberries.

For more information, please call:

About the publisher:

Major Publishing House was founded in 2000. Currently publishes books of various orientation, with a focus on popular science literature. The Publisher’s books are represented in many large bookstores such as Biblio-Globus, Moscow House of Books, MolodayaGvardiya in Moscow, St. Petersburg House of Books, Yekaterinburg House of Books etc.

Lifestyle

Why Classical Dance Is Thriving on Instagram

Published

6 days ago

April 28, 2025

Michelle Langton

For centuries, classical dance forms like Bharatanatyam and Kathak have been treasured for their elegance, complexity, and storytelling prowess. But in recent years, these age-old traditions have found an unlikely stage: Instagram. From intricate mudras to rhythmic footwork, young dancers are captivating audiences worldwide, all in the span of a 60-second reel.

So, what’s fueling this revival of classical dance on a platform known for trends, filters, and viral challenges?

Instagram, with its visual-first format, has become an ideal space for artists to share their craft. Classical dance, rich in visual storytelling, translates beautifully into bite-sized performances that are accessible and engaging for modern audiences.

“Reels are short enough to grab attention but long enough to convey the essence of a classical piece,” says one of Spardha’s dance teachers, actively creating dance videos for the Instagram page of Spardha School of Music and Dance, an online platform for performing arts education. “You don’t need an elaborate stage or hours of performance; a simple backdrop and good lighting can bring your art to life.”

On Instagram, young dancers bring a fresh approach to traditional art. They skillfully blend classical compositions with trending audio tracks, often choreographing pieces that resonate with younger audiences.

These videos show how classical dance can be relevant in today’s world as young artists reinterpret popular songs in classical style. Such performances respect the tradition, make it accessible to a larger audience by making classical dance relatable.

Social media has also given classical dancers something they’ve never had before: a global audience. Platforms like Instagram allow Indian artists to reach audiences in the U.S., Europe, and beyond, fostering cultural exchange and appreciation.

And the feedback loop is immediate. Unlike traditional performances, which are confined to auditoriums and limited audiences, Instagram reels receive likes, comments, and shares in real time, creating a sense of community and encouraging more engagement.

The rise of online platforms for learning music and dance like Spardha School of Music and Dance has further fueled this trend. Spardha provides structured lessons in classical dance forms like Bharatnatyam and Kathak, and even Bollywood, making them accessible to young learners regardless of their location.

“Many of our students have taken what they’ve learned and showcased it online,” says a representative from Spardha. “It’s incredible to see them not just learn the art but also innovate and present it in ways that inspire others.”

By offering online classes, Spardha ensures that classical dance is no longer restricted to physical studios, enabling dancers to connect with their culture through dance no matter where they are in the world.

The success of classical dance on Instagram lies in its ability to blend heritage with modernity. The younger generation, armed with smartphones and a passion for preserving their roots, is making classical dance both aspirational and accessible.

Dance has always been about expression, and Instagram is just a new way of reaching people.