Together with his wife Svetlana, Daniil received his education at Amur State University. For three years the boys have been working at the cosmodrome as analysis specialists. What they experience when launching rockets, what life is like in Tsiolkovsky, the youngest city in the Far East, and what qualities are required of spaceport employees, the couple told in an exclusive interview with RG.
– Svetlana, Daniil, are you both from Blagoveshchensk?
Svetlana Gamza: Yes. They both graduated from school here and studied at AmSU in the Faculty of Engineering and Physics. I am majoring in Missile Systems and Cosmonautics, my husband is majoring in Physics. And after our undergrad, we went to graduate school together to major in Physics.
Daniil Gamza: The cosmodrome signed an agreement with AmSU. There is specific training: physicists are needed in Vostochny. You can come there on a contract or on your own initiative to become a communications operator. For example, my classmate works at the cosmodrome in the electromagnetic compatibility group. They monitor radio signals, look for interference in communications, block and unblock signals. They observe how communication is established throughout the cosmodrome. In short, there is a demand for physicists there. Since my profile is not very specialized, it is very possible to retrain as an engineer or mathematician. We also had a master’s degree in “Applied Mathematics and Physics”. So the range of specialties in which you can work is wide.
– Who is more at the cosmodrome: Amur residents or visiting specialists?
Daniil Gamza: About half. They come from AmSU every year. Maybe not too much at each launch, but the influx is constant. We have a very young team. At the cosmodrome you need a flexible mind and great interest. Analytics specialists are not a job, but a vocation that requires years of training. And you can’t get experience anywhere else. Here you definitely start from scratch. And young people are more flexible in this sense. In our management, the oldest employee is 36 years old and the average age is 27 years old.
– Have you dreamed of working in space since you were little?
Svetlana Gamza: I have always liked stars. I loved looking at the sky with my grandmother. She explained to me where Cassiopeia was and where the Big Dipper was. From my grandmother I learned that in the constellation of the Big Dipper there are a pair of stars, Mizar and Alcor, in which only people with good eyesight can see the second. And I distinguished them! But I still didn’t think about the cosmodrome. I actually wanted to work in the Ministry of Emergency Situations. But that year there was no hiring of women. And then I discovered that there is such an interesting specialty that the future is fixed. Why not try to become a rocket engineer? The perspectives captivated me.
Daniil Gamza: I never thought about space. At first I wanted to study computer science, but it was expensive to move to another city, so I went to study physics. They assured me that there were prospects. And I arrived at the cosmodrome after my marriage.
The most pleasant thing when starting up is when, after 50 seconds, a noise and a sensation of vibration arrives ten kilometers from the launch pad.
– What do you do at work?
Daniil Gamza: Each machine has sensors through which its status is monitored. The same thing happens in a rocket. To understand how it works, it is necessary to look at the statistical ranges of the sensors installed on it. The parameters are divided into slowly changing and signal parameters. The first are graphs and the second are points. The signal ones are all the divisions, all the beginnings, that is, everything that already worked. And they change slowly: pressure, temperature… Something that transforms every second. As analytics specialists, we sit in front of computers with two monitors. Special software, using information from sensors, shows in real time what is happening with the rocket. It takes off and the specialist “sees” the engine start: a parameter such as the pressure in the combustion chamber increases. I can tell the boss that the engine started and he passes it on to the journalist, who expresses this information on the broadcast. We are the ones who see in real time what happens to the rocket. You can’t learn this kind of work in a day. It is necessary to have great knowledge about missile launch statistics. The slightest movement of a parameter up or down – you need to think if everything is okay with the rocket and look at other interconnected parameters.
And we have Sveta in the control system. Generally speaking, I look to see if we are flying and she looks to see how exactly we are flying. And another group is watching to see if we fall apart during the flight. That is, they monitor overloads.
When the rocket takes off, the specialist “sees” the engine start: a parameter such as the pressure in the combustion chamber increases. Photo: TASS
– If something is wrong, can it be fixed?
Daniil Gamza: No, you can’t. But the rocket is very “smart”, it has programs for almost all cases. And if suddenly some kind of accident occurs, specialists sit down and think about how to reconfigure the rocket so that, if such a situation repeats itself, it behaves differently and is saved. In general, she can “stand up for herself” on her own. And we are needed to make it clear in real time whether everything is in order or not. And if something goes wrong, we’re the only ones who can say why.
Svetlana Gamza: In this case we have one hour to write a report on the comments. Everything we have been preparing for leads us to this moment. Because they will start calling to find out what happened. We must step away from the stress and oppressive environment, open the graphs and use them to understand what happened.
Daniil Gamza: We had a kind of exam. They turned on the flight telemetry of one of the fallen rockets, which was launched from Baikonur.
Svetlana Gamza: And we reported in real time what was happening. And then, in the allotted time, they analyzed and determined the cause of the accident not even in an hour, but in 40 minutes. We also have lessons at work. We prepare presentations so that colleagues from different groups understand who is doing what. For example, in the first lesson everyone talks about the devices in their systems. If you don’t know something, don’t worry.
Daniil Gamza: Because we don’t have something where they just give you instructions and work according to them. In our country we have to look for all the information that can be found. Our work is like an exam, to pass it it is necessary to prepare for everything. You can’t say “I know everything”, it won’t work that way. I probably don’t know something, but I don’t know what exactly.
– What is your job after a successful launch?
Svetlana Gamza: Within a month we must prepare a large technical report on our systems. We observe each parameter and write down all the characteristics and comments in the document. And we take note of what one organization or another must correct. We then reread this report several times and sign it. And if something is not found, we will be responsible for it.
Daniil Gamza: This report is the quintessence of all the work of the cosmodrome during a rocket launch. For our “Union” the volume of this document is about 200 pages.
– Do you have any signs, functional superstitions?
Svetlana Gamza: We wear uniforms and somehow it is difficult to stand out. But my nails, a piece of clothing or an accessory are always connected to the space. Lately they have become “space” socks. When Luna 25 was released, it had “cosmic” nails. And recently I bought a ring with the Sun and the Moon. But this is my personal sign.
Daniil Gamza: Yes, in our management we have not yet worked with superstitions. But still, most men don’t shave from day one. There are four in total. The first time the rocket is transported from the technical complex to the launch site. In the second it is already standing and around it there is a mobile maintenance tower; all missile systems are being checked. In fact, their entire flight is “chased away.” The third day is a reserve day, in case something has gone wrong on the previous two. And in the fourth, refueling and starting are carried out.
– Are you already studying the new Angara and Amur missiles?
Daniil Gamza: “Angaru” – yes, but “Amur” is still early.
Svetlana Gamza: We went to Moscow to the Khrunichev Scientific and Practical Center. We spoke with the specialists who created the Angara. We received full lessons, were shown presentations and were able to ask questions. And thanks to this we already have an idea about the “Angara”. The documentation will soon arrive at the cosmodrome; We will study it in more detail.
– How many launch campaigns have you already worked on?
Svetlana Gamza: The launch of Luna-25 in August marked its tenth anniversary. We are ten kilometers from the launch pad. In my work, the most pleasant thing when starting up is when after 50 seconds the sensation of noise and vibration arrives. At the same time, I am sitting with my back to the window, through which I can see the rocket, but I cannot turn around. I follow his flight in the cards and I rejoice inwardly: “He is flying, dear!”
– Were all the launches the same for you or are there any special ones? Maybe they were more worried before Luna 25?
Svetlana Gamza: Yes! We’ve been waiting for Luna for a long time. When they arrived at the cosmodrome three years ago, it was already planned.
Daniil Gamza: And I was also worried as a journalist. This is the third time I have “reported” (that’s what we say). The first time I was worried because it was the first time. In the second he seemed calm. And in front of “Luna-25” we were sitting with the boss, he suggested that, just in case, we work in an “emergency”. We have been waiting for so many years. We had to launch it…
How did you take the news that the mission failed?
Daniil Gamza: The launch from Vostochny was a success, even too smooth. There were high hopes. They started talking about the mission for the first time since 1997: She is my age. Now we cannot talk about the collapse of the lunar program. Minds remain, they function. Yes, we work at the cosmodrome, not at NPO Lavochkin, and we are not involved in the development of the spacecraft. However, we feel part of such a large-scale mission. Of course, it is sad, but we are not discouraged. And we are very happy for our Indian colleagues who managed to land their station on the Moon. It’s great that humanity is moving forward!
– Daniil, how did you become a journalist in Vostochny?
Daniil Gamza: The voice of our cosmodrome was Alexey Timchenko. But he moved up the career ladder and went to Moscow. And the launch is just around the corner and they organized a contest among the employees of our department. Svetlana and I performed on stage during our student years. We have our vows set. We spent an entire month preparing and reading the text. In the end they chose me. I’m actually sitting on the third stage propulsion system. I go to the report room and work on the report. Then I run like a bullet to my office and quickly see how our rocket got there. Additionally, I communicate with representatives of industrialists, people who manufacture propulsion systems.
– Where else can you study to get to Vostochny?
Daniil Gamza: The cosmodrome is not strictly an engineering place. We work at TSENKI – Ground Space Infrastructure Operation Center. And not only engineers are needed there, but also office workers, journalists, photographers, electricians, welders, drivers, transporters, lawyers, builders, chemists, metrologists and meteorologists. A person from almost any area can find their place at the cosmodrome. And if you want to work specifically with a rocket, then it is clear that a limited specialty is needed here.
– Do you live directly in the city of Tsiolkovsky?
Svetlana Gamza: Yes, in the Zvezdny microdistrict. They gave us a one-room service apartment, very cozy.
– Authorities say the city is being built and transformed. That’s clear?
Daniil Gamza: We have been living in Tsiolkovsky for three years and during this time half of the city has definitely changed. In just one year they created a very beautiful park. New playgrounds, outdoor exercise equipment, skateboard areas… And they built an absolutely incredible school! The sports complex also proved excellent.
Svetlana Gamza: As for entertainment, it is still difficult because the city is closed.
Daniil Gamza: But everything you need for a comfortable life here and now is present. So far it is difficult with all kinds of shopping and entertainment centers. We just have to get to this point, but for now, it seems to me, the priority tasks are building houses, creating additional infrastructure at the cosmodrome itself, an airport and a second launch pad for Angara.
– Do you regret having changed Blagoveshchensk for Tsiolkovsky?
Svetlana Gamza: Honestly, sometimes I feel sad. I want to go to the cinema, walk along the embankment. Maybe I love Blagoveshchensk a lot, I feel drawn there. Well, we recently bought a car and visit it more often than before.
Daniil Gamza: In addition, we often go out into nature: we have barbecues with friends, we go to the forest to pick mushrooms. And nature in Tsiolkovsky is within walking distance and very beautiful.
Svetlana Gamza: Silence reigns there too. At first I couldn’t sleep because of this silence. It was so unusual!
Daniil Gamza: I feel very good!
