Marina Vasilevskaya was welcomed on Earth with daisies and apple juice. Despite the fatigue after the strongest overloads that a person experiences when descending from the ISS, she smiled and sincerely thanked everyone for their attention.
After landing, a special airplane delivered Oleg Novitsky and Marina Vasilevskaya to the Star City. The correspondent Daria Belousova-Petrovskaya told how the cosmonauts were greeted.
Belarusian flags, a loaf and a sea of flowers. Marina Vasilevskaya and Oleg Novitsky were welcomed in Star City as real heroes. And they are really heroes, because the flight into space is an enormous strain on the body. After two weeks in weightlessness muscles need to get used to the earth's gravity. Therefore, more experienced Oleg Novitsky carefully supports Marina, who, we can say, makes the first steps on the hard surface.
Medics immediately warn those who meet: do not come closer than 4 meters. Cosmonauts' bodies are now very vulnerable to the earth viruses, so our heroes, giving everyone smiles, almost 5 minutes after arrival went to the resort building in Star City.
Dmitry Mezentsev, State Secretary of the Union State:
“We are all talking about the same thing. This is the intention of the heads of state, the countries united by the Union Treaty. Look how symbolic it is: Oleg Novitsky, a native of the Belarusian land, a citizen of Russia, Hero of Russia, and Marina Vasilevskaya, a citizen of Belarus. Is there a more obvious example of proximity, alliance and cooperation?”
The flight of Marina Vasilevskaya is a proof friendship and allied cooperation. We have already implemented 8 joint programs in the field of space. And how many more are to come! We are creating a unique Russian-Belarusian apparatus for remote sensing of the Earth. And all the scientific experiments that Vasilevskaya and Novitsky have conducted on the ISS are also a huge contribution to our common work.
Vladimir Gusakov, Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus:
There have been constant reports from the ISS, and Marina Vasilevskaya reported that all experiments are being carried out successfully. Yesterday they reported that they ended successfully. The results have been obtained, and we will process them. This is interesting data in the field of microbiology and human health, and food products - very interesting experiments.
For Marina Vasilevskaya the flight into space is an unforgettable experience and her personal victory. It is also a huge prestige for the state. The status of the first female cosmonaut of sovereign Belarus brings the country to a completely different - space - level.
Marina Vasilevskaya, participant of the space flight from Belarus:
Emotions are incredible! Expectations surpassed themselves, because what I saw with my own eyes is something unreal. The Earth is so big, powerful, strong. I wish all people on Earth to cherish what we have, because it is an incredible beauty - what I saw.
A big press conference has already been scheduled for April 9
