Baikonur
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Baikonur
Leninsk Ленинск (Russian) | |
|---|---|
 An aerial view of Baikonur | |
 Flag  Seal | |
  Baikonur Location in Kazakhstan  Baikonur Baikonur (Asia) | |
| Coordinates: 45°37′0″N 63°19′0″E / 45.61667°N 63.31667°ECoordinates: 45°37′0″N 63°19′0″E / 45.61667°N 63.31667°E | |
| Country |  Kazakhstan Russia (administered) |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1966 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Busygin Konstantin Dmitrievich |
| Area | |
| • Total | 57 km2 (22 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 100 m (300 ft) |
| Population (2020)[1] | |
| • Total | 39,341 |
| • Density | 690/km2 (1,800/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+5[2] |
| Postal code | 710501 |
| Area code(s) | +7 73622 |
| Vehicle registration | N, 11 (), 94 () |
| Climate | BWk |
| Website | www |
Baikonur (Kazakh: Байқоңыр, Baiqoŋyr; Russian: Байконур, romanized: Baykonur), formerly known as Leninsk, is a city of republic significance[citation needed] in Kazakhstan on the northern bank of the Syr Darya river, rented and administered by the Russian Federation as an enclave. It was constructed to service the Baikonur Cosmodrome and was officially renamed Baikonur by Russian president Boris Yeltsin on December 20, 1995. During the Soviet period, it was sometimes referred to as Zvezdograd (Звездоград), Russian for Star City.[3]
The rented area is an ellipse measuring 90 kilometres (56 mi) east to west by 85 km (53 mi) north to south, with the cosmodrome situated at the area's centre.
Foreign visitors need pre-approval from the Russian authorities to visit both the town of Baikonur itself and the Cosmodrome. Foreign visitors need to obtain a written approval which is completely separate from having a regular Russian visa.
History[edit]
The original Baikonur (Kazakh for "wealthy brown", i.e. "fertile land with many herbs") is a mining town 320 kilometres northeast of the present location, near Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan's Karagandy Region. Starting with Vostok 1 in April 1961, the launch site was given this name to cause confusion and keep the location secret. (The original Baikonur's residents took advantage of the confusion by ordering and receiving many scarce materials before government officials discovered the deception.)[4] Baikonur's railway station predates the base and retains the old name of Tyuratam. This was the original Soviet railway station (railhead) on the Moscow to Tashkent Railway that the Cosmodrome was initially named after.
The fortunes of the city have varied according to those of the Soviet or Russian space program and its Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Due to the city's military and scientific significance, it was closed off by Soviet authorities. It did not appear on maps available to the general public during the Soviet period prior to perestroika.
The Soviet government established the Nauchno-Issledovatel'skii Ispytatel'nyi Poligon N.5 (NIIIP-5), or Scientific-Research Test Range N.5 by its decree of 12 February 1955. The U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance plane found and photographed the Tyuratam missile test range (cosmodrome Baikonur) for the first time on 5 August 1957.[citation needed]
The town has unique ties with space, and hence the history of the rocket building and space binds all the sights in the area and the cosmodrome. However, there are only a few exceptions: old locomotive, an Orthodox Church and a new mosque.[5]
Climate[edit]
Baikonur features a cold desert climate (BWk). Summers are hot with July highs averaging slightly over 34 °C (93 °F), while winters are cold, with longer periods of sustained below-freezing temperatures.[6]
| Climate data for Baikonur | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | −5.6 (21.9) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
4.2 (39.6) |
17.5 (63.5) |
26.3 (79.3) |
31.9 (89.4) |
34.1 (93.4) |
31.5 (88.7) |
24.9 (76.8) |
14 (57) |
4.5 (40.1) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
14.7 (58.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | −9.6 (14.7) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
−0.6 (30.9) |
11.4 (52.5) |
19.4 (66.9) |
24.8 (76.6) |
27.2 (81.0) |
24.4 (75.9) |
17.9 (64.2) |
8.2 (46.8) |
0.3 (32.5) |
−5.8 (21.6) |
9.1 (48.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −13.6 (7.5) |
−13.2 (8.2) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
5.3 (41.5) |
12.6 (54.7) |
17.8 (64.0) |
20.3 (68.5) |
17.4 (63.3) |
10.9 (51.6) |
2.5 (36.5) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−9.3 (15.3) |
3.5 (38.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 12 (0.5) |
9 (0.4) |
15 (0.6) |
17 (0.7) |
12 (0.5) |
6 (0.2) |
5 (0.2) |
5 (0.2) |
6 (0.2) |
14 (0.6) |
14 (0.6) |
16 (0.6) |
131 (5.3) |
| Source: Climate-data.org[6] | |||||||||||||
Places of interest[edit]
South of city center, near the Syr Darya River there is a large park with several sports and amusement facilities. Among these is a ferris wheel, which is no longer in use. The park is located at coordinates 45°36′42″N 63°19′06″E / 45.61167°N 63.31833°E.
Gallery[edit]
U-2 Photograph of R-7 Launch Pad in Tyura-Tam
Baikonur and Syr Darya River
Entrance to the city
Kazakh boy wearing a national costume at the celebration of Nauryz event in Baikonur with a camel
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Численность населения Республики Казахстан по отдельным этносам на начало 2020 года". Комитет по статистике Министерства национальной экономики Республики Казахстан. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
- ^ On the time change in the city of Baikonur and Kyzylorda region, Administration of the city of Baikonur, 13 December 2018 (in Russian).
- ^ Barensky, C.; Lardier, Stefan (2013). The Soyuz launch vehicle the two lives of an engineering triumph. New York: Springer. p. 189. ISBN 978-1461454595.
- ^ Siddiqi, Asif A. Challenge To Apollo: The Soviet Union and the Space Race, 1945-1974. NASA. p. 284.
- ^ "Baikonur". Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
- ^ a b "Climate: Baikonur". Retrieved October 23, 2018.
Further reading[edit]
- "Testing of rocket and space technology - the business of my life" Events and facts - A.I. Ostashev, Korolyov, 2001.[1];
- "Baikonur. Korolev. Yangel." - M. I. Kuznetsk, Voronezh: IPF "Voronezh", 1997, ISBN 5-89981-117-X;
- "Unknown Baikonur" - edited by B. I. Posysaeva, M.: "globe", 2001. ISBN 5-8155-0051-8
- "Rocket and space feat Baikonur" - Vladimir Порошков, the "Patriot" publishers 2007. ISBN 5-7030-0969-3
- A.I. Ostashev, Sergey Pavlovich Korolyov - The Genius of the 20th Century — 2010 M. of Public Educational Institution of Higher Professional Training MGUL ISBN 978-5-8135-0510-2.
- "Bank of the Universe" - edited by Boltenko A. C., Kyiv, 2014., publishing house "Phoenix", ISBN 978-966-136-169-9
- "We grew hearts in Baikonur" - Author: Eliseev V. I. M: publisher OAO MPK in 2018, ISBN 978-5-8493-0415-1
External links[edit]
- RussianSpaceWeb.com on Baikonur town
- Baikonur cosmodrome placemark
- Launch of the manned spacecraft Soyuz from the Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur travel guide from Wikivoyage
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