Faraway space

April is a special month for our country and all humanity alike. On April 12, 1961, a well-known phrase "Let's go!" started a new age in history - the age of space exploration. It's so pleasing to know that people who were directly involved in space exploration are now a part of a big Unitile team.

"Want to see the stars, dig!"

Aleksey Evgenyevich Belyanin, a senior reserve lieutenant, graphic designer.

Having a rich variety of options

— You didn't have a lot of options in choosing your future career, did you?

— I had a lot of options but had no alternative. My parents are professional soldiers. My father always wanted my brother and me to become officers. And we fulfilled his dream.

— A Military Space Force wasn't a random choice, was it?

— It was predestination (laugh). My father served in the Military Space Forces, so I have seen missile stages since I was a kid. And I always knew that the Mozhaisky Military Space Academy was my future. However, I had to work much harder on maths, physics, Russian, and sports during my last two years at school.

— Was the entry large?

— Fifteen persons per entry.

— Did you enter on the first try?

— Yes, I did.

The Ministry of Health Has Warned

— Was it hard to study?

— I would rather say that it was hard to get used to the schedule. Discipline wasn't something new for me, because I grew up in a military family. But I didn't take well a rule according to which we were allowed to go on a smoking break in a group and ask a platoon commander for permission. Moreover, we were not allowed to visit a platoon commander whenever we wanted - maximum four times per day.

— Did you break that rule?

— We smoked in secret. But only in the beginning. If someone catches you on taking an unapproved smoking break, the entire platoon marches to the grove to "bury your fag-end," that's how it goes. The entire platoon digs a 6 feet deep and 6 feet wide grave and solemnly puts a fag-end into it. So, after we dug over the surrounding grove, we had to agree with the Ministry of Health that smoking is poison.

— A spade builds such astronauts.

— Our commander loved to say, "want to see the stars, dig!"

Space Shield

— Where did you serve after graduation?

— The academy sent me to a military post that provided space shield around Moscow. It was located in remote woodland. So, it was quite a romantic place. When we approached a checkpoint, the only words my wife could say were, "Oh, my gosh!"

— What was the reason for creating the shield?

— The reason was to be always ready for any surprises and pray to prevent them. We monitored missile launches around the world. We also monitored satellites. We prevented a few orbit satellite collisions with "another party." If we didn't prevent it, we would have a global disaster.

— Such an insignificant thing can cause a war?

— I'm not talking about a war. Just imagine, an ocean of fragments forms after a collision. Before entering the dense atmospheric layers, those fragments make one or two circles around the Earth sweeping away all satellites and systems. So, the possibility of returning to the early years of electricity is no longer such a crazy idea.

— Have you seen asteroids that can destroy the Earth?

— The ones that Bruce Willis kicks in the movie? No, I haven't.

A Painter's Brush in an Army Backpack

— Why have you retired?

— I haven't retired. Just like many others, I was asked to quit the army during that infamous reform.

— And you've become a painter. It's quite unusual.

— When you look at me from the outside, it may seem unusual. I was always good at painting. I even finished art school. I even had a secret dream to commit myself to art education, but I've never told it to my parents. I learned to use the first software applications for art during the military service because I was responsible for the edition of a wall newspaper. It's quite logical.

— Anyway, a graphic designer who develops tile collections isn't a popular profession.

— It looks more like a chance. I saw an ad and decided to try myself in it. I did it. I liked it. And it has become not only my occupation but also my calling.