1. I traveled to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and witnessed the December 2, 1990 launch of the Soyuz TM-11 mission, an historic joint mission with a private Japanese company. In this picture (not taken with a telephoto lens), the cosmonauts begin boarding for their mission to Mir.

2. At the Baikonur Cosmodrome, I saw the Soviet space program first-hand. Before the launch of the Soyuz TM-11 mission to the Mir space station, we were "up close and personal" with the cosmonauts.

3. The best testimony I can give to my impressions is that, if I had a chance to ride into space, I would want to do it in a Soviet launch.

4. Anatoly Kiselev, Managing Director of Khrunichev, details the history of Soviet space launches.

5. At Khrunichev, a schematic of the Mir ("Peace") space station.

6. Full-size model of the Mir space station at Khrunichev. At the time of this picture, the Mir had been in orbit for about five years.