Russian Aviation and Space: Technology and Cultural Imagination

conference, 28-30 October 2010

University of Leeds

The aims and objectives of the initiative are as follows:

To bring together a community of researchers with similar or overlapping interests, in an environment which encourages academic interaction, but which also communicates directly with non-specialist aviation enthusiasts, in order to develop public engagement.

To create an environment in which researchers with an interest in Russian and Soviet culture, especially aviation, technology and science, can present their research findings, and interact with leading academics, professionals and enthusiasts in order to exchange knowledge and develop ideas.

To focus on the centennial anniversary of the first All Russian Aviation Week” and the first “All Russian Festival of Aeronautics” in St Petersburg in 1910 (April-May and September-October respectively), and the upcoming 50th anniversary of the first space flight by Yuri Gagarin in 2011, in order to assess the cultural background and cultural impact of Russian aviation from the C20th and into the C21st. The Russian Aviation and Space Agency expects to unveil a brand new multifunctional space ship as early as 2010. Since the collapse of USSR in 1991, and with NASA threatened by budget cuts in USA, it has long been assumed that India, China and the EU would become the major players in space technology and exploration.