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| Photo via TASS |
Soviet cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev was in space when the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991. Unable to return home, he ended up having to stay in space until further notice. The cosmonaut eventually returned to Earth on March 25, 1992, after 10 months in orbit - to a nation that was very different to what it was when he had left. The Soviet Union had fractured into 15 nations, presidents had changed, and even his hometown of Leningrad had become St. Petersburg.
Interestingly, at the time, Krikalev was supposed to serve in the military reserve, and was almost issued a warrant for desertion – before the army realised that their reserve soldier was not even on the planet.
What happened to him? Currently, he is working as vice president of the S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia according to this Wikipedia article.
To read about Sergei Korolev, after whom this corporation was named, is another interesting journey. His involvement with Yuri Gagarin, for example, is so interesting! Here and here are two articles about Gagarin on this website.