Korolyov, Moscow Region, Russia — mid‑1990s. Inside TsUP, the Russian Mission Control Centre, engineers and reporters track an uncrewed Progress‑M cargo ship as it edges toward the Mir space station. First, a projector throws a white‑line schematic titled “Прогресс ‑ М” onto a dark screen. Labels highlight solar‑array wings, rendezvous antennas, and the docking camera. Meanwhile, blue CRTs display Cyrillic telemetry: “СБЛИЖЕНИЕ, СТЫКОВКА” with range 28 m and closing speed –28 cm/s.

1997 TsUP Russian Mission Control Center in Korolyov, Progress‑M resupply ship to Mir space station

Footage opens with a white‑line schematic slide labelled “Прогресс ‑ М”, calling out solar‑array panels, rendezvous antennas and docking lights. Telemetry CRTs show Cyrillic headers “СБЛИЖЕНИЕ, СТЫКОВКА” with live range (28 m) and closing‑rate (‑28 cm/s) data. A bilingual plaque “MISSION CONTROL CENTRE / Центр управления полётами” and a celebratory banner “130 лет Красный Октябрь” anchor the era.

00:00 – Red October 130 Years banner, tilt down to stacked paper files
00:20 – Mission Control wall, blue docking screen with range 28 m, v –28 cm/s
01:10 – Medium CU female reporter holding mic, cameraman foreground silhouette
01:40 – Photographer adjusts Nikon telephoto, flashes strobe
02:30 – Wide pan across consoles, engineers exchange headset comms
05:15 – Telemetry display scrolls status: “нет захвата” (no capture)
07:50 – Reporter nods to floor‑director cue, continues stand‑up
09:30 – Insert: close gauge needles, analog dials spike at contact
11:45 – Controllers applaud, screen shows “Стыковка!” green confirmation

Russian Mission Control Center in Korolyov

MOSCOW REGION, RUSSIA — circa 1997: A blond female television correspondent grips a blue‑foam stick mic and delivers a live stand‑up inside TsUP, the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolyov, during a Progress cargo ship’s final approach to the Mir space station.

A still photographer crouches beside her, tele‑lens raised. Behind them, blue CRT panels stream Cyrillic telemetry, header “СБЛИЖЕНИЕ, СТЫКОВКА” (Approach, Docking) with range and closing‑rate data. Cutaways reveal a red “Красный Октябрь 130 лет” anniversary banner celebrating 130 years of the famed Red October confectionery. Wide inserts track control‑room consoles, oscilloscopes, and flight controllers monitoring the docking sequence. (Footage by TVDATA.TV / Archive Video

Science & Technology → Space Exploration

Korolyov, Russia — c. 1990s: Tight shot of a white bilingual plaque reading “MISSION CONTROL CENTRE / Центр управления полётами.” Centered on the sign is the TsUP spiral‑globe logo in Russian tricolor red, blue, and white. The plaque is fixed to a brown acoustic wall panel inside Russia’s Flight Control Center. A burned‑in subtitle “Должен. Был.” sits at frame bottom, confirming source as raw broadcast footage.

Korolyov, Russia — c. 1990s: Classroom‑style projection of a white‑line schematic titled “ПРОГРЕСС М” (Progress M) with Russian call‑outs identifying solar‑array panels, rendezvous antennas, tele‑camera, and docking‑light indexes on the uncrewed cargo spacecraft. The technical slide fills a dark screen inside the TsUP briefing room; a burned‑in subtitle at frame bottom reads: “А по Второму каналу вот и продлили.” (roughly: “And on Channel Two they’ve just extended it.”) No people visible. Neutral brown wall surround, low‑key lighting.

c. 1990s: Korolyov, Russia — Classroom‑style projection of a white‑line schematic titled “ПРОГРЕСС М” (Progress M) with Russian call‑outs identifying solar‑array panels, rendezvous antennas, tele‑camera, and docking‑light indexes on the uncrewed cargo spacecraft. The technical slide fills a dark screen inside the TsUP briefing room; a burned‑in subtitle at frame bottom reads: “А по Второму каналу вот и продлили.” (roughly: “And on Channel Two they’ve just extended it.”) No people visible. Neutral brown wall surround, low‑key lighting.