BORISPOL, Ukraine – A man known in childhood as a screwball with a soft spot for frogs returned to his homeland a hero Monday when U.S. space shuttle astronaut Leonid Kadenyuk landed at Borispol Airport.
Kadenyk flew aboard the space shuttle Columbia in November as a member of an international crew. He said that distinction was what brought him the most joy during his 16-day mission.
‘The most pleasant memory was unfolding our Ukrainian flag on board Columbia, and with the same excitement I listened to the Ukrainian national anthem, which sounded on board,’ he said at a press conference.
Kadenyuk, 46, was greeted at the airport by his mother, sister and brother, who came to Kyiv from his native village of Kishkivtsi in the Chrenivtsi Region in southwestern Ukraine, as well as government officials. Kadenyuk’s elderly mother Nina said she was proud of her son but also relieved the trip was over, and ended well. ‘I was very worried, because it’s space, machines… But I knew Leonid would not have problems completing all his assignments, because he is very industrious,’ she said, a tear filling her eye.
Kadenyuk’s older sister Nadiya, who cared for him as a child, welcomed him back to Ukraine by placing a traditional garland of evergreens around his neck. Nadiya Kadenyuk said Leonid, unlike his twin brother Serhy, had been troubled in his youth.
‘Boys called him Lyonchyk-shalopaichyk [Lyonchyk the screwball]. Seryozhka, his brother, he was very quiet, he would stand wherever you put him down. And this one never had peace. You could see he would be like this all of his future life,’ she said.
Nina recalled her son’s goodness of heart. ‘He would pick up frogs from the marsh and dirt and bring them into clean water, because he felt sorry for them. He would say they suffered there, crying and croaking… He was very special when he was a kid,’ she said. Kadenyuk’s job on the six-astronaut Columbia crew was to conduct 12 biology experiments studying plant life in zero gravity. He said he had completed his assignment successfully.
‘It’s too early to talk about the results, because I was doing the first half of the experiment, which is to grow plants. The results will be published later,’ Kadenyuk said.
Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko rewarded Kadenyuk, by giving him, his wife and son a three-room apartment on vul. Vorovskoho in Kyiv.
In his free time aboard Columbia, Kadenyuk managed to introduce fellow astronauts to the Ukrainian culture and language. He said he organized two evenings of Ukrainian songs during the flight.
‘The Americans liked these songs, and afterward they started speaking Ukrainian. The captain was saying good morning and bon appetite to me in Ukrainian, even though he could not pronounce the words very well. They have problems learning our language,’ Kadenyuk said.
