Cosmonaut Ivan Vagner held an autograph session at the region's stand at VDNH

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On the Day of the Arkhangelsk region at the International RUSSIA EXPO, Hero of Russia, pilot-cosmonaut Ivan Vagner talked to the guests of the region's stand.

Pomorye is much closer to space exploration than it may seem at first glance. It is here that the First State Test Cosmodrome Plesetsk is located - the northernmost in the world and the only one in the European part of Russia.

Ivan Vagner is also a native of the Plesetsk district, he was born in the small village of Severonezhsk. At the meeting with the guests of the exposition he told that he dreamed of connecting his life with cosmonautics since childhood. After school he studied at the faculty of aviation and rocket engineering of the Baltic State Technical University "Voenmeh" named after D.F. Ustinov in St. Petersburg. He first went to the ISS on April 9, 2020. Together with Anatoly Ivanishin and astronaut Christopher Cassidy, he spent 187 days in orbit and returned to Earth on October 22 of the same year. Today Ivan Vagner is 37 years old and continues his professional career.

On the Day of the Arkhangelsk region a great number of people from young to old came to meet the cosmonaut. Ivan Vagner gladly shared his impressions of the exposition and took pictures with his admirers. The cosmonaut also highly appreciated the organization of the region's stand: according to him, it was possible to show many achievements of the Pomorye region within one platform.

"The Arkhangelsk region is our pride! This is my native land, I love traveling around the region, I love our land, the people who live here, it is my home," said Ivan Wagner.

The Hero of Russia admitted that due to his busy schedule he does not visit the Arkhangelsk region very often, but when he comes he always tries to meet with the younger generation, including children from the Arkhangelsk Patriot Center. At the autograph session Ivan Vagner wished the younger generation not to be afraid to conquer any expanse, not only space.

"Not many people dream about space now, but those who are interested in it are really talented fellows. And I would like to wish them not to be shy, to make small and big steps towards their dreams," Ivan Vagner said.

Opening the Day of the Region at the RUSSIA EXPO, Governor Alexander Tsybulsky also spoke about how the Arkhangelsk region continues the history of space exploration. He noted that in 1966, five years after the first flight into space, the first launch of the Vostok-2 carrier rocket with an artificial Earth satellite was made. This launch was made from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome.