A forest named after General Mirosław Hermaszewski has been planted near the Queen Hedwig Astronomical Observatory in Rzepiennik Biskupi. The 126 trees symbolise the number of circumnavigations of the Earth made by the Polish cosmonaut.

“We jointly planted 126 trees to commemorate the Soyuz 30 flight in 1978. I am glad that the Centre for Space Technologies of the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow has its share in this event. Our students, who have just completed an analogue space mission, can become a part of this remarkable story, which will certainly inspire them to continue their exploration of space topics. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for them. They are making their dreams come true”, said Professor Tadeusz Uhl of the Space Technology Centre at AGH University of Science and Technology. 

Agnieszka Gapys, Director of the Department of Information and Promotion of the Polish Space Agency informed that this is the first initiative commemorating our cosmonaut. “I believe that it will serve as an inspiration for future generations working for the Polish space sector”, she added.

For people who want to fly into space, such an event shows a real connection between the past and the future. The fact that the trees are planted by Analogue Astronauts, students at a Polish university, is a kind of tribute to the achievements of the Polish cosmonaut”, said Dr Agata Kołodziejczyk, Scientific Director of the Analogue Astronaut Training Centre.

The place where the forest is being created is no coincidence. General Hermaszewski was a frequent visitor to the Observatory, which has existed since 1988 and is equipped with two optical telescope dishes, a 9-metre radio telescope and an American ground-based satellites station. In 2010, instruments transferred from the Satellite Centre in Psary and the Satellite Regional Operations Centre in Komorow were installed there. The European Space Agency and the Polish Space Agency have installed their measurement equipment at the observatory.

Adrian Andrzejewski