"Planetograd" extinguishes the stars

The story of the struggle to preserve the Pulkovo Observatory in St. Petersburg may be approaching the final. The developer has already announced the start of sales of apartments in the future of the planetograd residential complex, which they want to build in the protective zone of the observatory that has existed since the 19th century. Development will entail background illumination of the sky, due to which it will be impossible to observe dull stars.

The ban on construction within a radius of three kilometers from the Pulkovo observatory appeared simultaneously with her herself, founded by Nikolai I in 1839. The Soviet government also observed the tsarist decree repeated by the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of March 11, 1945, and after the collapse of the USSR, by order of the Committee on Urban Planning of December 20, 1996. And only Valentina Matvienko, when he was the governor, violated all the prohibitions and allowed to sell 90% of the land zone land, although the legality of these transactions is still questioned. Already now, the work of astronomers is noticeably interfered with the recently erected congress and exhibition center Expoforum, and if the planetograd residential complex is built, designed for one and a half million square meters of housing, then, along with the paid high-speed road, Moscow, covered at night, it can put an end to astronomical observations, which have been conducting for more than a century and a half.

The ban on construction within a radius of three kilometers from the Pulkovo observatory appeared at the same time

In 2016, St. Petersburg deputies adopted a law according to which the construction in the protective zone of the Pulkovo Observatory is impossible without agreement with scientists. It was assumed that this would save the rapidly deteriorating astriculum around the observatory. However, the new director of the institution Nazar Iskhanov agreed to build the first stage of the planetograd residential complex bypassing the Academic Council. Now the initiative group of defenders of the observatory is going to challenge this approval in court.

We are talking about the protection of the Pulkovo Observatory with this autumn, a senior researcher at the observation astronomy of this observatory by Marquyan Chubei and an engineer of the astrometry laboratory and star astronomy, an expert at the astrocratic group of urban planning, Alexander Shumilov .

- Alexander, why are you fighting and why?

- We retain the legacy that we got from reasonable ancestors. This is amazing, but there were only two astrometric observatories - space, satellite: 20 years ago, the Hipparcos satellite flew, and Gaia flies now. All terrestrial astrometry was read by the imminent end. But Hipparcos flew off, and it turned out that the ground astrometry only became better, a very good catalog appeared, regarding which excellent dimensions began to be carried out from the ground. One did not replace the other, but complemented.

We keep the legacy that we got from reasonable ancestors

And the GAIA satellite also should now make a certain civilizational breakthrough - and we have telescopes that are supporting the GAIA mission. One of them, a large refractor, in particular, shoots double stars, and in 2016 he came out in the first place in the world in these observations, overtaking his American competitor - the telescope of the US Marine Observatory. And when Gaia flies away, ground astrometry will also make a certain round.

All space topics are quite expensive - they have to be done in international cooperation, using the resources of many countries. It happens that rockets explode at the start. And terrestrial telescopes have never exploded - we have a fundamentally cheaper science, and it is much easier to preserve, this is a financially effective industry. Our wonderful large refractor makes 5 thousand observations per year and at the same time costs the budget only the money that is paid for electricity - about 13 thousand rubles a year, and we do all the maintenance from our own grants, that is, there are no analogues in world practice in terms of effectiveness.

If now this whole story with a construction site, which is rapidly gaining momentum, will lead to the elimination of Pulkovo observations, then we will lose this tool. Therefore, we are so fiercely fighting - we cannot leave the country without such an effective in our narrow but important work of the tool. After all, astrometry is the section of astronomy that has direct applications on Earth - in navigation the same GPS and GLONASS use astrometric results.

- Why can these observations stop?

All space topics are quite expensive

- There are certain requirements for the astriculum. It is different: it is not necessary to take the telescope somewhere in the Elbrus, so that it gives quality products. There are ideal conditions for observations in space, but for some types of observations, ideal conditions are not binding than we use. Our science is called "positional astronomy", we can even observe next to such a metropolis as Petersburg - with one significant but: there should be nothing next to the telescope. We need three kilometers of free space, where economic activity is limited in a certain way: it should not have large buildings, large sources of heat, light, lights, radio interference, and large seismic noises.

Our large refractor is not the only one, there is still a very good meter telescope "Saturn", overview telescopes. But all their activities may stop, since the protective park zone around the observatory begins to uncontrollably build up using vile administrative techniques. We have certain regulations that should not have been allowed to kill our observations, but our opponents from the construction industry found a way to get around them.

- Not without the help of the leadership of the observatory?

There are certain requirements for astricule

- That's right. The acute phase of the scandal began before the New Year, when, after the request of Maxim Reznik’s deputy, it turned out that the newly elected director of the observatory Nazar Robertovich Iskhanov, bypassing all three regulations adopted to avoid such a situation, agreed on the builders for the first place of the planetograd residential complex - only 800 meters south of our wonderful large refractor.

We did not know about this for a long time - the day after the letter with its approval was sent, on October 25, 2016, our astroblimatic group was collected, created to scientifically assess the harm from potential buildings, but no one warned it that the issue of which it had been gathered has already been resolved without it. And then for another two months we were perplexed: how so, we gave a sharply negative review of the design documentation, which, in our opinion, does not meet any requirement of the observatory, and the developer reports that he received permission and proceeds to the construction. And only before the New Year did we receive a “gift” in the form of open cards. It turns out that the developer received permission directly from the director.

- Markiyan Semenovich, you think, is a well -known part of the fault in this situation on builders - Setl Group companies and "Morchal Investments".

- Companies, if they want to be a model of morality, are obliged to thoroughly check whether such regulations exist, and they will now nod like simpletons: they say, we have a coordination. And although it is clearly obtained with violations, this does not bother the builders, for them this reason to do what they want, and there is no talk of morality and honor at all.

Is there few places around the city for construction - why build under the observatory obviously to the detriment of science?

But all this still has a civilizational aspect-after all, these rich will not take away their wealth or anything else with them! Is there few places around the city for construction - why build under the observatory obviously to the detriment of science?

- Well, well, these are builders, the main thing for which, apparently, is profit. But the leadership of the observatory, from your point of view, cares enough about the good of science?

Markiyan Chubey

- I have been engaged in the second project of the space observatory for almost 20 years. In Soviet times, the first project already had the “sketch” status, there were already organizations that accepted the order for the manufacture of tools, mathematical calculations have already begun, but in 1991 everything ceased.

After a long period of survival, the work began again, and I was invited to a group that began to develop a second project - a project of interplanetary solar stereoscopic observatory. This observatory was to give a very relevant material of observations of the sun of excellent quality. Spacecraft were supposed to be located in the so -called circular points of Lagrange. The main property of the project is that if you put the equipment with identical equipment in two points of the lagrange, you can maintain the hasture - this is how our eyes work, these are qualitatively other conditions for observation, the image is three -dimensional. It is no less important that such an observatory sees more than 80% of the surface of the sun at the same time.

- Did you manage to implement this project?

Now around the problem of preserving the observatory has begun movement

- The second project in two versions - “Sunny” and “Star” - is developed at the stage of scientific definition, and now there is an opportunity to implement any of the options in the international format. I have already received an invitation from European and American scientists. The "Star" project by me by a group of scientists and engineers is brought to a complete state, but in order to develop it further, we need to bring development to the Stage of R&D (scientific research and development development) and receive government support. And this is another financing, another composition of performers, other planning and logistics, the highest level of responsibility at all stages of the process of creating spacecraft.

- Have you treated these proposals to your leadership?

- Unfortunately, our leadership did not support them, considering it extremely expensive. But the implementation of the "star" project would bring the observatory to a completely different level of research. The scientific support of such a project is worthy of the observatory, which in the past always stood on the tip of the problems. It is worthy of obtaining such a program in cooperation with the enterprises of the space industry. Having a source of personnel such a city as Petersburg, with proper logistics and honest attitude to the case and reasonable financing, the project is certainly possible, and even more so in the regime of international cooperation.

- And if you return to the problem of building the parking area of the observatory, then what are your claims to the leadership?

At one time, the observatory was created as a scientific center of a very high level, and it can continue this tradition

- Now the movement has begun around the problem of preserving the observatory - in all likelihood, it will be supported by the team. Soon there will be a general meeting of the collective of the Pulkovo Observatory, and the question of distrust of its leadership has already been raised. As for the development, here I see material for the work of the Investigative Committee. It is necessary to honestly understand everything and transfer the entire complex of the observatory with the surrounding park into a reserve mode, where construction is prohibited, where a dendrological analysis of the composition of plants and proper car care is carried out. If there is an array of buildings, then tremendous thermal energy and air flows will be thrown into the space, and all this will be very bad.

At one time, the observatory was created as a scientific center of a very high level, and it can continue this tradition. It can become the center of education of the young generation - we always had a large graduate school. After the war, despite the extremely difficult situation, the team managed to rally and create a new astrophysical observatory with a 6-meter telescope and a 600-meter radio telescope. If the construction begins here, the capabilities of this place will be very limited. After all, not only astronomy developed, but also other sciences, and now this place must be transformed so that it remains the center of culture, education and training, a symbol of the authority of science in the world and its development in Russia for many centuries.

- Alexander, you are directly dealing with development issues - if this giant residential area will nevertheless arise near the observatory, what will be the consequences?

The director of the observatory, bypassing all three regulations, agreed to the builders first of all the Upers of the Planetograd residential complex

- The Planetograd itself, according to the project, is quite large, but there are still added areas that are found from other companies. Many interests will try to take advantage of the effect of the “Expoforum”, which grew one and a half kilometers from us. I, unlike Markiyan Semenovich, think more mildly. As a builder, I have a certain experience of communicating with our construction community, and I have long understood that it is useless to talk about some moral principles with them, for them there is only one thing-profit and superpproduction. And there it is precisely a superprip that it is precisely: in the mid-2000s, the land around the observatory privatized with large encumbrances-after all, near the airport, radar, observatory-that is, this land was cheap. And if now it is very profitable to remove these burden from the Earth with the help of different fraud, then building it is very profitable on it. For such profits, as you know, capital will go to any crimes, and if it is harshly not to limit developers, it is completely useless to talk about morality and damage to science with them.

Alexander Shumilov

As for the Planetograd project, it has at least a very bad name - what planets, when the project is designed to ruin the observatory, cut it with a knife? This is such a marketing extremism. "Planetograd" is designed for 100 thousand people - this is manovism and meanness in relation to those who already live there. Pulkovo highway will not withstand the load, especially if the Planetograd will be a pilot project, which others will reach for. It is impossible to build a duplicate highway: on the one hand, the airport, on the other, a paid highway Petersburg - Moscow M11 is being built. One Pulkovo highway will remain, it is already suffering from traffic jams now, and what will happen after the appearance of the "planetograd", I don’t even want to think. Not only the observatory will suffer. After all, when large construction projects began on Parnassus, in Devyatkino, in Kudrovo, experts already saw that a ghetto was being created, that it was a urban planning crime, and the same thing happens here.

- And they do not listen to experts, because they want to disrupt the momentary profit?

The Planetograd project has a very bad name - what planets, when the project is designed to ruin the observatory?

- In many ways, this is an inertial process: a freight train launched by previous authorities, you can’t stop it so simply. Now they say: we will no longer build 25-storey monsters in the suburbs, there will be no superior development, but the creation of an adverse environment cannot be stopped on the same day. And this place on the city’s map can also become unfavorable-due to poor transport accessibility, poor engineering, a very poor environmental situation. After all, there is a Volkhon landfill nearby, and it will take at least 15 years to its complete reclamation. Here lies 50 million tons of garbage, and no matter how much soil they pour on them, they will still break through with gases. The airport also does not contribute to the silence and calm life of those hundreds of thousands of people who, although it is not such a large area to put on this not so large.

Three thousand hectares will not save the city. Petersburg is mainly growing eastern areas now, and when they say that we have a dilemma: to build here or nowhere is a lie. Our planning planning projects has been approved for 60 million square meters of housing, our construction complex will digest this for 25 years - why should it be built in this place, so unsuccessful in combination of so many factors? And if you add to this the death of the observatory, the pearls of our science, then the solution is simply obvious.

- Your initiative group is going to sue - for whom?

Our opponent is strong - there is not a lot of truth behind him, but there is a lot of money

- This is a crucial moment, we try to approach the question very carefully. On the first day, we did not go to court, but now the lawsuit is ready, legal nuances are being worked out. Our opponent is strong - there is not a lot of truth behind him, but there is a lot of money, and for good lawyers - including. Of course, at first we will dispute the actions of the director who grossly violated the regulations, and further actions will depend on this first step.

- Markiyan Semenovich, do you think, will appeal to the court?

-Well, firstly, there is still an investigation of all the subtleties, and the lawsuit must file the lawsuit, and not just the protesting public. I completely agree with Alexander Alexandrovich that the construction here will slow down for a long time. And in order for science to develop, we must have a calm and attractive atmosphere. Now very small means are allocated for the development of the observatory - I can not even understand why this is happening.

– То есть стройка – это не единственная проблема: в целом не обращается должного внимания на развитие науки?

- Yes. У нас есть центр "Сколково" , куда вкладываются огромные средства, где реализуются долговременные инновационные проекты, но все это вызывает немалую критику со стороны ученых. Теперь считается, что поддержка других традиционных научных центров больше не нужна, что они свое отжили, но это не так!

– А может, и правда, Пулковская обсерватория больше не нужна?

Есть объекты, которые невозможно долго наблюдать космическими методами

- No! Есть такие объекты, которые невозможно долго наблюдать космическими методами. Это, например, двойные звезды, объекты геостационарной орбиты , космический мусор и другие объекты. Обсерватория ведет наблюдения параллаксов и двойных звезд, продолжая наблюдения, начатые еще Василием Яковлевичем Струве, который оставил каталог более двух тысяч двойных звезд, так что у нее большие перспективы. Если обсерватория защитит себя и получит хорошую программу космических исследований, она может очень сильно укрепить свой научный авторитет и дать такие результаты, что мысли о том, чтобы ее закрыть и превратить в музей, покажутся смехотворными.

– Александр, я знаю, что вам поступают угрозы от строителей.

– Они пошли ва-банк. Мы стараемся донести правдивую информацию о "Планетограде" – в том числе и до дольщиков.

– Вы же повесили у себя на страничке коллаж, использовав рекламный баннер о продаже квартир в "Планетограде"?

– Это была гипербола, художественное преувеличение. Мы там обыграли все "прелести" места – и свалку, и радары аэропорта, ничего не утаив. Они оценили свой ущерб от нашего коллажа в пять миллионов рублей.

– Он уже подали в суд?

– У нас к ним очень серьезные претензии: они получили доступ к персональным данным наших активистов – я полагаю, незаконным путем. Официальной организации у нас нет, но они требуют закрыть нашу группу во "ВКонтакте", угрожая судом двум людям. Непонятно, почему они обвиняют именно их, ведь они сами вводят в заблуждение своих дольщиков. Мы как минимум будем подавать встречный иск на неправомерное использование персональных данных.

– А как быть с использованием их баннера?

Мы стараемся донести правдивую информацию о "Планетограде" – в том числе и до дольщиков

– Гражданский кодекс РФ разрешает шаржирование изображений без уведомления правообладателя. Но если уж говорить о юридических нюансах, то баннер был выложен "ВКонтакте", а по пользовательскому соглашению, все выложенное в этой сети является свободно используемым контентом, – отметил в интервью Радио Свобода эксперт астроклиматической группы Пулковской обсерватории по градостроительству Александр Шумилов .

Девелоперы Setl City требуют закрыть группу "Сохраним Пулковскую обсерваторию", они же грозятся подать иск о защите авторских прав к активистам, выступающим против возведения жилья рядом с обсерваторией. Активисты уже подготовили свой иск, оспаривающий законность согласования стройки. Таким образом, предстоят суды. А стройка вот-вот начнется, несмотря на сопротивление ученых и даже вопреки требованиям службы организации воздушного движения, полагающей, что будущий "Планетоград" угрожает не только астрономам, но и безопасности полетов.

Уже после разговора с астрономами Маркияном Чубеем и Александром Шумиловым нам удалось получить комментарий пресс-секретаря Setl Group Инги Ярош . Оказалось, что строители знают о проблемах астрономов.

– Мы – строительная компания, руководствуемся законодательством, строительными регламентами. Над подготовкой проекта мы работаем с 2014 года. По закону строительство в трехкилометровой зоне вокруг обсерватории может вестись только при условии согласования с обсерваторией. Мы соблюли это условие, разрешение обсерватории получено. Это был долгий процесс, обсуждение, нам выдвинули много требований, и мы их выполнили.

Уничтожение обсерватории, наверное, произошло намного раньше, когда город стал разрастаться в эту сторону

Мы не специалисты в области астрономии, но мы неоднократно слышали о плохом астроклимате из-за городской засветки, однако условия ухудшились еще до нашего проекта. We understand this. Мы также знаем, что в последнее время все громче звучат идеи о том, что нужно формировать сторонние площадки для наблюдений, чтобы обсерватория продолжала работать, но пользовалась данными телескопов, расположенных в лучших местах, где нет такой засветки.

– Значит, вы понимаете, что стройка – это уничтожение обсерватории?

– Уничтожение, наверное, произошло намного раньше, когда город стал разрастаться в эту сторону и появились те проекты, которые там уже реализованы, – подчеркивает пресс-секретарь Setl Group Инга Ярош.

После этого разговора произошли важные события. Сотрудники Пулковской обсерватории на профсоюзном собрании объявили своему директору Назару Ихсанову вотум недоверия. Итоги голосования были направлены в Федеральное агентство научных организаций и Российскую академию наук (ФАНО). Причиной такого шага явилось не только согласование строительства первой очереди "Планетограда" в обход ученого совета, но и начавшиеся осенью прошлого года увольнения сотрудников обсерватории, в том числе молодых и перспективных. Собрание потребовало отправить Назара Ихсанова в отставку. ФАНО обязано ответить на обращение в течение 30 дней с момента его поступления.

А пока ФАНО направило директору Пулковской обсерватории Назару Ихсанову письмо о том, что согласование разрешения на строительство в защитной зоне обсерватории надо отозвать – до тех пор, пока этот вопрос не будет решен специальной рабочей группой.