Jensen, who once worked at the Johnson Space Center, isn't just visiting, either. She is married to a French cosmonaut, Jean-Loup Chretien, and has lived for a year in this alien world, the sacrosanct home of the Soviet space program. Although Jensen, whose married name is Jensen-Chretien, says she misses Houston at times, she is happy here and has been treated well. It was all so strange, and I didn't know where to find things, and I didn't know the language.
Star City is on the corner of a large Soviet military reservation with an unmarked entrance.
It is 60 miles east of Moscow. Considered somewhat of a showcase, Star City is frequented by official visitors, but it is off-limits to ordinary Soviets. The space program's Mission Control room is not located here. But it is here that cosmonauts go through years of rigid training to prepare for their flights. Unlike the Johnson Space Center, Star City has no manicured, landscaped grounds.