On September 27, 2024, the Jakub Kolas Central Scientific Library of the NAS of Belarus hosted the opening and presentation of the exhibition of space photographs by Russian cosmonaut, Hero of Russia, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Iurij Mikhajlovich Baturin A Short Date with the Earth.

Organizers: NAS of Belarus, Institute of Sociology of NAS of Belarus, Yakub Kolas Central Scientific Library of NAS of Belarus with the support of the Union of Photo Artists of Russia.

Iurij Mikhajlovich Baturin is a Russian cosmonaut pilot, Hero of Russia, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, chief researcher at the S. I. Vavilov Institute for the History of Science and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor at Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Iu. M. Baturin performed two space flights:
in 1998 as a research cosmonaut to the Mir orbital complex together with Gennadij Padalka and Sergej Avdeev, returned to Earth with Talgat Musabaev and Nikolaj Budarin;
In 2001, he made his second flight as a flight engineer (test cosmonaut) to the International Space Station (ISS) together with Talgat Musabaev and Dennis Tito, the first space tourist.
The serial number of the cosmonaut: in the Soviet Union and Russia - 90, in the world classification – 382. Cosmonaut of the II class.
In 2000–2009 – Deputy Commander of the Cosmonaut Detachment for scientific testing and research work of the Iu. A. Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Centre.
Iu. M. Baturin is a laureate of the USSR Union of Journalists Award, the Russian award ‘For Outstanding Contribution to the Development of Mass Media Law’, the Russian Government Award, the Themis Legal Award, and a number of literary prizes.
Public activity: member of the Union of Photo Artists of Russia, in 2014–2020 – Chairman of the Union, since 2020 – Secretary of the Union; member of the Russian and International Associations of Space Flight Participants.

A Short Date with the Earth photo exhibition is the creative result of Baturin's first flight to the Mir orbital complex. In 1999, its premiere took place at the Moscow Polytechnic Museum. The exhibition is organized by the Union of Photo Artists of Russia with the support of the Iu. A. Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Centre. In 2001, the exhibition was complemented by works made during the second flight to the International Space Station. Currently, the exhibition of Iu. M. Baturin's space photographs consists of about one hundred photographs. This photo exhibition in various formats was held in Moscow – in the Polytechnic Museum, in the Nicholas Roerich Museum, in the FotoSoyuz gallery, in the House of the Journalist, in other exhibition halls of the capital of Russia, as well as twice in St. Petersburg, twice in Nizhnij Novgorod, Kaluga, Izhievsk, Jaroslavl, Dubna, Gagarin, Cheboksary, Ulan-Ude, in Spanish Valencia, in Yerevan, Dushanbe, Ankara, Beijing, Ljubljana.

Due to limited resources, only a small part of the Iu. M. Baturin’s exhibition is being shown in Minsk, but it will be accompanied by a lecture by the author on space photography with a demonstration of a more complete collection of space photographs in electronic form.

"From the Earth, the starry sky is cozy and even homely because of the reflection of the Earth. In space, you begin to feel the abstract concept of ‘infinity’ quite clearly. In the formulas, this mathematical symbol looked quite peaceful. And here you are convinced: бездна = без дна," cosmonaut Iurij Baturin wrote in his flight diary during his first expedition to the Mir space station.