But their peace is routinely shattered by debris from rocket parts that fall from the sky.
Villagers collecting scrap from a crashed spacecraft, surrounded by thousands of white butterflies.
Residents are warned 24 hour before each launch so that they can get themselves to safety.
In 2008, a 10-foot-long chunk of metal from a rocketfell on a villageand narrowly missed a house.
A launch failure or an explosion can have far more serious consequences.
It hit the mountains of the Altai and exploded, shattering windows up to 100 km away.
Flight path of rockets launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Scrap dealers eagerly wait for each rocket launch and then watch the sky with binoculars for falling debris.
Debris from a Soyuz launch lies on the steppe.
Photo credit: Jonas Bendiksen/Magnum
But these wrecks are not safe.
The problem with discarded fuel tanks is not unique to Russia.
In recent years, there has been anincreasing interestin rocket propellants that are non-toxic and environmentally friendly.
Scrap dealers scan the sky waiting for rocket launch.
Photo credit: Jonas Bendiksen/Magnum
A farmer casually walks past a fallen spacecraft.
Photo credit: Jonas Bendiksen/Magnum
Farming tools made from rocket parts.
Photo credit: Jonas Bendiksen/Magnum
A scrapper cuts a fallen fuel tank.
Photo credit: Jonas Bendiksen/Magnum
