Gennadiy N. Lepeshkin: This is a military decoration... yes, the Order of the Red Star. Usually it's bestowed upon people who were directly involved in combat.
I received it during peacetime for developing new military technology. And when it was conferred upon me, Director Perov said, "Well now, Gena, you can only wear it on your undershirt, beneath your shirt."
David Franz: And was this because the program that Gennadiy had developed, and won the award for, was a secret program?
Lepeshkin: Well, yeah, of course. We worked with secret documents and materials, and the program was completely... it was nothing but secrets, as far as the eye could see.
Slava Paperno: What year was this?
Lepeshkin: This was in eighty-six. The people who worked in Stepnogorsk back then couldn't wear military uniforms, and of course they couldn't wear insignias or awards, either.