Postcards - “pilot-cosmonauts of the USSR. © State Corporation for Space Activities “Roscosmos Georgy Timofeevich Beregovoy

The four years from the spring of 1961 to the spring of 1965 became the “golden age” of Soviet manned cosmonautics. During this period, which included eight flights, the USSR collected almost all the main “space prizes”. The first manned space flight, the first daily flight, the first paired flight of two spacecraft, the first flight of a female cosmonaut, the first flight of a spacecraft with a crew of three, the first spacewalk - everything was ours.

11 Soviet cosmonauts took part in six flights on the Vostok spacecraft and two on the Voskhod spacecraft. These heroes were known by name not only to the Soviet Union, but to the whole world.

Time is merciless. Today, out of 11 people who were part of the great “star team,” only two are alive.

Yuri Gagarin

Having passed the most difficult selection, April 12, 1961 Yuri Gagarin, made a space flight on the Vostok-1 spacecraft, and instantly became a favorite of the whole world.

Both the leaders of African tribes and the Queen of England wanted to see the 27-year-old Soviet officer. Gagarin made a huge number of international trips, which made a colossal advertisement for the USSR.

But Yuri Alekseevich himself did not want to turn into a monumental figure. He studied at the academy, was going to fly into space again, to participate in the construction of new spaceships.

In April 1967, Gagarin became the cosmonaut's backup Vladimir Komarov before the flight of the new Soyuz-1 spacecraft. Komarov's flight ended in disaster, and among Soviet leaders there was talk that Gagarin should be protected. He fought with all his might to continue his flying career.

On March 27, 1968, Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin died in a plane crash during a training flight with an instructor. Vladimir Seregina m. The first cosmonaut of the Earth was only 34 years old.

German Titov

On August 6, 1961, the Vostok-2 spacecraft, piloted by German Titov, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Titov's flight was much more difficult than Gagarin's. He made 17 orbits, spending more than a day in orbit, experiencing for the first time all the “charms” of weightlessness.

At the time of the flight, Titov was not yet 26 years old, but he coped with his task “excellently.” However, many times in his life German Stepanovich repeated that “they only remember the first one.”

The curator of the first cosmonaut detachment, General Kamanin, generally believed that Titov was better prepared for the first flight than Gagarin. But therefore, it was more logical to entrust him with a more complex daily flight.

In 1968, German Titov graduated from the Air Force Engineering Academy named after N. E. Zhukovsky, defending his diploma on the same day as Gagarin. In 1969, Titov headed the 4th department of the Cosmonaut Training Center, which trained pilots for the Spiral aerospace system. This project was ultimately never implemented.

German Stepanovich worked in the space industry for many years, was deputy head of the Center for the control of military spacecraft of the Office of the Chief of Space Facilities (UNKS) of the USSR Ministry of Defense, first deputy head of the UNKS USSR Ministry of Defense for development and research work, was the chairman of several state commissions for testing rocket and space systems. In 1999, Titov headed the Russian Cosmonautics Federation.

Klsmonavt-2 was a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, and then a deputy of the State Duma of three convocations from the Communist Party faction. German Titov died in September 2000 of a heart attack, nine days after his 65th birthday.

Andriyan Nikolaev

On August 11, 1962, Vostok-3 went into orbit, piloted by 32-year-old Andriyan Nikolaev.

The cosmonaut spent 94 hours and 22 minutes in orbit and became the first person to work in orbit without a spacesuit. The joint flight with Pavel Popovich's Vostok-4, among other things, was an experiment aimed at creating an interceptor spacecraft.

After a successful return to Earth, Nikolaev became the commander of the cosmonaut corps.

In 1970, Andriyan Nikolaev, together with Vitaly Sevastyanov On the Soyuz-9 spacecraft they made a record-breaking 17-day flight at that time.

After landing, the astronauts were unable to get out of the ship themselves. They had a hard time adapting to earth's gravity. “They couldn’t get out of the ship without help; when they took us out, they couldn’t stand on their feet. The blood was pouring into the lower part of the body, you could only either sit or lie down - otherwise you would lose consciousness. The heart decreased in volume by 12 percent over 18 days. Lying down - 80 blows, sitting - 100, standing - 120. The bone tissue lost potassium and calcium and became loose,” the cosmonaut recalled.

After the flight of Nikolaev and Sevastyanov, it became clear that cosmonauts in orbit need special training in order to return to Earth in normal condition.

Andriyan Nikolaev did not get a chance for a third flight, becoming in 1974 the first deputy head of the Cosmonaut Training Center. Yu. Gagarin.

In 1963 Nikolaev married Valentina Tereshkova. The first “cosmic marriage” in history lasted 18 years; a daughter was born into the family, who was named Elena. In 1981, the couple separated. Nikolaev never married again.

In the summer of 2004, Andriyan Nikolaev came to his homeland, Chuvashia, where he acted as the chief judge of the V All-Russian Summer Rural Sports Games.

The games had already ended, and Nikolaev was returning to the hotel on July 3 after the final press conference. On the way he had a heart attack, and the doctors were powerless. Andriyan Grigorievich did not live to see his 75th birthday for two months.

Cosmonaut Pavel Romanovich Popovich during training in a soundproof chamber. 1982 Photo: RIA Novosti

Pavel Popovich

Vostok 4, piloted by Pavel Popovich, launched on August 12, 1962. Having made a joint flight with Andriyan Nikolaev’s Vostok-3, Popovich landed before his colleague. However, this was provided for by the flight program.

Then the astronaut continued to prepare for new missions, including the “lunar program”.

Popovich had to wait 12 years for a new flight. In 1974, they, together with Yuri Artyukhin, flew on the Soyuz-14 spacecraft, docking at the Salyut-3 orbital station. Under this name was hidden the orbital station for military purposes of the Almaz project.

During the 15 days spent on Salyut-3, Popovich and Artyukhin completely completed the flight program.

Until the end of the 1980s, Pavel Popovich worked in various positions at the Cosmonaut Training Center. In the 1990s, he headed the Charitable Foundation named after the first cosmonaut Yu.A. Gagarin and was actively involved in social activities.

A native of the Kyiv region, who bore the call sign “Berkut” in space, fortunately, did not live to see the post-Maidan times and did not see the discord between Russia and Ukraine. The cosmonaut died in Crimea from a stroke in 2009 at the age of 78.

Valery Bykovsky

The flight of Valery Bykovsky, carried out on Vostok-5 from June 14 to 19, 1963, remained for several years the longest in the history of astronautics. Moreover, to this day no one has been in space alone longer than Bykovsky.

However, all these achievements remained in the shadow of the parallel flight of Vostok-6, piloted by Valentina Tereshkova.

Bykovsky was always a modest person who did not try to attract attention to himself. At the same time, Yuri Gagarin once noted that Bykovsky would fly longer than his colleagues in the first detachment.

Cosmonaut 1's prediction came true. Valery Bykovsky made two more space flights - in September 1976 on Soyuz-22 together with Vladimir Aksenov, and in August-September 1978 on Soyuz-31 and the Salyut-6 station, together with the first German cosmonaut Sigmund Jen.

Bykovsky worked at the Cosmonaut Training Center until 1988, then for two years he headed the House of Soviet Science and Culture in Berlin.

In subsequent years, Valery Fedorovich did not lead an active social life, concentrating on his family and raising his grandchildren. The twice Hero of the Soviet Union died on March 27, 2019 at the age of 84.

Valentina Tereshkova

Like Gagarin, the first female cosmonaut flew once. Flight of Vostok-6 in June 1963, 2 days 22 hours 51 minutes.

Disputes about how successful this flight was continue to this day. Some believe that Tereshkova coped with the task better than men, others are convinced that her experience led the leadership of the Soviet space program to the idea that it was better not to use women in flights.

At the same time, Valentina Tereshkova remained in the cosmonaut corps until April 1997, and left it due to reaching the age limit.

For many years, Valentina Vladimirovna has been involved in social and political life. From 1968 to 1987, she headed the Committee of Soviet Women, was a delegate to party congresses, and a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Currently, Tereshkova is a State Duma deputy.

Valentina Tereshkova is the only woman in the world who made her space flight alone.

Vladimir Komarov

On October 12, 1964, a new sensation circled the world - the Soviet Union launched the three-seat Voskhod spacecraft. The Americans were shocked: the Russians had gone ahead again, creating a new ship.

In fact, "Voskhod" was a reworked version of "Vostok", in which, thanks to the genius of the team Sergei Korolev, managed to accommodate three people instead of one.

For this, they had to sacrifice catapults and space suits for the astronauts. The commander of Voskhod-1, Vladimir Komarov, understood the full extent of the risk better than others.

Komarov came to the cosmonaut corps from the State Red Banner Air Force Research Institute, where he worked on testing new types of aircraft.

Komarov came to the Air Force Research Institute already having experience as a fighter pilot.

Sergei Korolev considered Komarov the most prepared in the first detachment from an engineering point of view. He delved into all issues related to space technology very deeply.

The Voskhod-1 flight lasted a day and ended successfully. Perhaps this successful experience prompted the leadership of the space program to choose Vladimir Komarov to fly on Soyuz-1.

Unlike Voskhod, Soyuz was truly a fundamentally new ship, built with an eye to the “lunar program.”

Komarov understood better than others that Soyuz-1 was “crude” and was objectively not ready to solve the most complex problems. However, he did not refuse the flight.

Soyuz-1 with Komarov launched on April 23, 1967. The astronaut had to deal with a whole bunch of various system failures, so his return to Earth was called into question.

Komarov showed himself to be a professional of the highest class, managing to direct the ship to land. But he could not cope with the abnormal operation of the parachute system purely physically.

Vladimir Komarov crashed during landing on April 24, 1967, becoming the first Soviet cosmonaut to die during a space flight. He was 40 years old.

Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov (1926-2009) - pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR, Hero of the Soviet Union, Doctor of Technical Sciences, professor. 1972 Photo: RIA Novosti / Alexander Mokletsov

Konstantin Feoktistov

During the war years, young Kostya Feoktistov was a scout, and while carrying out one of his assignments he fell into the hands of the Germans. The future cosmonaut was saved by a miracle.

After graduating from the Bauman Moscow Higher Technical School after the war, Feoktistov began working at a research institute together with rocket scientist Mikhail Tikhonravov. Then there was work at Sergei Korolev's Design Bureau No. 1, Feoktistov participated in the development of the first artificial Earth satellite, and supervised the design of the Vostok spacecraft.

Subsequently, after the flight, he was the leading developer of the Soyuz, Soyuz T, Soyuz TM, Progress, Progress-M spacecraft, as well as the Salyut and Mir orbital stations.

In 1964, Feoktistov went into space without even being a member of the cosmonaut corps. It was decided to include a civil engineer and a doctor in the first crew of three.

Feoktistov managed to beat other candidates, and eventually flew on Voskhod-1.

Konstantin Petrovich remained in the cosmonaut corps until 1987, but did not fly into orbit again, although he was close to a second flight in the early 1980s. However, at the preparation stage, Feoktistov’s health failed.

Until 1990, he was deputy general designer of NPO Energia. For many years, Konstantin Feoktistov taught at his native university, at the Bauman Moscow State Technical University.

The astronaut died in November 2009 at the age of 83.

Boris Egorov

The son of a famous neurosurgeon, Boris Egorov followed in his footsteps, but at the institute he became interested in a new, newly emerging discipline - space medicine. While still a student, he began working as a laboratory assistant on this topic, and after graduation he completely focused on it.

Egorov was selected to join a group of doctors preparing for space flight, but was not initially considered the main contender. However, in the end, the choice was made in his favor.

After flying on Voskhod 1, he returned to research work.

A handsome man, Egorov easily broke women's hearts. His wives were famous actresses Natalya Fateeva And Natalya Kustinskaya. He was married to the first for six years, and to the second for twenty.

In addition to the fairer sex and science, Boris Egorov loved speed. He was one of the first to have a personal foreign car in the USSR - Buick Electra. Friends remember that he was a great driver, he drove fast, but never got into an accident. And at the age of 40, he surprised those around him by becoming interested in motocross and began personally collecting motorcycles for racing.

The collapse of the Union also hit Egorov - negligible money began to be allocated for science, and the specialist in biotechnology and space medicine decided to go into business.

Newly-minted entrepreneurs were willing to cooperate with him, hoping that a well-known person with connections would help “settle” the problems. Egorov “sorted things out,” although his friends noted that this was very difficult for him. His heart was increasingly bothering him, and doctors advised him to start treatment as soon as possible. Egorov promised that he would take over as soon as he had settled the most urgent matters. But on September 12, 1994, the 56-year-old cosmonaut's heart stopped.

Pavel Ivanovich Belyaev (1925-1970) - pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR, Hero of the Soviet Union. 1965 Photo: RIA Novosti / Lev Nosov

Pavel Belyaev

In the first detachment of Soviet cosmonauts, Pavel Belyaev was the oldest in age, major in rank, and squadron commander in position. Young colleagues addressed him by his first name and patronymic - Pavel Ivanovich.

In August 1961, Belyaev broke his left leg while landing after a parachute jump and was suspended from training for a year.

This could have been the end of space for Belyaev, but he showed will and character. His experience was needed in preparation for the flight of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft in 1965, within the framework of which a spacewalk was planned.

Pavel Belyaev was appointed commander, and Alexei Leonov was to go into space. Reasonable and calm Belyaev had to keep a cool head and cool the ardor of the impetuous Leonov.

As a result, the crew coped with the task brilliantly, and then also overcame a series of emergency situations, culminating in a landing in the remote taiga.

Pavel Belyaev died tragically and absurdly, from reasons unrelated to astronautics - on January 10, 1970, he died from intoxication due to purulent peritonitis. He was 44 years old.

Alexey Leonov

Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov is one of the most famous space explorers. But while a lot has been written about his flight on Voskhod 2, his further biography is not talked about so often.

For example, that Leonov was a participant in the Soviet “lunar program” and literally begged the country’s leadership to take a risk, giving the go-ahead for the flight.

Then, in the summer of 1971, Leonov, together with Valery Kubasov and Pyotr Kolodin, was to make an expedition to the first orbital space station, Salyut-1. But at the very last moment, the crew of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft was replaced by a backup one due to the fact that Kubasov was found to have signs of a serious illness (as it later turned out, wrongly). The new crew died upon returning to Earth.

And in 1975, Leonov and Kubasov took part in a joint flight with the Americans as part of the Soyuz-Apollo program. This mission finally turned Alexei Arkhipovich into a superstar in the United States. They still remember how Leonov offered his American colleagues to drink Russian vodka right in orbit. In fact, the tubes with vodka stickers contained borscht.

Until 1991, Alexey Leonov was deputy head of the Cosmonaut Training Center. After retiring, Leonov participated in business projects and popularized space research. In addition, Leonov is known as a talented artist.

In May 2019, Alexey Leonov will turn 85 years old.

Flight engineer: Alexey ELISEEV (cosmonaut-15)

And the reader already knows him. In January 1969, he launched as part of the crew of the Soyuz-5 spacecraft. Then, for the first time, astronauts transferred from ship to ship, or rather, from one working compartment of the orbital station to another. Then, for the first time, a new profession received recognition: on-board engineer of a spacecraft. He became its first representative.

And here Alexey is again in flight. This time, the tasks of the flight engineer became more complicated, as did the entire program of the new space experiment. So today. And tomorrow? This question is not new to him. He already answered it after his first date with the stars. We will retell his thoughts in his own words.

“The exploration of space has begun, but we have only just opened our eyes. We still have a long time to look and analyze before we understand the laws of the cosmic element, we understand the mechanism of its influence on earthly phenomena. We already know a lot, but we have immeasurably more to learn. And for this, people will create lunar observatories, long-term orbital stations, and go to distant planets.

Let's try to look ahead decades, try to imagine the responsibilities of the crews of ships of the future, whose travel periods will increase from several weeks to several years. Some trends are already visible today.

Increasing volume and complexity of scientific research, increasing complexity of spacecraft control, longer flight durations, and greater distances from the Earth - all this will require even higher training of astronauts. Depending on the scientific tasks of the flight, in addition to the pilot-cosmonaut commander, there may also be an astronomer, geophysicist, meteorologist, mechanic, biologist, etc. Each of these scientist-cosmonauts must be a highly qualified specialist, and not only in your area. During the flight, the crew will have to solve very complex problems related to various branches of science and technology.

The first task is space navigation. Already modern launch vehicles launch the ship very accurately. Even experts call the achieved accuracy fantastic. However, even with such accuracy of induction, significant errors accumulate during long-distance and long-term flights. When flying, for example, to Mars or Venus, the miss due to the accumulation of errors can amount to tens of thousands of kilometers. On the other hand, we know that for, say, Zond-type spacecraft to return to Earth, the deviation from the calculated trajectory upon entry into the Earth’s atmosphere should not exceed approximately ten kilometers. This means that during flight it is necessary to correct the trajectory - to carry out a correction. It follows that it is necessary, first of all, to know the true flight trajectory, to know how much it differs from the calculated one. To do this, it will be necessary to systematically carry out measurements, and the observation results must undergo complex mathematical processing.

Under terrestrial conditions, the navigator (sailor or pilot) determines the trajectory of the ship relative to the seemingly stationary Earth and only in two dimensions: the latitude and longitude of the point where the ship or aircraft is currently located. The space navigator must plot the ship's trajectory in all three spatial dimensions, using for this purpose a more complex coordinate system. The navigator must take into account the movement of the planet to which the ship is flying, determine the time of arrival, calculate how to direct the correction engine, when and for how long to turn it on in order to ensure arrival in a given area of ​​the planet.

All this requires very deep mathematical knowledge, the ability to work with optical sights, with an on-board computer, and analyze the results of calculations using methods of applied mathematics and applied celestial mechanics.

The second big task facing the crew is controlling the ship. A spacecraft contains in a relatively small volume a whole complex of complex systems for various purposes. It is enough to name the systems of orientation and stabilization, thermal regulation, communications, life support, monitoring the operation of on-board equipment, and medical monitoring of the crew’s condition.

The crew is obliged to continuously monitor the operation of all these systems and prevent possible malfunctions. To do this, it will be necessary to regularly carry out preventive inspections of the instruments, possibly reconfigure and adjust them, and during long flights, repair them. Before the most complex and critical space experiments (such as landing on or taking off from another planet), the crew must be able to conduct comprehensive tests of all major systems. And if any malfunction occurs, you need to be able to quickly and accurately find its causes and eliminate it using the means at hand.

Essentially, the crew of a ship on a long-distance flight, willy-nilly, must take on those functions of analyzing the operation and preventing on-board systems, which, for example, in aviation are performed by highly qualified engineering and technical personnel of ground services. Therefore, crew members need excellent knowledge in the field of electronics, electrical engineering, mechanics, etc.

Another important task for the crew on a long-distance space voyage is maintaining normal living conditions in the ship’s cabin. It is necessary to monitor the composition of the atmosphere in the living compartments, the level of radiation, sanitary conditions. During a long flight, the crew will have to regenerate drinking water and oxygen.

The illness of any of the spacecraft crew members threatens the completion of the flight program. Therefore, there must be good medical care on board. It is necessary that the astronaut can always, at any time, count on qualified medical assistance. Thus, high demands are also placed on the biological and medical training of astronauts.

It is absolutely clear that all these tasks cannot be solved by one person. The crews of long-distance spacecraft will consist of a group of astronauts, the responsibilities between whom will be clearly distributed, just as, for example, responsibilities are now distributed between members of airliner crews. It is clear that at the same time, cosmonauts must also have a certain universalism for interchangeability if necessary.

As you can see, future cosmonauts will have more than enough responsibilities. And those who today ask us how to become astronauts, who are going to devote their lives to space, must prepare for the fact that they will have to master a whole “spectrum” of professions and at least one to perfection.”

It has already arrived, this new stage in terms of space exploration and exploration. Science itself, with its own eyes, looked around the boundless ocean of stars. Three ships entered different orbits. On board each of them were people of different professions: pilots - masters of controlling complex machines, engineers and scientists - masters in knowledge of the processes and laws of the universe.

And yet, what can we say about himself - about the engineer Alexei Eliseev? Kind? Persistent? Talented engineer? A capable researcher?.. All this is true. At Zvezdny they treat him with great respect. Why?

“I don’t think he was specifically looking for opportunities to please everyone,” his namesake Alexei Leonov says about him. “He’s just such a charming man.” Very modest, tactful. For a long time, no one knew that he was a master of sports in fencing - he fencing perfectly with bayonets. Lesha believed that he had nothing special to brag about...

This modesty, tact, and great restraint are characteristic of him. Eliseev has an excellent quality - the ability to listen to his interlocutor. He will not interrupt him, will let him present all the arguments and then calmly express his point of view... Lesha is interested in painting, collects a collection of reproductions, tries not to miss exhibitions, among his favorite writers are Ilf and Petrov, Gashek, Chekhov. This is understandable; by his nature, he is a cheerful, witty person. He can sometimes pull off a prank with a straight face. It is unlikely that he will be able to take advantage of this in space - his comrades know him well...”

Yes, comrades know Alexei Eliseev, a communist and cosmonaut.

TOKYO. All Japanese newspapers continue to widely comment on the new achievement of the Soviet Union in space exploration, publish photographs of Soviet cosmonauts, and talk in detail about the biographies of space explorers.

The observations of the “brave seven,” as the Sankei Shimbun calls the Soviet hero-cosmonauts, will certainly enrich science with an immeasurable number of new facts.

Mainichi emphasizes that the Soviet space experiment will be the most outstanding technical achievement in history.

TASS THANK YOU FOR YOUR TRUST To the Central Committee of the CPSU to the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR to the Soviet government

On behalf of the crews of the Soyuz spacecraft, we report to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Soviet Government:

Now the manned spacecraft Soyuz-6, Soyuz-7 and Soyuz-8 are successfully flying in near-Earth space.

Seven Soviet cosmonauts began a broad program of scientific and technical research, observations and experiments. Our friendly space team is confident that the planned space exploration program will be fully implemented.

The mood is great, we feel good.

We warmly thank the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Soviet government for their trust.

Cosmonauts: SHONIN, KUBASOV, FILIPCHENKO, VOLKOV, GORBATKO, SHATALOV, ELISEEV. THE SOVIET PEOPLE WISHES YOU SUCCESS Welcome telegram from the leaders of the party and government to cosmonauts comrades Shonin Georgy Stepanovich, Kubasov Valery Nikolaevich, Filipchenko Anatoly Vasilyevich, Volkov Vladislav Nikolaevich, Gorbatko Viktor Vasilyevich, Shatalov Vladimir Alexandrovich, Eliseev Alexey Stanislavovich

Dear comrades!

On behalf of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and the Council of Ministers of the USSR, we warmly congratulate you on the successful group flight of the Soyuz-6, Soyuz-7 and Soyuz-8 spacecraft.

For the first time in the history of space exploration, three manned spacecraft are simultaneously in low-Earth orbit. This outstanding achievement in the field of astronautics serves as new evidence of the high level of development of Soviet science and technology and the inexhaustible creative potential of the Soviet people.

All our people wish you successful completion of your mission and a safe landing.

We hug you and wait for you on our native land.

L. I. BREZHNEV, N. V. PODGORNY, A. N. KOSYGIN.

“On April 12, 1961, in the Soviet Union, the world’s first spacecraft-satellite “Vostok” with a person on board was launched into orbit around the Earth.

The pilot-cosmonaut of the Vostok spacecraft is a citizen of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, pilot major.

The launch of the multi-stage space rocket was successful, and after reaching the first cosmic speed and separating from the last stage of the launch vehicle, the satellite began a free flight in orbit around the Earth.

According to preliminary data, the period of revolution of the satellite ship around the Earth is 89.1 minutes; the minimum distance from the Earth's surface (at perigee) is 175 kilometers, and the maximum distance (at apogee) is 302 kilometers; angle of inclination of the orbital plane to the equator – 65 degrees 4 minutes.

The weight of the spacecraft-satellite with the pilot-cosmonaut is 4725 kilograms, excluding the weight of the final stage of the launch vehicle. Two-way radio communication has been established and maintained with cosmonaut Comrade Gagarin. The frequencies of onboard shortwave transmitters are 9.019 megahertz and 20.006 megahertz, and in the ultrashort wave range 143.625 megahertz. Using radio telemetry and television systems, the astronaut's condition is monitored during flight.

Cosmonaut Comrade Gagarin endured the period of launching the Vostok satellite into orbit satisfactorily and is currently feeling well. The systems that provide the necessary living conditions in the cabin of the satellite ship are functioning normally.”

This is how the first message about the space flight sounded businesslike, with technical details. But how solemnly our announcers – Levitan, Balashov – pronounced this text...

And the people responded with sincere, not ostentatious jubilation - as if people were waiting for this particular flight, although it was being prepared in purely secret. Schoolchildren were dismissed from classes, people spontaneously gathered in squares, near radio points. Unheard of news was discussed. On this day, we would like to remember ten creators of cosmic victory - the most worthy, unforgettable. In reality, of course, there were more of them. But these certainly cannot be forgotten.

Konstantin Tsiolkovsky

The founder of theoretical cosmonautics was involved not only in rocket dynamics and aeronautics. He was a philosopher and prophet of interplanetary travel.

A self-taught scientist, his insights anticipated the development of science, right up to the advent of multi-stage rockets. He believed that conquering the solar system would bring energy and space to humanity. Young rocket science enthusiasts kept in touch with the older scientist, and future space designers considered him their teacher.

Sergey Korolev

After a meeting with Tsiolkovsky, the young aviation designer became interested in the idea of ​​flying into the stratosphere and achieved the creation of a public organization in Moscow - the Jet Propulsion Research Group (GIRD). In 1938–44 he was imprisoned, in camps and in a “special prison”, where he could work in his profession.

In 1946, he was appointed Chief Designer of the Special Design Bureau No. 1 (OKB-1), created in Kaliningrad near Moscow (today the city of Korolev), to develop long-range ballistic missiles. He was the leader and ideologist of Soviet space victories, first among equals in the Council of Chief Designers. His opinion was decisive in choosing the candidate for the first cosmonaut...

For the public, Korolev remained classified as an unnamed Chief Designer, and published under a pseudonym. Only after the death of the academician did his real name become known throughout the USSR, and portraits appeared in textbooks and magazines.

Valentin Glushko

Academician Glushko, without exaggeration, is the founder of rocket engine construction. To put it simply, he is one of the fathers of world astronautics. He corresponded with Tsiolkovsky back in the first half of the twenties, and then he wrote his first articles about space flights. Like Korolev, he was arrested and worked in sharashkas. After the war, he became the chief designer of OKB-456, which gave the country liquid rocket engines that will lift our rockets into space. Glushko engines remain unsurpassed.

And in 1974, he became the full-fledged head of the space industry in the USSR, heading the Energia Design Bureau, which united the brainchild of Korolev and Valentin Petrovich himself. He headed the Energy-Buran project – the last realized great undertaking of Soviet cosmonautics.

Yuri Gagarin

His open smile seems to contain all the best that happened in Russia and the USSR in the twentieth century. On September 1, 1941, Yuri went to the first grade of the Klushino rural school. A month and a half later, the village was occupied by the Nazis. For a year and a half, the Gagarin family endured the hardships of the occupation. In 1954, Gagarin, a student at an industrial technical school, entered the Saratov Aero Club. His teachers were front-line pilots - heroes of the Soviet Union. Then - aviation school and service in the Northern Fleet. Senior Lieutenant Gagarin was selected for the cosmonaut corps and, after difficult trials, was chosen for the most dangerous and responsible mission.

The whole world knows about what will happen next. After the flight, Gagarin became the face of the country - and he also coped with this role flawlessly. I didn’t forget my service in the cosmonaut corps. But he was given only seven years to achieve fame. On March 28, 1968, the world's first cosmonaut died tragically during a training flight. The whole country mourned Yuri Gagarin. Not according to orders.

Nikolay Kamanin

An outstanding pilot, he was one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union - for saving the Chelyuskinites. It was a unique operation that the young ace carried out flawlessly. During the war he commanded the 292nd attack air division, and later the corps. Since 1960, Lieutenant General Kamanin led the selection and training of the first Soviet cosmonauts. He became a “flight father” for our first cosmonauts.

His position was later called "Assistant Air Force Commander for Space." He thoroughly delved into the psychology of astronauts. He participated in the development of all major decisions on space affairs - along with Korolev. And he was equally responsible for all flights.

German Titov

On April 12, he got the difficult role of an understudy. He passed all the tests on a par with Gagarin. And on August 6, the hour of German Titov will come. Titov was the first in the world to make a long space flight - it lasted 25 hours. A fantastic achievement for those times. In our time, he remains the youngest cosmonaut in history - on August 6, 1961, he was 25 years and 330 days old. In the popular consciousness, the names of Gagarin and Titov are inseparable.

Mikhail Ryazansky

Corresponding Member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Ryazansky was the chief missile “radio operator”. Since the 1930s, he was involved in radio control of tanks, aircraft and torpedo boats, and aviation radio stations. Participated in the development of the first Soviet radar. After the war, he was appointed Chief Designer of NII-885 (now FSUE Russian Research Institute of Space Instrumentation), which created radio communication equipment for rockets. His grandson, Sergei Ryazansky, became an astronaut. His first space flight took place in 2013.

Nikolay Pilyugin

He developed control systems for rockets, including the legendary “Seven”, which launched Gagarin into orbit. Korolev valued him both for his design talent and for his direct character.

Rocket is like a blind goat!
So that it has both meaning and gloss,
A rocket needs to have eyes
And most importantly – the brain!
And you are among eternal worries and noise,
How a mother teaches her firstborn
They taught rockets to look and think,
And that means flying!

Colleagues dedicated these lines to Pilyugin. The inventor endowed Soviet rockets with brains...

Vladimir Barmin

An indispensable member of the “magnificent six” chief rocket designers. During the war years, the future academician Barmin was the designer of designs for multiple rocket launchers, popularly known as “Katyushas”.

After the war, he headed the state design bureau of special mechanical engineering. Under his leadership, launch complexes were developed for the launch and preparation of rockets, on which the conquest of space took place. Created installations for work on the Moon and Venus...

Mstislav Keldysh

In the newspapers, maintaining secrecy, he was called the Theorist of Cosmonautics. Immediately after the war, the mathematician and mechanic Keldysh began to work on rocket science. He helped Korolev create the optimal design of the R-7 rocket, which ushered in the space age.

Under the leadership of Keldysh, a ballistic computer center was created, which was included in the spacecraft flight control system. Soon after Gagarin's flight he became president of the USSR Academy of Sciences. As head of the academy, he was a public figure, but his involvement in the space program remained secret.

ISS astronauts

Oleg Ivanovich Skripochka

general information

Hero of the Russian Federation, Russian cosmonaut

Serial number: 107th cosmonaut of the Russian Federation / 516th cosmonaut of the world

Number of flights: 3 , is currently on the ISS
Duration of two flights: 331 days 12 hours 30 minutes
Duration of the third flight:
Spacewalks: 3
Total duration of outputs: 16 hours 39 minutes

Date and place of birth: December 24, 1969 in Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol Territory.

Family status: married.

Wife— Elena Vladimirovna Milovanova. The family has two children.

Education

IN 1987 graduated from secondary school No. 28 with a physics and mathematics focus in Zaporozhye.

IN 1993 graduated from the State Technical University named after. N.E. Bauman (Bauman Moscow State Technical University) with a degree in Rocket Science with the qualification of Mechanical Engineer.

experience

During since 1987 By 1991 worked at NPO Energia (now RSC Energia named after S.P. Korolev) as a cable and special equipment tester, product tester.

WITH 1991 By 1993- in the design department as a technician.

After graduation since 1993 By 1996 worked at NPO Energia as an engineer in the design department for the development of cargo and transport ships.

WITH 1996 By 1997— in the department for the development and operation of ground equipment.

Preparing for space flights

IN July 1997 By decision of the State Interdepartmental Commission, he was selected into the cosmonaut corps of RSC Energia.

During since December 1997 By November 1999 completed a general space training course at the Russian State Scientific Research Institute of Aerospace Training named after. Yu.A. Gagarin.

IN December 1999 he was awarded the qualification “test cosmonaut”.

WITH January 2000 By December 2002 underwent training as part of a group of test cosmonauts for flights to the ISS.

IN December 2002 was assigned to the backup crew of the 6th ISS visiting expedition as a flight engineer. However, after the Columbia shuttle disaster, the crew was disbanded due to a change in the flight program.

WITH April 2007 By April 2008 underwent training as part of the ISS-17 backup crew as a flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA spacecraft and a space station flight engineer.

WITH August 2008 By October 2010 trained as part of the main crew of ISS-25/26 as a flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft and a station flight engineer.

WITH September 2013 By September 2015 underwent training as part of the backup crew of ISS-45/46/EP-18 as commander of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft and station flight engineer.

WITH September 2015 By March 2016 underwent training as part of the main crew of ISS-47/48 as a flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft and a station flight engineer.

WITH October 2017 By May 2018 underwent training as part of the backup crew of ISS-57/58 as the commander of the Soyuz MS spacecraft and the station’s flight engineer.

WITH May By November 2018 underwent training as part of the main crew of ISS-59/60 as commander of the Soyuz MS spacecraft, flight engineer of ISS-59 and commander of ISS-60. However, due to the accident of the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft with the crew of ISS-57/58, the ISS flight program for 2019 was changed.

WITH March 2019 underwent training as part of the main crew of ISS-61/62/EP-19 as commander of the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft, flight engineer of ISS-61 and commander of ISS-62.

Space flight experience

1. 1 space flight committed with October 8, 2010 By March 16, 2011 as a flight engineer of the spacecraft "" and flight engineer of ISS-25/26 together with cosmonaut Alexander Kaleri and astronaut Scott Kelly. During the flight, he performed three spacewalks with a total duration of 16 hours and 39 minutes. Flight duration: 159 days 08 hours 43 minutes 05 seconds.
2. 2 space flight completed with March 19 to September 7, 2016 as a flight engineer of the ship "" and flight engineer of the ISS-47/48. The flight duration was 172 days.
3. 3 space flight space flight has begun September 25, 2019. The launch of the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft took place at 16:57 Moscow time from site No. 1 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Awards

in 2017 he was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree;

in 2011, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation with the Golden Star medal and the honorary title “Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation”;

departmental awards of Roscosmos: Gagarin badge, Korolev badge, badge “For assistance in space activities”;

medal "For merits in conducting the All-Russian Population Census of 2010."

Hobbies

• parachuting;
• bicycle tourism. preparation for space flights

Biographies of cosmonauts of the USSR and the Russian Federation

ORDER NUMBER: 15/36 VIDEO BIOGRAPHY OF A CASMONAUT

NUMBER OF FLIGHTS: 3

RAID: 8 days 22 hours 22 minutes 33 seconds

SPACE WAYS: 1

TOTAL DURATION: 0 hours 37 minutes

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP:

Participant in the world's first docking of a spacecraft with an orbital station (Soyuz-10, Salyut, 1971).

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH:

In 1950, he changed his father’s surname (Kuraitis) to his mother’s surname (Eliseev).

EDUCATION:

In 1943 he graduated from two classes of school in the city of Borovoe, Kokchetav region, in 1946 he graduated from three classes at the 4th railway school in the village of Nemchinovka, Moscow region.

In 1951 he graduated from secondary school No. 167 in Moscow.

In 1957 he graduated from the N.E. Bauman Moscow Higher Technical School and received a diploma in mechanical engineering.

In 1962 he graduated from graduate school at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT).

On December 15, 1967, he defended his dissertation at TsKBEM and received the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences.

ACTIVITIES BEFORE ENROLLMENT IN THE COSMONAUT CROSS:

From March 18, 1957 to January 5, 1960, he worked as an engineer at Laboratory No. 6 of the Scientific Research Institute-1 MAP. Resigned due to enrollment in full-time graduate school at MIPT.

From June 1, 1962, he worked as a senior technician (3 working days a week) of the 27th department of OKB-1. From February 1, 1963, he worked as a senior engineer in the same department. He was engaged in applied mechanics and automatic control, designing control systems for the spacecraft Vostok-3A (3KA), Voskhod-3V (3KV), Soyuz 7K-OK (11F615) and 7K-L1 (11F91) - a ship for circling the Moon .

DATE OF ARRIVAL IN THE UNIT (RECIRCUIT NO., DATE):

May 27, 1968 By MOM order No. 163 he was enrolled in the TsKBEM cosmonaut corps. In furtherance of this order July 1, 1968 By order of the chief designer of TsKBEM, V.P. Mishin, he was appointed to the post of test cosmonaut of the 731st department (with the release of the head of the group) of TsKBEM.

GREATNESS:

1st class test cosmonaut instructor

PREPARATION FOR SPACE FLIGHTS:

At the end of 1962, he underwent a medical examination at TsVNIAG on his own initiative. Due to a conflict with Korolev, he was discharged from the hospital after two stages of examination without issuing a certificate of suitability for special training.

Despite this, in 1963 he underwent special types of training in the Air Force detachment along with eighteen selected military pilots of the second set.

In July 1965, he underwent a medical examination at the IBMP as a participant in the first recruitment of cosmonauts to the OKB-1 detachment (now RSC Energia) and was one of 12 engineers who passed all stages of selection.

In the spring of 1966, after the appearance of Order No. 25 on TsKBEM on the formation of a test engineer training group in flight test department No. 90, he was sent for a re-examination at IMBP, which was completed successfully. May 23, 1966 passed the credentials committee at TsKBEM and, by order of V.P. Mishin No. 43, was included in the first group of candidates for test cosmonauts at TsKBEM.

From May to August 1966, he underwent training at the TsKBEM dispensary, participated in parachute jumps and zero-gravity flights at the LII in Zhukovsky on the Tu-104 flying laboratory, and was tested in a pressure chamber. In the period from August 15 to 25, 1966, he participated in water training in the Black Sea on a model of the Soyuz descent module.

From September 1966 to April 1967, he underwent direct flight training as a flight engineer of the first crew of the passive Soyuz spacecraft under the Docking program, together with V. Bykovsky and E. Khrunov. The flight of the Soyuz-2 spacecraft was canceled on the eve of launch due to problems on board Soyuz-1, with which it was supposed to dock.

From June 1967 to December 1968, he underwent direct training for the flight as a flight engineer of the first crew of the Soyuz spacecraft under the Docking program, together with V. Bykovsky and E. Khrunov. In February 1968, V. Bykovsky was replaced by B. Volynov, in August 1968 he was replaced by G. Shonin, and in November 1968 the latter was again replaced by B. Volynov. In 1968, he went on a business trip to Somalia to study the southern hemisphere of the sky.

PERFECT SPACE FLIGHTS:

1 flight- January 15 - 17, 1969 as a flight engineer of the Soyuz-5 spacecraft (launch together with B. Volynov and E. Khrunov) and Soyuz-4 spacecraft (landing together with V. Shatalov and E. Khrunov).
During the flight, the world's first docking of two manned spacecraft was carried out; the crew made the transition from one spacecraft to another through outer space: 01/16/1969 - lasting 37 minutes. Flight duration: 1 day 11 p.m. 45 min. 50 sec. Call sign: “Baikal-2” (start) and “Amur-2” (landing).

2nd flight- October 13 - 18, 1969 as a flight engineer of the Soyuz-8 spacecraft (together with V. Shatalov) under the program of a group flight of 3 ships.
Due to the failure of the Igla rendezvous and docking system on the Soyuz-7 spacecraft, the docking of the Soyuz-8 and Soyuz-7 spacecraft could not be completed.
Flight duration: 4 days 10 p.m. 50 min. 49 sec. Call sign: "Granit-2".

3rd flight- April 23 - 25, 1971 as a flight engineer of the Soyuz-10 spacecraft (together with V. Shatalov and N. Rukavishnikov). The world's first docking of a spacecraft with an orbital station (Salyut) was performed.
However, due to a breakdown of the ship's docking unit, it was not possible to complete the tightening and ensure the tightness of the joint. The transition to the Salyut OS was canceled and the flight was aborted ahead of schedule. Flight duration: 1 day 11 p.m. 45 min. 54 sec. Call sign: "Granit-2".

DATE OF WITHDRAWAL:

AWARDS:

Awarded two Gold Star medals of the Hero of the Soviet Union (01/22/1969, 10/22/1969), four Orders of Lenin (01/22/1969, 10/22/1969, 1971, 01/15/1976), and the medal “For Valiant Labor. In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the birth of V.I. Lenin" (1970). Laureate of the USSR State Prize.
Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (2011).