Biographies of astronomers, scientists, cosmonauts. Dobrovolsky, Volkov, Patsaev: last interview Volunteer cosmonaut biography

Born on June 1, 1928 in Odessa in a working-class family. Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1954. When George was 2 years old, his father left the family. He was raised by his mother. In 1941 he graduated from 6 classes at secondary school No. 99 in Odessa.

In 1941, war broke out, and soon the city was besieged by fascist and Romanian troops. A 13-year-old teenager helped dig trenches, looked after the wounded in the hospital, and tried to join some partisan detachment to beat the invaders. All attempts led to nothing: he’s still too young.

However, George didn’t want to sit idle either. Together with the same teenage friends, Dobrovolsky dreamed of revenge. Imitating adults, they decided to assemble their own partisan detachment, and the first task for everyone was to search for weapons. The guys found several pistols, machine guns, and grenades. They kept the pistols with them, and buried the machine guns in the ground so that they could use the weapons at the first opportunity.

They were tracked down. The gendarmerie police came to the Dobrovolskys with a search very unexpectedly. There was no way for Zhora to hide the gun. The weapon was found and the 15-year-old was taken to prison. There was no leniency for age: on February 22, 1944, the young prisoner was sentenced by a military court to 25 years of hard labor. Largely due to the fact that during the torture he did not betray any of his comrades.

They did not forget him, they arranged an escape. This happened on March 19th. And less than a month later, on April 10, the first battalions of Soviet troops entered Odessa, bringing with them liberation from the occupation.

After the liberation of Odessa in 1944, Georgy passed exams for grades 7 and 8 and entered school No. 58 in grade 9, and then transferred to a special Air Force school. In 1946 he graduated from the 10th grade of the special air force school in Odessa.

Georgy Timofevich has been in the Soviet Army since 1946. He graduated from the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots (VAUL) in the 2nd category, specializing in fighter pilot in 1950.

From November 9, 1950, he served as a pilot, and from November 11, 1952, as a senior pilot of the 965th Fighter Aviation Regiment (IAP) of the 123rd Fighter Aviation Division (IAD) of the Air Defense of the 32nd VIA of the Donbass Air Defense Region (October 14, 1952, the division was redeployed to East Germany and became part of the 71st Fighter Aviation Corps (IAC) of the 24th VA).

In 1952 he graduated from the evening University of Marxism-Leninism.

From January 19, 1955, he served as deputy squadron commander for political affairs, and from November 18, 1955, he served as a flight commander. On October 1, 1956, the 123rd IAD became part of the 30th VA of the Baltic Military District and was redeployed to the city of Valga, Estonian SSR. On March 6, 1959, the 965th IAP became part of the 263rd IAD of the 30th VA.

On November 17, 1959, the 965th IAP was renamed the 965th 2nd Line Fighter-Bomber Aviation Regiment (APIB).

From May 7, 1960, he served as a flight commander, and from November 25, 1960, as a navigator and deputy squadron commander.

On July 7, 1961, he graduated from the correspondence department of the Air Force Academy (VVA) with a degree in Command and Staff Air Force. From July 29, 1961 - deputy squadron commander for political affairs, from October 12, 1961 - head of the political department, deputy commander for political affairs of the 43rd separate APIB of the 30th VA of the Baltic Military District.

On March 6, 1962, he was recognized as one of the best air wing commanders. In the same year, he underwent a medical examination at the Central Military Research Aviation Hospital (TsVNIAG) and in May 1962 received permission from the Central Medical Flight Commission (TsVLK).

On September 6, 1971, by order of the USSR Ministry of Defense No. 192, he was forever included in the lists of personnel of military unit 23300 (1st aviation squadron).

On January 8, 1963, at a meeting of the credentials commission, he was recommended for enrollment in the cosmonaut corps. By order of the Air Force Commander-in-Chief No. 14 of January 10, 1963, he was enrolled in the Cosmonaut Training Center as a student-cosmonaut.

In 1964 he graduated from the Air Force Academy in absentia. When preparing for space flights, Dobrovolsky spared no effort and strove to understand the specifics of the work of a cosmonaut down to the smallest detail. He worked intensely and with full dedication for all 8 years until the day when the State Commission approved him as the commander of the crew of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft and the orbital manned scientific station Salyut.

On January 23, 1965, he was appointed to the post of cosmonaut of the 2nd detachment (military space programs). In February 1965, he studied the materiel of the MiG-21 aircraft at the 4th Combat Use Center in Lipetsk. Flew MiG-21u, UTI MiG-15, Tu-104, Il-14 with an instructor.

From September 1966 to 1967, he underwent training under the lunar flyby program (on the 7K-L1 spacecraft) as part of a group of cosmonauts.

In 1967 - 1968 he underwent training in the group under the Almaz program as part of the group.

From August to December 1968, he was trained as a commander of the active Soyuz spacecraft as part of the third (reserve) crew under the Docking program.

In 1969 - 1970, he was trained under the Contact program as a crew commander of the Soyuz spacecraft, first in a group, and then together with Pyotr Kolodin (from January to March 1970), with Oleg Makarov (from March to May 1970 ) and with Vitaly Sevastyanov (in November - December 1970).

From February 10, 1970, he was an instructor-cosmonaut of the 2nd department, deputy detachment commander for political affairs. On January 7, 1971, he was again appointed as a cosmonaut of the 1st Department of the 1st Directorate.

From September 18, 1970 to February 1971, he underwent training under the flight program on the DOS-1 Salyut as the commander of the fourth (reserve) crew, together with Vitaly Sevastyanov and Anatoly Voronov.

From April 27 to May 27, 1971, he underwent training under the flight program on the DOS-1 Salyut as the commander of the second (backup) crew of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft, together with Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev.

The crew of Soyuz 11 did not come together right away. The fact is that in the late 60s two astronauts flew into space. And then the Americans launched three into orbit at once. It was decided to create a Soviet crew of three people. Moreover, ironically, just before the start, the main crew (Alexey Leonov, Valery Kubasov and Pyotr Kolodin) was replaced by a backup crew (Dobrovolsky, Volkov, Patsayev). They say that three spacesuits did not fit on the ship, so they decided to fly in tracksuits. This is hard to believe, if only because a little more than a month before the launch of Soyuz 11, on April 23, 1971, V. Shatalov, A. Eliseev and N. Rukavishnikov had already been in space on the Soyuz-10 spacecraft, but could not get to the orbital station.

At a meeting of the State Commission held on June 4, 1971, the main crew of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft (Alexey Leonov, Valery Kubasov, Pyotr Kolodin) was removed from the flight due to a darkening discovered by doctors in Valery Kubasov’s lung. Dobrovolsky's crew was appointed the main crew of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft.

On June 6, 1971, at 7.55 Moscow time, a launch vehicle carrying the Soyuz-11 spacecraft launched into space. Georgy Timofeevich acted as the commander of the Soyuz-11 spacecraft and the first main expedition (EO-1) on the DOS-1 Salyut, together with V. Volkov and V. Patsaev.

On June 7 at 10.45 the ship docked with the Salyut orbital station, which had been in orbit since April 19. From that moment on, for the first time in the world, a manned scientific station began to operate in orbit. During this time, the crew completed an extensive program of testing station systems, biomedical research and astrophysical experiments. According to Academician M.V. Keldysh, the experiments carried out open up great prospects for meteorology, geology, geography, the study of the ocean, vegetation and resources of the Earth.

The flight duration was 23 days 18 hours 21 minutes 43 seconds. Call sign: "Yantar-1".

On June 30, at 01.35, the Soyuz braking propulsion system was turned on. After completing the estimated time and losing speed, the ship began to leave orbit. After aerodynamic braking in the atmosphere, the parachute opened normally, the soft landing engines fired, and the descent vehicle smoothly landed in the steppe of Central Kazakhstan, west of Mount Munly.

Doctor Anatoly Lebedev, who then worked at the Cosmonaut Training Center, recalled: “In our helicopter, we listened carefully to the radio communications of other search groups - who would see the ship first? Finally, laconic: “I see! I’ll accompany you!” – and an explosion of voices on the air. All the voices, except... Yes, exactly: one thing was surprising - none of the crews of the search service could contact the astronauts. Even then we thought: probably the sling antenna was not working, and therefore it was impossible to establish contact with the Soyuz crew.

Finally, we, the doctors, through the helicopter windows saw the white and orange canopy of the ship’s parachute, slightly silvery from the rising sun. We flew exactly to the landing site, and sat down after the ship, about 50-100 meters away. What happens in such cases? You open the hatch of the descent vehicle, and from there - the voices of the crew. And here - the crunch of scale, the sound of metal, the chatter of helicopters and... silence from the ship.

I had the opportunity to be the first to extract its commander, Georgy Dobrovolsky, from the ship. I knew he was sitting in the middle chair. I won’t lie, I didn’t recognize him: the cosmonauts grew beards during the flight (they had difficulty shaving), and the unusual conditions of descent also apparently affected their appearance. Following Dobrovolsky, we took out Patsaev and Volkov.

In the first moments nothing is clear; A quick inspection also did not allow us to immediately give a conclusion about the condition of the crew: what happened during the seconds of radio silence while the descent vehicle’s ball was piercing the atmosphere?! All astronauts have almost normal body temperature.

And, to be honest, it’s not so much a misunderstanding - the thought of tragedy simply didn’t come close to anyone in those seconds. Our entire medical team deployed instantly. The presence of an experienced resuscitator from the Sklifosovsky Institute immediately determined the nature and means of assistance. Six doctors began performing artificial respiration and chest compressions. One more minute...”

Georgy Timofeevich Dobrovolsky and other crew members were buried near the Kremlin wall on July 2, 1971. He was forever included in the lists of the military unit.

A few days later, the results of deciphering the “black box” recordings became known. An analysis of the records of the autonomous recorder of the on-board measurement system showed that from the moment the living compartment was separated - at an altitude of more than 150 kilometers - the pressure in the descent module began to drop and after 30-40 seconds it became almost zero. 42 seconds after depressurization, the astronauts' hearts stopped.

A word from cosmonaut Alexei Leonov: “The error was inherent in the design. The cabin was depressurized during the shooting of the orbital compartment. When installing ball valves, instead of a force of 90 kg, the installers tightened them with a force of 60-65 kg. During the shooting of the orbital compartment, a large overload occurred, which forced these valves to operate, and they crumbled. A hole with a diameter of 20 mm was discovered. After 22 seconds, the astronauts lost consciousness.”

Marital status: father - Dobrovolsky Timofey Trofimovich, born in 1908, worked in state security agencies, was the head of the counterintelligence department, p/n 40260, since 1957 - retired; mother - Dobrovolskaya (Kamenchuk) Maria Alekseevna, born in 1907, worked as a cleaner in a store, then as a saleswoman at an artillery school; brother - Dobrovolsky Alexander Timofeevich, born 1946, mechanic of the Yalta trawl fleet department; wife - Dobrovolskaya (Stebleva) Lyudmila Timofeevna, (1938 - 1986), worked as a teacher; daughter - Dobrovolskaya Marina Georgievna, born in 1960, professor at Moscow State University, teaches English; daughter - Dobrovolskaya Natalya Georgievna, born in 1967.

Titles and awards:

Hero of the Soviet Union (posthumously, 06/30/1971);

Pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR (posthumously, 06/30/1971);

Medal "Gold Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union;

Medal "For Military Merit" (for 10 years of impeccable service);

7 anniversary medals.

Minor planet No. 1789 (June 6, 1977), a crater on the Moon, and a research vessel of the USSR Academy of Sciences are named after Georgy Timofeevich.

Since 1972, the Dobrovolsky Cup in trampolining has been played in the USSR (and then in Russia).

http://www.astronaut.ru, http://article.uz, http://persona.rin.ru

Cosmonaut Dobrovolsky Georgy Timofeevich (06/01/1928-06/30/1971)

• 24th cosmonaut of the USSR (52nd in the world), call sign “Yantar-1” (1971)
• Flight duration (1971): 23 days 18 hours 21 minutes 43 seconds

Brief biography

Georgy Timofeevich was born on June 1, 1928 in the sunny seaside city of Odessa. Before the war, the teenager managed to complete six years of education at a local school. In 1944, Georgy was arrested by the occupiers for possession of a pistol, as a result of which he was threatened with 25 years of hard labor. However, that same year, residents of Odessa bribed the prison guards and, thanks to forged documents, Georgy was able to escape. Dobrovolsky later entered the Odessa Air Force School. He received his next education at the military school in the city of Chuguev from 1948 to 1950, and had the title of “fighter pilot.”

From 1950 to 1963, Georgy Timofeevich served in the USSR Air Force. In parallel with his service, he studied at the Air Force Academy, now named after. Yu. Gagarin, in the Moscow region. Completed his education in 1961.

Astronaut career

In January 1963, Georgiy began to undergo space training. In 1965, having completed his studies and passed all the exams in general space training, he received the qualification of an Air Force cosmonaut. Further training of Georgy Dobrovolsky was carried out for various missions, among which was the flyby of the Moon on the Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft, as well as the Almaz program. However, since 1971, he began training as a crew commander for a flight to the Salyut-1 space station aboard Soyuz-11.

On June 7, 1971, a group consisting of G. Dobrovolsky, as well as cosmonauts V. Volkov and V. Patsaev set off towards the space station. After a successful docking with Salyut-1, the cosmonauts began carrying out technical and research work, which lasted 22 days. When checking the Soyuz-11 spacecraft for leaks, no problems arose, but the computer system warned the cosmonauts about the open hatch. The crew determined this warning to be a sensor failure. Later, on June 30, during the landing of the ship, communication with the Soyuz-11 crew was suddenly interrupted. The search team discovered the spacecraft 2 thousand kilometers from the planned landing site. All the astronauts died. The cause of the disaster turned out to be depressurization of the ship's cabin as a result of the extremely unlikely breakdown of one of the opening valves.

What is the meaning of life?

- In life, guys, in life itself!

90 years ago Georgy Timofeevich Dobrovolsky was born.

What do we know about him? A little.

He did not have the chance to leave a book about himself, like many of the astronauts. The records that he kept in the logbook while on the world's first inhabited space station, Salyut, have reached us only in fragments filtered by someone from the “caring” authorities.

Internet articles about Georgy Timofeevich repeat each other. Born June 1, 1928 in Odessa. In 1944, as a boy, he was caught by the Romanians with weapons and was imprisoned. He ran. He dreamed of becoming a sailor, but became a fighter pilot, graduating from the Chuguev Military Aviation School. In 1962 he graduated from the Air Force Academy. In 1963, as part of the second intake, he was enrolled as a student at the Cosmonaut Training Center. In 1965, he was certified as an Air Force cosmonaut. Since 1966, he was preparing to fly around the Moon on the Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft under the UR500K-L1 program, and since 1968 - to work at the Almaz orbital station. In January 1971, he began training as a backup crew commander for the flight to the Salyut-1 station aboard the Soyuz-11 spacecraft.

Two days before the launch, he and his comrades - Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev - had to become the main crew of the ship. The flight, which began on June 6, went through difficulties and ended tragically on June 30, 1971, showed all the best traits of the commander: reliability, confidence, endurance, ability to control himself and the crew at a critical moment.

A few years later, in 1978, a ship intended to accompany the country’s space programs, the research vessel Cosmonaut Georgy Dobrovolsky, set out on its first voyage. My fellow sailors who served the Cosmos while in the Ocean have not parted with this name - the name of the cosmonaut pilot and the name of the ship - for many years now. Sailors who proudly call themselves: we are "volunteers".

From I. Davydov’s book “The Triumph and Tragedy of Soviet Cosmonautics”:

[Dobrovolsky about how he was captured by the Romanians in 1944] “Everything was much more prosaic and did not look heroic at all. It’s just that all of us - both boys and adults - hated the enemies and tried to liberate Soviet land to the best of our ability. The war left so many cruel imprints... Yes, we need to remember those times, so that people don’t forget anything and don’t allow that nightmare to happen again.”

[Author about Dobrovolsky] "Composition of the cosmonaut group[who went to Turkmenistan to train in celestial navigation] He was varied in age and military rank, but he was cemented by the senior group of cosmonauts, the super-communicative and cheerful Georgy Dobrovolsky."

From the book "The Courage of Quest" by G. Patsaeva. Cosmonaut E. Khrunov about G. Dobrovolsky:

“Georgy Dobrovolsky came to us in 1962 from the post of deputy commander for political affairs. The position of political officer in the army requires, first of all, spiritual gentleness, precision, delicacy. And at the same time, firmness and integrity. That’s what he is. Georgy always looks straight into eyes, whether the conversation is pleasant or unpleasant for him. It’s this directness that captivates.”

From a recent interview with journalists:

– And in conclusion: what is the meaning of life?
- In life, guys, in life itself!

This is how we will remember him - cheerful and smiling.

The cosmonaut’s daughter, Marina Dobrovolskaya, responded to this publication. I thank Marina Georgievna for clarification of the text and for several additional materials to it.

> > > Dobrovolsky Georgy Timofeevich

Dobrovolsky Georgy Timofeevich (1928-1971)

Brief biography:

USSR cosmonaut:№24;

World cosmonaut:№52;

Number of flights: 1;

Duration: 3 days 18 hours 21 minutes 43 seconds;

Georgy Dobrovolsky– 24th Soviet cosmonaut and hero of the USSR: biography with photos, space, personal life, significant dates, first flight, Soyuz, Salyut, missions.

Soviet pilot-cosmonaut, born on June 1, 1928 in the city of Odessa. He made one flight, which ended in disaster as a result of depressurization of the Soyuz-11 descent module. He ranks 24th among cosmonauts of the USSR and 54th cosmonaut in the world. 2nd Air Force Recruitment.

Until 1941, he studied at Odessa Secondary School No. 99, graduating from 6 classes. After the liberation of the city in 1944, Georgy Timofeevich entered a special Air Force school, which he successfully graduated from in 1946.

In 1948 he entered the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots. In 1950, he received the 2nd degree of “Fighter Pilot” and began serving in the USSR Air Force.

Without interrupting his service, he studied at the evening University of Marxism-Leninism. He graduated from it in 1952, and in 1961 he received a command and staff specialty at the department of correspondence education of the Air Force Academy (now the Yu.A. Gagarin Air Force Academy).

Space

After graduating from the VVA, in 1962, Dobrovolsky successfully passed medical examinations at the Central Military Research Aviation Hospital. In May of the same year, he received clearance from the Central Medical Flight Commission, and a year later he was enrolled in the ranks of astronauts. On January 10, 1963, he was enrolled as an astronaut student. After enlisting, he underwent general space training for another 2 years. On January 13, 1965, Dobrovolsky passed certification as an “Air Force cosmonaut” and 10 days later received the position of cosmonaut of the 2nd detachment.

Beginning in September 1966, Georgiy Timofeevich underwent year-long training as part of a group for the lunar flyby program on the Soyuz 7K-L1 spacecraft. From 1967 to 1968 he trained as part of the group in the pop program "Almaz".

In 1971, he underwent training from April 27 to May 27 under the flight program for the DOS-1 Salyut. Dobrovolsky trained as commander of the Soyuz-11 backup crew. The group included Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Patsayev.

The flight according to the flight program to the Salyut 1 orbital station took place on June 6th, consisting of Volkov and Patsayev under the command of Dobrovolsky. After 23 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes and 43 seconds of flight, the unexpected happened: during the return of the descent vehicle, depressurization occurred. The official cause is premature opening of the ventilation valve. All members of the expedition died.

The ashes of the late Georgy Timofeevich were placed in the Kremlin wall. He posthumously received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

Personal life

Georgy Timofeevich Dobrovolsky was raised by his mother. Timofey Trofimovich Dobrovolsky, born in 1907, Georgy's father, left the family when his son was 2 years old. He worked in security agencies, in particular as head of the counterintelligence department. Resigned in 1657. Kamenchuk Maria Alekseevna, born in 1907, worked as a cleaner in one of the local stores, and later got a job as a saleswoman at an artillery school.

Brother of Georgy Trofimovich, Dobrovolsky Alexander Timofeevich was born in 1946. He worked as a mechanic in the Yalta Trawling Fleet Department.

Wife - Stebleva Lyudmila Timofeevna, born 1938, teacher. In 1960, she gave birth to Georgy Timofeevich’s first daughter. The girl was named Marina. After graduating, she works as a professor at Moscow State University, where she teaches English. The second daughter, Natalia Georgievna, was born in 1967.