More often than others, representatives of the United States overcame gravity - the list of astronauts from this country includes about 340 names, and 45 of them are women. The Russians firmly hold second place in the overall table - about 120 cosmonauts, but only three of them were women.
Nowadays you won’t surprise anyone with flights into space. Of course, they are not yet perceived as an everyday phenomenon, but still there is no such excitement that accompanied the first steps of mankind into the foundation of the unknown endless starry sky. More than half a century has passed since the first flight into space in history.
First in the world
The championship in this area belongs to one of the most famous personalities in the world - Valentina Tereshkova. She was born in 1937 in a small village located near Yaroslavl. When she turned 22, she became seriously interested in skydiving.
In 1962-1997, she was part of the female cosmonaut corps. Besides her, there were 4 more candidates for the flight. It must be said that Tereshkova was not the best in terms of endurance and physical fitness. But the government of that time decided to send her into space first.
There were two reasons that influenced this decision. The first of these is origin. Valentina Tereshkova was, as they said at that time, a product of “the people.” The second reason is attractive appearance, charm and charisma.
“Valya Tereshkova was not a leader, although she was appointed senior. After all, in Soviet times we didn’t even know such a word - “leader”. Everyone was equal. And no one guessed that it was Valentina who would fly into space. Moreover, she never stood out from the entire group in terms of her performance. But, it seems to me, her origin helped her a lot. I was born and raised in Moscow. And Valya is from the provinces and worked as a weaver. In the USSR this was valued and respected. We Muscovites still hoped that there was a chance, but that was not the case - the villagers bypassed us. They still chose Tereshkova for the flight. When I remember those times, it seems that it was a completely different life,” says Tatyana Kuznetsova, Valentina Tereshkova’s colleague in the detachment, a retired Air Force colonel.
The corps of future cosmonauts was fully formed in 1962. It included Valentina Tereshkova, Zhanna Yorkina, Tatyana Kuznetsova, Valentina Ponomareva and Irina Solovyova. And Sergei Korolev himself commanded the “parade”.
“We, young girls, did not know Korolev’s first name and patronymic. They only read that his initials were S.P. That’s what they called him among themselves: S.P. And when S.P. met us for the first time, he said:
“Girls, one of you will be the first to fly into space, this is obvious. But don’t be offended by our choice, because for those who don’t fly this time, even more interesting and longer flights will remain. Let’s come to an agreement: either we’ll sulk at each other because someone won’t fly, or we’ll prepare for flights.” We chose the latter. And we prepared for flights, went through all sorts of tests, each of which turned out to be difficult in some way.”
The girls were “floated” in a thermal chamber at a temperature of +70°C and a humidity of 30%, kept in zero gravity, where they had to not only adapt to the lack of gravity, but also complete various tasks: have lunch, communicate with the command center, draw something or write on a piece of paper. They taught us how to parachute into bodies of water, and also kept us in isolation for 10 days so that we could develop the habit of being alone in flight.
Despite the fact that the flight was officially declared successful, it was not without difficulties. Tereshkova felt bad, and the spacesuit was very uncomfortable. Because of this, she was unable to complete all planned tasks in full. In addition, a number of other technical difficulties emerged. For example, when assembling the manual control, errors were made that almost led to the deviation of the ship from orbit. But since the automation worked at altitude, the landing was successful.
Unfortunately, after the flight she had to tell something that was not what she actually experienced. She looked into the television cameras and assured:
“I felt great. I felt good!” But then there was such a time - don’t lose face at all costs. Especially when the whole world is looking at you! Although it is clear that things could not be good. They asked her: “Valentina Vladimirovna, did the spacesuit cause you any inconvenience?” - "No. I was just sweating." In fact, spending three days in a heavy spacesuit was real torture...
In 1963, Tereshkova received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition, she is so far the only woman in the Russian Army holding the military rank of major general.
In her memoirs, Tatyana Kuznetsova writes: “Valentina devoted a lot of time to her political career. We were all Komsomol members when we joined the detachment. Valya was a party member, an avid communist, she came to us from the Komsomol committee from her factory. But then she apparently changed her views more than once. Now she is a deputy from United Russia. This is not very clear to me. Although we all recently celebrated the 50th anniversary of our unit together. All of us, even those cosmonauts who had long been retired, even those who were expelled at one time, were gathered for a rich feast. Everyone congratulated, remembered, and then Tereshkova stood up and said: “Then they chose us, five girls, young, smart, beautiful. 50 years have passed since then, and we are still together. There were enough men in our lives - they came and went. And we continue to be together. We endured everything, no matter what.” I really liked these words from Valentina. They were honest!”
It must be said that all the women from Russia who have been in space have made an invaluable contribution to the exploration and study of our Universe. But only Valentina Tereshkova, to this day, is the first and only representative of the fair sex to fly solo into Earth orbit.
First in outer space
The next woman to see space was Svetlana Savitskaya. She was born in 1947 in the family of a marshal and became an astronaut thanks to her strong determination, willpower and high professionalism:
“My goal was to fly. Namely, to participate in space flights. In fact, that’s why I went into aviation sports. I just never told anyone about it, because it was a time when they said that space was not a woman’s business. Our first woman flew out and there’s nothing else to do there, that’s enough, everything is clear and so. But from the very beginning I was sure that women would still fly into space.”
Savitskaya’s career began with the NPO Vzlet, where she worked as a test pilot. In 1982, she joined the crew of the Soyuz T-7 spacecraft, where she spent 8 days. And after 2 years she went into outer space, where she stayed for 3 hours and 35 minutes.
According to Savitskaya, when going into space, she and Dzhanibekov then tested a universal hand tool with which it was possible to weld, cut and solder metal. The Kyiv Paton Institute made it. A unique instrument, completely new, no one has ever done anything like it.
“This was, of course, the key experiment of this entire flight. We did it normally, without errors, without any emergencies. As a matter of fact, when going into outer space, this is the most important thing - to do what you prepared for. Therefore, there are no special emotions, you know, such as that something happened that day. There was no fear then; this concept is of no use at all when it comes to outer space. It's more stressful work. Yes, there are more dangers there. You need to be more competent, more careful, more punctual, and control yourself clearly. But this is not fear. Fear is when a person freezes and does not know what to do. This does not apply to the profession of a pilot or astronaut, in my opinion. There are stages where you understand: yes, something can happen here. Somewhere you can do something, but somewhere you can’t. This means you rely on technology,” the cosmonaut shares his memories.
It was Savitskaya who suggested that the USSR should have priority in sending a female cosmonaut into space. According to her, this idea came to her after her first flight into orbit in 1982:
“I saw the suit, I saw the compartment, I understood that it could be done. And considering that the Americans started flying on the Shuttle and in a year and a half they were going to include a woman in the crew, I, of course, understood that any normal head of the space program in America, of course, would have decided that this “cell” was unoccupied , such a milestone achievement, I would like to include it in my program.”
The spacewalk of the first woman, Svetlana Savitskaya, 30 years ago became historic for astronautics, but for her it was a stage of difficult work, not marked by special emotions: then Savitskaya dreamed of flying on the Buran spacecraft. Today Svetlana Savitskaya is twice Hero of the Soviet Union, pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR, deputy head of the defense committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
Longest flight
The next representative to join the list of “Women Cosmonauts of the USSR and Russia” was Elena Kondakova. She was born in 1957 in the Moscow region, in the town of Mytishchi. In 1989 she became a candidate for the cosmonaut corps and, after special training, received the qualification of a researcher.
Like her two predecessors, Elena Kondakova also became the first in terms of duration of stay in space. Its total duration was almost 179 days. She has two flights to her credit: one in 1994 on the Mir station, the second in 1997 on the Atlantis spacecraft (shuttle).
Elena Vladimirovna graduated from the Bauman Moscow Higher Technical School in 1980 and began working at the “space” NPO Energia as a young specialist. At the same time, her future husband Valery Ryumin made his third space flight.
Wise with experience, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Valery Ryumin passed on his experience to young cosmonauts. When 46-year-old Ryumin married a 28-year-old colleague in the space industry in 1985, he clearly did not imagine that his wife could “escape into orbit.” And even more so, he did not imagine this after the couple had a daughter in January 1986, who was named Zhenya. Ryumin himself said in an interview that he was against his wife becoming an astronaut, but he did not have enough strength to keep her.
On October 4, 1994, the Soyuz TM-20 spacecraft with a crew of Alexander Viktorenko, Elena Kondakova and German representative Ulf Merbold launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Like her predecessors, Kondakova also became the first - the first woman to complete a long-term space flight. The duration of her flight on the Soyuz and the Mir station was 169 days, 5 hours and 35 seconds. On March 22, 1995, when Viktorenko and Kondakova returned to Earth, Valery Polyakov also returned with them, having set a still unbroken record for the duration of a space flight - 437 days 17 hours and 31 seconds.
Kondakova made her second flight in May 1997 on the American reusable spacecraft Atlantis under the program of the sixth orbital docking with the Mir station.
Valery Ryumin did not want to leave his wife either - in June 1998, the experienced space veteran went to the Mir station on the American spaceship Discovery.
In 1999, Kondakova became a State Duma deputy from the Fatherland - All Russia party, and from 2003 to 2011 she was a parliamentarian from the United Russia party.
New "star woman"
After 17 years, on September 26, 2014, another spaceship was launched from Baikonur, the crew of which included Elena Serova. This was her first flight. According to the plan, it should last 170 days and nights.
The fourth female cosmonaut, Elena Serova, was born in the seaside village of Vozdvizhenka. After graduating from the Moscow Aviation Institute, she was hired at the Flight Control Center. Then she constantly improved her skills and in 2009 became a test cosmonaut.
In one of the interviews, Elena told how she applied for the cosmonaut corps: “Everything happened very harmoniously. While still at the institute, I met my future husband, we worked with him at RSC Energia, he joined the detachment in 2003, and then I did in 2006.”
Elena Serova, having gone into orbit, became the first Russian woman to fly to the ISS. But there were no concessions; Elena does everything on an equal basis with men. Even if it concerns physical activity and endurance training.
Elena Serova's flight is almost a feat. Yes, I know the opinions of ordinary people - well, another woman flew, what’s wrong with that? American women also went on six-month expeditions to the Mir orbital station, and worked on the ISS more than once. And our Elena Kondakova spent six months in orbit. It's like that. If only it were as easy for a woman to get into the cosmonaut corps (and then get assigned to the crew) as for Americans.
The Soyuz TMA-14M flight is the fortieth flight of a Russian spacecraft to the International Space Station. The crew commander is Alexander Samokutyaev, flight engineers are Elena Serova and NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore. They will have to work in orbit for 168 days.
The crew that launched from the ISS at the end of September 2014, including Elena Serova, performed more than 50 scientific experiments in orbit. Many of them were of great practical importance for science, medicine and humanity in general. In particular, Serova successfully carried out the unique “Visir” experiment, during which she was able to take a picture of any object on Earth so that specialists would know exactly its coordinates, and vice versa - using given data, conduct a survey of the earth’s surface using a special domestically developed method.
In addition, when going to the ISS, the owner of long hair, Serova, promised to demonstrate how you can wash your hair in 5 minutes in zero gravity conditions in orbit. Later, cosmonaut Serova reported that she managed to germinate two apple seeds in orbit and promised to grow a “space lemon.”
Today, the only reliable means of delivering astronauts to the International Station is the Russian Soyuz spacecraft. But in Russia, as in the United States, new generation ships are being developed. In fact, they will become the basis of large starships that will cruise to the Moon and Mars. While the Russian project does not have a proper name, only the name of the project is a promising transport ship of a new generation. Testing is due to begin in 2018.
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Women cosmonauts of the USSR and Russia are always at their best. Their profession requires great courage, strong willpower, as well as the ability not to get confused and cope with any emergency situation. And even though the list of female cosmonauts from our compatriots is still small, they have everything ahead of them. After all, there are still many mysterious and unknown things that the truly endless Universe conceals.
More than 60 years have passed since the first man went into space. Since then, more than 500 people have visited there, more than 50 of them were women. Representatives of 36 countries visited our planet in orbit. Unfortunately, there were victims along this glorious path of humanity.
In Russia and the USA, the first cosmonauts were recruited from among military pilots. But it soon became clear that other professions were also in demand in space. Doctors, engineers, and biologists visited there. Every astronaut is, without a doubt, a hero. However, in this detachment there are the most famous people, whose fame is truly worldwide.
Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968). On April 12, 1961, the Vostok-1 spacecraft launched from Baikonur with the first cosmonaut in history on board. In orbit, Gagarin did simple experiments - ate, drank, took notes. Control of the ship was almost completely automatic - after all, no one knew how a person would behave in new conditions. The astronaut completed 1 revolution around the Earth, which took 108 minutes. The landing took place in the Saratov region. Thanks to this flight, Gagarin gained worldwide fame. He was awarded the extraordinary rank of major, as well as the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The day of the historical flight began to be celebrated as Cosmonautics Day. April 12, 1961 forever changed the life of mankind and Gagarin himself. He became a living symbol. The first cosmonaut visited about 30 countries and received many prizes and awards. Social activities affected flying practice. In 1968, Gagarin began to make up for lost time, but on March 27, his plane lost contact and crashed into the ground. Instructor Seregin also died along with the first cosmonaut.
Valentina Tereshkova (born 1937). The first successful flights of Soviet cosmonauts gave rise to the idea of chief designer Sergei Korolev to launch a woman into space. Since 1962, applicants have been selected throughout the country. Of the five prepared candidates, Tereshkova was chosen, also due to her working background. The female cosmonaut made her first flight on June 16, 1963 on the Vostok-6 spacecraft. The stay in space took three days. But during the flight, problems arose with the orientation of the ship. It turned out that Tereshkova was not feeling well, since in space female physiology makes itself felt. Scientists knew about this, and because of this, they placed Valentina only in 5th place on the list of candidates. However, Khrushchev and Korolev did not listen to the medical commission. Vostok-6 landed in the Altai region. Until 1997, Valentina Tereshkova served as an astronaut instructor. She then moved to the Cosmonaut Training Center. The first woman cosmonaut led a rich public and government activity, being a people's deputy in the highest bodies of various convocations. Tereshkova manages to remain the only woman to fly alone in space.
Alexey Leonov (born 1934). He is number 11 on the list of Soviet cosmonauts. Leonov gained fame from his flight into space as a co-pilot on the Voskhod-2 spacecraft on March 18-19, 1965. The astronaut performed the first spacewalk in history, which lasted 12 minutes 9 seconds. During those historical moments, Leonov showed exceptional composure - after all, his spacesuit was swollen, which made it difficult to go into space. The ship landed in the remote taiga, and the cosmonauts spent two days in the cold. From 1965 to 1969, Leonov was part of a group of cosmonauts preparing to fly around the Moon and land on it. It was this astronaut who was planned to be the first to set foot on the surface of the Earth’s satellite. But the USSR lost that race, and the project was canceled. In 1971, Leonov was supposed to fly into space on Soyuz 11, but the crew was replaced due to health problems in one of its members. The flight of the backups - Dobrovolsky, Volkov and Patsayev - ended in their death. But in 1975, Leonov was in space again, he supervised the docking of ships of two countries (the Soyuz-Apollo project). In 1970-1991, Leonov worked at the Cosmonaut Training Center. This man also became famous for his talent as an artist. He created a whole series of stamps on a space theme. Leonov became twice Hero of the Soviet Union, several documentaries were made about him. A crater on the Moon is named after the astronaut.
Neil Armstrong (born 1930). By the time he was enrolled in the cosmonaut group, Armstrong had already fought in the Korean War, winning military awards. In March 1968, Armstrong first went into space as commander of the Gemini 8 spacecraft. During that flight, docking with another spacecraft, the Agena rocket, was made for the first time. In July 1969, Apollo 11 was launched with the historic mission of landing on the Moon. On July 20, Neil Armstrong and pilot Edwin Aldrin landed their lunar module in the Sea of Tranquility area. The main module with Michael Collins was waiting for them in orbit. The stay on the surface of the Moon took 21.5 hours. The astronauts also made a walk on the lunar surface, lasting 2.5 hours. The first person to set foot there was Neil Armstrong. Standing on the surface, the astronaut uttered the historical phrase: “This is just one small step for a person, but a huge leap for all mankind.” The USAT flag was planted on the Moon, soil samples were collected and scientific instruments were installed. Aldrin became the second man to walk on the moon. Upon returning to Earth, the astronauts were destined for world fame. Armstrong himself served at NASA until 1971, after which he taught at the university and served on the National Space Committee.
Vladimir Komarov (1927-1967). The profession of an astronaut is quite dangerous. Since the beginning of the flights, 22 cosmonauts have died during preparation, takeoffs and landings. The first of them, Valentin Bondarenko, burned in a fire in a pressure chamber 20 days before Gagarin’s flight. The most shocking thing was the death of Challenger in 1986, which claimed the lives of 7 American astronauts. However, the first cosmonaut to die directly during the flight was Vladimir Komarov. His first flight took place in 1964 together with Konstantin Feoktistov and Boris Egorov. For the first time, the crew of the ship did without spacesuits, and on board, in addition to the pilot, there was an engineer and a doctor. In 1965, Komarov was part of the preparation group for the Soyuz program. Gagarin himself became the understudy. Those years were marked by a crazy political space race. "Soyuz" became its victim, having many shortcomings. On April 23, 1967, Soyuz-1 with Komarov on board took off into space. But upon completion, the main parachute did not open, and the descent module crashed into the ground at high speed in the Orenburg region. Even the remains of the astronaut were not immediately recognized. The urn with Komarov's ashes is buried in the Kremlin wall on Red Square.
Toyohiro Akiyama (born 1942). There is no doubt that in the future astronautics will take a commercial route. The idea of sending non-governmental tourists into space has been in the sky for a long time. The first sign could have been the American Christa McAuliffe, but during her first and last launch she died while aboard the Challenger on January 28, 1986. The first space tourist to pay for his own flight was Dennis Tito in 2001. However, the era of paid travel beyond the Earth began even earlier. On December 2, 1990, Soyuz TM-11 took off into the sky, on board of which, along with Soviet cosmonauts Afanasyev and Manarov, was the Japanese journalist Toyohiro Akiyama. He became the first representative of his country in space and the first for whose flight a non-governmental organization paid money. The television company TBS celebrated its 40th anniversary in this way, paying from 25 to 38 million dollars for the stay of its employee in orbit. The Japanese flight lasted almost 8 days. During this time, he showed insufficient training, which manifested itself in a disorder of the vestibular apparatus. Akiyama also conducted several reports for Japan, television lessons for schoolchildren and biological experiments.
Yang Liwei (born 1965). Another superpower, China, could not interfere in the space race between the USSR and SA. The first ethnic Chinese to go into space was Taylor Wang back in 1985. However, Beijing has long had its own program, starting it back in 1956. At the end of the summer of 2003, three cosmonauts were selected and prepared for the first launch. The public learned the name of the first taikonaut only a day before the flight. On October 15, 2003, the Long March (Long March) launch vehicle launched the Shenzhou-5 spacecraft into orbit. The next day, the astronaut landed in the Inner Mongolia region. During this time, he made 14 revolutions around the Earth. Yang Liwei immediately became a national hero in China. He received the title “Hero of Space”, and an asteroid was even named in his honor. This flight showed the seriousness of China's plans. Thus, in 2011, an orbital station was launched, and even the United States was left behind in the number of space object launches.
John Glenn (b. 1921). This pilot also took part in the Korean War, even achieving three victories in the sky. In 1957, Glenn set a transcontinental flight record. But that is not what he is remembered for. The glory of the first American astronaut is divided between John Glenn and Alan Shepard. But his flight on May 5, 1961, although the first, was suborbital. And Glenn, on July 21, 1961, made the first full-fledged orbital flight for the United States. His Mercury 6 made three revolutions around the Earth in 5 hours. Upon his return, Glenn became a US national hero. In 1964, he left the astronaut corps and went into business and politics. From 1974 to 1999, Glenn served as a senator from Ohio, and in 1984 he even became a presidential candidate. On October 29, 1998, the astronaut took to space again, serving as a payload specialist. At that time, John Glenn was 77 years old. He not only became the oldest cosmonaut, but also set a record for the time between flights - 36 years. The flight of a crew of 7 people took almost 9 days, during which time the Shuttle made 135 revolutions around the Earth.
Sergei Krikalev (born 1958). Two people, Jerry Ross and Franklin Chang-Diaz, have been in space 7 times. But the record for time spent in orbit belongs to Soviet and Russian cosmonauts. He launched into the sky 6 times, spending a total of 803 days in space. After receiving higher education, Krikalev worked in ground flight control services. In 1985, he was already selected for space flights. His first launch took place in 1988 as part of an international crew with Alexander Volkov and the Frenchman Jean-Louis Chrétien. They worked at the Mir station for almost six months. The second flight took place in 1991. Krikalev remained on the Mir, contrary to the original plans, remaining to work with the new crew. As a result, during the first two flights, the astronaut had already spent more than a year and three months in space. During this time, he also completed 7 spacewalks. In February 1994, Krikalev became the first Russian to take to the skies on the American Shuttle. It was our compatriot who was appointed to the first crew of the ISS, having visited there in 1998 on the shuttle Endeavor. Sergei Krikalev even met the new, 21st century in orbit. The astronaut made his last flight in 2005, having lived on the ISS for six months.
Valery Polyakov (born 1942). Polyakov's profession is a doctor, he became a doctor of medical sciences and a professor. In the history of the USSR and Russia, Polyakov became cosmonaut No. 66. He holds the record for the longest stay in space. Polyakov spent 437 days and 18 hours in Earth orbit during 1994-1995. And the astronaut made his first flight back in 1988, being above the Earth from August 29, 1988 to April 27, 1989. That flight lasted 240 days, for which Valery Polyakov received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. The second record was already a record, for which the cosmonaut received the title of Hero of Russia. In total, Polyakov spent 678 days in space, second only to three people - Krikalev, Kaleri and Avdeev.
The question of the existence of life on other planets has been tormenting the minds of scientists and ordinary people for many years. Previously, space seemed to be something mysterious and unknown, mysterious and inexplicable. With the development of technology, this mystery is still being successfully solved. It all started with the launch of the first satellite into orbit, which made it possible to obtain data on the high layers of the atmosphere. Another giant leap in space exploration is the study of the nearest celestial body - the Moon. But the most memorable and large-scale event in the whole world is the first flight into space. Cosmonauts are a category of people that always evoke awe and delight. They see the incredible beauty of planet Earth. And who, if not they, can say what the Universe is? So who are they - Russian cosmonauts, and what secrets does space hide?
The need for space exploration
Modern navigators, satellite dishes and television seem ordinary and everyday, but this became possible only thanks to space exploration. His energy is colossal; it has enormous potential for the development of all spheres of life on the planet. Below are the most important aspects in the need to study the Universe:
- Weather forecasting. The Met Office provides weather reports every day across the country. Heavy rains, heavy snowfall, raging winds or calm windless weather - all this is predicted by data from space, thanks to which safety measures can be taken in time in case of emergency.
- In addition to planets, the expanses of the Universe are plowed by the remains of once-existing stars, comets, asteroids, and meteorites. Their trajectory is unpredictable and their composition is unknown. Free wandering in the vastness of the Universe and the likelihood of their collision with the Earth can be monitored using special equipment in observatories and catastrophes on a global scale can be prevented in time.
- Space exploration is important for the security of a country. Missiles, torpedoes or other weapons can cause significant harm to residents or the settlement as a whole. To prevent this, special satellites are used to monitor outer space and take action in the event of an attack.
- Asteroids are rich in rare precious metals: platinum, gold, silver. Modern equipment allows them to be extracted, thereby affecting the Earth in smaller quantities and allowing its integrity to be preserved.
- Information for planes, ships, cars comes directly from space. This allows you to plot the correct route and see in time an obstacle that interferes with movement.
- The environmental situation is one of the most important problems in modern times. Waste from plastic, household chemicals, and metal production takes up vast areas on the planet and causes significant harm to the environment and human health. Exploring outer space for waste disposal will help solve this global problem.
These important components are of great importance for the development of all spheres of human activity. The space of outer space is unique, vast and fraught with many interesting things. And it is necessary to study it.
First steps in the field of astronautics
For the first time, the USSR decided to find out what was beyond the planet. On October 4, 1957, the first satellite was launched - PS-1 (stands for Simplest Sputnik-1). Many scientists and designers worked on the creation of the satellite, including Mikhail Klavdievich Tikhonravov, who developed the satellite, and Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, who created the launch vehicle. It was he who launched the satellite into orbit.
PS-1: flight results and significance for the country
PS-1 was launched from the Research Institute of Test Site No. 5 (now Baikonur). 4 hours after launch, the satellite gave a signal; it was heard for several minutes, after which it disappeared into outer space. The device successfully reached orbit and moved along it for about three months, completing more than 1,400 revolutions around the Earth. But at some point the fuel supply system failed, which led to malfunctions in one of the engines. Because of this, the satellite began to descend and burned up in the atmosphere. And yet the launch of the first Earth satellite is the most grandiose event in the whole world. This marked the beginning of the space race between the two superpowers - the USSR and the USA.
Satellite flight results:
- Successful testing of the technical condition of the device and verification of calculations for its launch.
- The ability to study the ionosphere using radio waves coming from a satellite from space and passing through the atmosphere.
- Study of the upper layers of the atmosphere. Data can be obtained by observing the vehicle and its speed as it rubs against the atmosphere.
PS-1 was simple in its design; it did not have special sensors, but despite this, scientists obtained important data about the Earth’s atmosphere, which is necessary in studying the planet.
Laika in space
Before cosmonauts from Russia, the USSR and other countries began to explore space, dogs were the first to enter the vastness of the Universe. In November 1957, the astronaut dog Laika flew into space. In the device where Laika was flying, special sensors were installed to monitor the dog’s well-being. In addition, there was an automatic power supply and a special installation for saturating the cabin with oxygen and removing carbon dioxide. The device with the dog on board had already been on the way for several hours when it died from overheating due to an undeveloped thermal regulation system.
Belka and Strelka
On August 19, 1960, the Sputnik 5 spacecraft was launched with the dogs Belka and Strelka. As in the case of the Laika, everything necessary was installed in the cockpit, but sad experience showed that improvement of previous shortcomings was required. The dogs endured the flight calmly, without any visible deviations from the norm. The flight was recorded on film, where all comments and deviations could later be viewed.
At the appointed time, the device with dogs on board landed successfully. After the examination they felt satisfactory.
Animals in the vastness of the Universe: contribution to the development of astronautics
The flight of Belka and Strelka into space left an indelible mark on the exploration of outer space. The data obtained from the flight of dogs shows that a person can fly around the Earth, but with fewer revolutions. And a few months later, the first man flies into space - Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin.
Human space flight
This event became significant throughout the world. Unprecedented discoveries have been made in this area that have made it possible to take humans into outer space. And this happened on April 12, 1961. The first person in the world to fly into space was Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin. He was born on March 9, 1934 in the small village of Klushino.
In 1945, the whole family moved to Gzhatsk (which was later renamed in honor of the astronaut). In 1951, he became a student at the Saratov Industrial College and, having joined an amateur flying club in 1954, made his first flight on an airplane. This predetermined his future life. As a future cosmonaut, Yuri underwent constant medical examinations and rigorous training. In parallel with this, the Vostok-1 ship, on which the flight will be carried out, was being developed to perfection.
On April 12, 1961, a spaceship with a man on board launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The flight itself lasted less than two hours, the device made one revolution around the planet. At the beginning of the flight, the ship gained a slightly higher altitude than planned. But a special coating prevented the device from burning out in the upper layers of the atmosphere. In general, the flight went smoothly, without any incidents.
But when the ship was descending for landing, problems occurred in the braking system, so the device landed further than planned. Nevertheless, Yuri Gagarin successfully completed the mission. The astronaut was greeted with honors by his family and the country's top leadership. Subsequently, he traveled to different countries, where he was warmly received. Nowadays, April 12 is celebrated as Cosmonautics Day, and Yu. A. Gagarin will forever be remembered as the first person to fly into space.
Further exploration of outer space
After Yuri Gagarin's flight, cosmonauts from Russia and other countries actively explored space. During the flights, unique data about the planet was obtained, extensive research was carried out on the influence of space on the daily life of earthlings, and many discoveries were made in this area.
The cosmonauts of the USSR and Russia made a special contribution to the development of this field. A list and photos of them are presented to your attention:
- Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin. He flew on April 12, 1961, the first man in space in human history.
- German Stepanovich Titov, who flew on August 6, 1961. The first cosmonaut to spend 24 hours in zero gravity.
- Nikolaev Andriyan Grigorievich, who made his first flight on August 11, 1962.
- Popovich Pavel Romanovich. The flight took place on August 12, 1962. This is the world's first flight of two ships (together with Nikolaev A.G.).
- Bykovsky Valery Fedorovich. The first flight took place on June 14, 1963.
- Kaleri Alexander Yurievich. He flew on March 17, 1992 as a flight engineer on the Soyuz TM-24 spacecraft.
This list is very long, and this is only a small part of it. In fact, there are a lot of astronauts. This once again shows that space was actively studied at that time. This made a significant contribution to the development of astronautics and aviation.
Russia in space exploration
In modern times, outer space is studied more specifically. The latest technologies make it possible to obtain more accurate data; calculations are carried out on powerful computers in literally a matter of seconds. By the way, in the USSR it took more than an hour. Konstantin Tsiolkovsky is one of the first scientists who proposed using a rocket engine to speed a spacecraft. Now it has been brought to perfection. Cosmonauts of the USSR and Russia, as well as other countries, must know all the intricacies of the ship, its structure, and capabilities. It is important to be able to behave in certain circumstances.
Below is a small list of Russian cosmonauts in chronological order who have flown into space:
- Kaleri Alexander Yurievich. On March 17, 1992, he made his first flight as a flight engineer on the Soyuz TM-24 spacecraft.
- Avdeev Sergey Vasilievich. On July 27, 1992, he went into space as a flight engineer on the Soyuz TM-15 spacecraft.
- Poleshchuk Alexander Fedorovich. The flight took place on January 24, 1993 on the Soyuz TM-16.
- Vasily Vasilievich Tsibliev flew into space on July 1, 1993.
These are the well-known Russian cosmonauts. Photos of some of them are presented in this article.
Women in space
You can find information about astronauts in any source. Outstanding people who left a huge mark on history are Russian cosmonauts. The list and photos, years of life of these people - information that is freely available. And now we will talk about the fair sex in astronautics. Even in Soviet times, cosmonauts were seen as something “transcendental,” “heavenly.” Children of that time dreamed about the stars and actively studied this science. It must be said that many have achieved significant success in this area, as evidenced by their names, which are on everyone’s lips.
It always seemed that Russian cosmonauts were purely men. After successful flights, they decided to launch the first woman into space. And this woman was Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova. She came from a simple family. His father, a tractor driver, died in the war in 1939, his mother was a textile factory worker. The girl was gifted; science was easy for her at school. In her free time, she played the domra.
Growing up, Valentina became interested in parachuting, and this played in her favor when choosing candidates for space flight. She made her first flight on June 16, 1963 from Baikonur on the Vostok-6 ship. Overall, the flight, which lasted three days, went well. Despite feeling unwell, the female cosmonaut completed the task (keeping a logbook and taking photos of the planet’s horizon).
Other female cosmonauts of Russia and the USSR who left their mark on history:
- Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya. In August 1984, she made her first flight on the Soyuz T-7 spacecraft, and in 1984 she became the world's first woman to go into outer space.
- Elena Vladimirovna Kondakova. The first flight took place in early October 1994 on the Soyuz TM-20 spacecraft. This is the world's first female astronaut who has been in space for a long time - 179 days.
- Serova Elena Olegovna. She made her first flight on September 26, 2014 on the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft as a flight engineer.
As you can see, there are not as many representatives of the fairer sex as there are men. But all training, tasks, loads were carried out on an equal basis with colleagues. Perseverance, perseverance, willpower, the ability to set a goal and achieve it - these are the qualities that Russian cosmonauts fully possess. The list of these qualities is replenished with each test passed for them. Despite the difficulties, they managed to conquer space and leave their mark on human history.
Since time immemorial, humanity has strived to fly. This was probably their most desired dream. With the emergence of modern civilization, people wanted not just to fly, but to reach the enchanting darkness of outer space. And finally we were able to realize humanity’s desire to go into outer space!
The first cosmonaut of the Soviet Union was, and this is how he entered world history forever. Preparations for the flight of the world's first man lasted a little over a year and, on April 12, 1961, this historical moment took place. We met the pilot on Earth, as it befits to meet heroes of the fatherland. Gagarin was later awarded many ranks and awards. The flight into space was soon repeated by an astronaut from the USA. After this, the struggle began to launch the first female astronaut into space.
An event of unprecedented scale was the flight of the first girl of the Soviet cosmonaut. Her journey to the stars began with the fact that at the age of 25 she was enrolled in the ranks of astronauts and, along with other girls, was preparing to fly into orbit. During the training, the project leaders noticed Valentina Tereshkova’s activity and hard work, as a result of which she was appointed senior in the women’s group. After just 1 year of preparation, she set off on a space journey that will remain forever in the history books - the first flight into outer space by a woman.
The Soviet Union did not just launch the first cosmonaut into orbit, but opened a new milestone in the evolution of human technology and the level of development of humanity as a whole. were the first in everything related to astronautics. Our state had the best technologies in the field of astronautics. We were the first not only in launching astronauts. The state continued to maintain world leadership in the field of launching manned flights and operating orbital stations.
We must pay tribute to the heroes of the Soviet Union - the cosmonauts for their courage and dedication to their dream. They marked the beginning of a new era of humanity - the cosmic one. But we should not forget about those outstanding ones who invested not only work and time into this business, but also a part of their soul. The achievements of Russian cosmonautics are worthy of being written about in textbooks.
Boris Valentinovich Volynov (b. 1934) - Soviet pilot-cosmonaut, twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
early years
Boris Volynov was born in Irkutsk on 12/18/1934. However, soon his mother was transferred to another place of work - to the city of Prokopyevsk, Kemerovo region, and the whole family moved there. Until 1952, the boy studied at a regular high school, and already in his youth he became obsessed with the idea of becoming a pilot.
No sooner said than done: after school, Volynov went to Pavlodar, to the local military aviation school. Then he continued his education at the Stalingrad (now Volgograd) military aviation school. After training, he served as a pilot in Yaroslavl, later becoming a senior pilot.
Pavel Ivanovich Belyaev (1925 - 1970) - Soviet cosmonaut number 10, Hero of the USSR.
Pavel Belyaev is also known as an athlete and participant in the 1945 Soviet-Japanese War.
early years
Pavel Belyaev was born in the village of Chelishchevo, which today belongs to the Vologda region on June 26, 1925. He studied at school in the city of Kamensk-Uralsky, after which he went to work as a turner at a factory. However, a year later he decided to devote himself to military affairs, as a result of which he entered the Yeisk Military Aviation School. So he became a pilot.
The Great Patriotic War had ended by that time (1945), but military operations against Japan were still underway in the Far East, and the young pilot went there.
Vladimir Dzhanibekov (Krysin) (b. 05/13/1942) is a very interesting representative of Russian cosmonautics.
This is a man who has achieved several records in space flights. Firstly, he made a record number of flights in the USSR - five. Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev flew as many as six times, but this was after the collapse of the USSR.
Secondly, in all five of his flights he was the commander. This record has not yet been surpassed by any cosmonaut in the world, and was repeated only by James Weatherby, and even then only in his sixth flight, since he was not the commander in the first. Thus, Vladimir Dzhanibekov is the most experienced Soviet cosmonaut.
Valery Kubasov (1935 - 2014) - famous Soviet cosmonaut. He is known as a space flight engineer, and also as a participant in the famous Soyuz-Apollo program, during which the space stations of the two “superpowers” docked.
Biography
Valery Kubasov was born in the city of Vyazniki, in the Vladimir region. He also attended school there. Since childhood, he dreamed of building airplanes, so after school he went to the Moscow Aviation Institute. Like many cosmonauts, Kubasov was an aviator in the early stages of his life.
Svetlana Savitskaya - test pilot, cosmonaut, Hero of the USSR (twice).
Probably everyone in the world knows who Valentina Tereshkova is. However, even after her, women continued to conquer space. Just next, after Tereshkova and the second female cosmonaut, was Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya.
She was a brilliant pilot, participated in two space expeditions, was the first woman to go into outer space and carried out work there, and became the only woman twice awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union award. But first things first.
Viktor Gorbatko pilot cosmonaut of the USSR, major general of aviation.
Quite recently, on May 17, 2017, pilot cosmonaut Viktor Vasilyevich Gorbatko, famous not only in Russia but also abroad, passed away.
This man participated in three space expeditions during his life, and was one of the first chess players to play games between space and Earth. He is the 21st Soviet pilot-cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
In addition to a huge number of Soviet awards, he received awards from five countries, and for the last 16 years of his life he was the president of the Russian Philatelists Union.
Komarov Vladimir Mikhailovich (1927 - 1967) cosmonaut, twice Hero of the USSR, test pilot
Childhood and years of education
Vladimir Mikhailovich was born on March 16, 1927. He grew up in a poor family of janitors. From an early age I watched airplanes flying in the sky and flew kites from the roof of my house. Hometown - Moscow.
From the age of 7, he studied at school 235, which currently bears the number 2107. Having completed a seven-year course of general education there in 1943, at the height of the Great Patriotic War, he makes the fateful decision to become a pilot.
He made two space flights and stayed in space for 28 days and just over 17 hours.
short biography
Vladislav Nikolaevich Volkov was born on November 23, 1935 in Moscow into a family whose members were all professional aviation professionals. His father was a leading design engineer at a major aviation enterprise, and his mother worked in the design bureau there.
It is natural that Vladislav dreamed of aviation since childhood. Having graduated from Moscow school number 212 in 1953, he simultaneously entered the famous MAI - the forge of Soviet aviation engineers and the flying club.
Classes both at the institute and at the flying club were very successful.
Popovich Pavel Romanovich - Soviet pilot-cosmonaut number 4 from the first “Gagarin” detachment, a legend of Russian cosmonautics. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.
short biography
The biography of cosmonaut Popovich is not much different from the biography of his peers. Pavel Popovich was born in October 1929 in the village of Uzin, Kyiv region in Ukraine. His parents were simple people.
Father Roman Porfirievich Popovich comes from a peasant family; all his life he worked as a fireman at a local sugar factory. Mother Feodosia Kasyanovna was born into a wealthy family, but wealthy relatives abandoned her after her marriage, and it was quite difficult for the large Popovich family.
From early childhood, Pavel learned what hard work was - he had to work as a shepherd, be a nanny in someone else's family. The difficult years of the German occupation left their mark on Pavel's appearance - at the age of 13 he became gray-haired. But, despite all the hardships of his post-war childhood, the boy grew up very smart, inquisitive and was an excellent student.
Municipal educational institution
Bogatovskaya secondary school "Education Center" of the Bogatovsky municipal district, Samara region
ABSTRACT
in the discipline "Cosmonautics" on the topic
"Russian women - cosmonauts"
student of class 7 "A"
municipal educational institution Bogatovskaya secondary school "Education Center" of the Bogatovsky municipal district, Samara region
Scientific supervisor: Ulanova M.V., mathematics teacher
Rich 2011
I. Introduction................................................... ...........................................3
II. Main part
Formation of a women's squad…………………...…..4
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova…………………….6
Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya………………………..……..9
Kondakova Elena Vladimirovna ………………….. ……12
III. Conclusion………………………………………………………….……15
IV. References……………………………………………………...17
I. Introduction
“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 Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin.” These words from the TASS report will forever remain in the history of mankind as one of its most significant, brightest and memorable pages. Years, decades will pass, flights into space and even to other planets will become a common, everyday thing, but still, what this man from the Russian town of Gzhatsk accomplished will forever remain in the minds of many generations as one of the greatest feats ever accomplished People.
In those years, there was a competition between the USSR and the USA for the leading role in the conquest of space. Of course, the leading place in this competition was occupied by the Soviet Union. The United States lacked powerful launch vehicles, the operation of which Soviet astronautics had already tested in January 1960, conducting tests in the Pacific Ocean. Almost all the major newspapers in the world wrote that the USSR would soon launch a man into space and, of course, leave the United States behind. The whole world was looking forward to the first flight.
And now this day has come. On April 12, 1961, man first looked at the planet from space. The Vostok spacecraft was flying towards the sun, and at that time the entire planet was pressed to the receivers. The world, shocked and excited, watched the progress of the greatest experiment in history.
"Man in space!" - this news interrupted radio broadcasts and regular messages from telegraph agencies mid-sentence. “The Soviets let the man go! In space - Yuri Gagarin! The one hundred and eight minutes it took for Vostok to encircle our planet testify not only to the speed at which the spacecraft was flying. These were the first minutes of the space age, and that is why they shocked the world so much.
This year our entire huge country celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first flight into space. We know many of the names of male cosmonauts, but I would like to tell everyone about the first women cosmonauts in our country.
II. Main part
Formation of a women's squad
After the first successful flights of Soviet cosmonauts, Sergei Korolev had the idea to launch a female cosmonaut into space. At the beginning of 1962, a search began for applicants according to the following criteria: parachutist, under 30 years of age, up to 170 centimeters tall and weighing up to 70 kilograms. The official date of formation of the women's group under the First Cosmonaut Detachment is considered to be March 12, 1962. From more than a thousand applicants, five people were selected - engineer Irina Solovyova, mathematician and programmer Valentina Ponomareva, weaver Valentina Tereshkova, teacher Zhanna Erkina and secretary-stenographer Tatyana Kuznetsova. Yuri Gagarin, who was present at the meeting of the credentials committee, objected to Ponomareva’s candidacy. “Cosmonautics,” he said, “is a new, difficult, unknown and unsafe business. Is it worth risking the life of a mother?” But she was still enrolled in the detachment. The recommendation of Academician Mstislav Keldysh, the director of the institute where Ponomareva worked, played a role.
There was no Star City then. The location of the Training Center was kept secret. Its territory was surrounded by a high fence, along which guard dogs served. Behind this fence, the “special battalion of women,” as cosmonaut Alexei Leonov called the women’s group, were to experience the “factors of space flight.” Immediately after being accepted into the cosmonaut corps, Valentina Tereshkova, along with the other girls, was called up for compulsory military service with the rank of private.
In September 1964, the entire female squadron entered the Air Force Academy. That same fall they all got married. The wedding parade was opened by Valentina Tereshkova.
At this time, the Korolev Design Bureau was developing a new Soyuz spacecraft, at the same time a series of five Voskhods was underway, and work was planned on several Vostoks. In 1966, it was planned to carry out nine flights, in 1967 - fourteen, in 1968 - twenty-one. However, Korolev stated that he did not need a women’s detachment, women did not justify themselves, and one female flight was enough for him.
However, in the summer of 1966, the deputy arrived at the Cosmonaut Training Center. Air Force Commander-in-Chief Nikolai Kamanin and announced that a flight of a female crew on the Voskhod spacecraft was planned for 15 days with a spacewalk. The commander was planned to be Ponomareva, and Solovyova to be the commander. The backup crew of Erkin - Kuznetsov. Preparations began, which were carried out sluggishly and were limited to simulators. And soon Korolev dies and the Voskhod series of ships was closed. In October 1969, “due to impossibility of use,” the first female cosmonaut recruitment was disbanded.
Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova
The first Soviet woman cosmonaut Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova was born on March 6, 1937 in the village of Maslennikovo, Tutaevsky district, Yaroslavl region, into a family of collective farmers.
My father worked as a tractor driver, my mother did housework and worked on a collective farm. During the Great Patriotic War, her father died at the front, and her mother had to raise three children alone. The family moved to Yaroslavl, where Valya went to school and completed seven years of school, then an evening school for working youth.
At the end of June 1954, V. Tereshkova came to work at the Yaroslavl Tire Plant in the assembly shop as a cutter, and in 1955 she moved to the Yaroslavl Industrial Fabrics Plant "Krasny Perekop", where she worked as a bracelet maker. In 1956, Valentina entered the Yaroslavl Correspondence College of Light Industry.
In addition to working and studying at a technical school, the girl attended a local flying club, went in for parachuting, and made 163 parachute jumps. She was awarded the first category in parachuting.
Ambition and fearlessness helped her withstand the competition for the cosmonaut corps, where she entered in 1962. It was prepared according to a special program since space flights at that time were carried out only in automatic mode.
During her training, she underwent training on the body’s resistance to the factors of space flight. The training included a thermal chamber, where she had to be in a flight suit at a temperature of +70 ° C and a humidity of 30%, and a soundproof chamber - a room isolated from sounds, where each candidate had to spend 10 days.
Zero-gravity training took place on the MiG-15. When performing a special aerobatics maneuver - a parabolic slide - weightlessness was established inside the plane for 40 seconds, and there were 3-4 such sessions per flight. During each session, it was necessary to complete the next task: write your first and last name, try to eat, talk on the radio.
Particular attention was paid to parachute training, since the astronaut ejected before landing and landed separately by parachute. Since there was always a risk of splashdown of the descent vehicle, training was also carried out on parachute jumps in the sea, in a technological, that is, not adjusted to size, spacesuit.
Tereshkova completed a full course of training; she used all flight hours, learned to control herself in zero gravity, and learned about the technical side of flight.
Initially, it was planned for two female crews to fly simultaneously, but in March 1963 this plan was abandoned, and the task became to choose one of five candidates.
When choosing Tereshkova for the role of the first female cosmonaut, in addition to successful completion of training, political issues were also taken into account: Tereshkova was from the workers, while, for example, Ponomareva and Solovyova were from the employees. In addition, Tereshkova's father, Vladimir, died during the Soviet-Finnish War when she was two years old. After the flight, when Tereshkova was asked how the Soviet Union could thank her for her service, she asked to find the place where her father was killed.
Already in June 1963, just a year after the start of training, Tereshkova made a three-day flight on the Vostok 6 ship, circumnavigating the Earth 48 times and flying one and a half million km.
Tereshkova’s call sign for the duration of the flight is “Seagull”; the phrase she said before the start: “Hey! Heaven, take off your hat! (modified quote from V. Mayakovsky’s poem “A Cloud in Pants”).
After the flight, N.S. Khrushchev said that Tereshkova spent more time in space than all American astronauts combined. Her flight was supposed to demonstrate the capabilities of the Mission Control Center (MCC), which successfully managed to control three ships at once. No less important was the fact that Tereshkova became the first person to fly into space without special flight training. After all, all the other cosmonauts were military pilots.
The flight of Valentina Tereshkova caused no less delight than the flight of the first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. After all, for the first time a woman was in space, and returned to Earth alive and unharmed. Before this, many experts argued that being in space for a woman could be fatal, since she simply would not withstand such a difficult test. However, Valentina Tereshkova refuted all these assumptions with her flight.
The safety of space flights for the female body was also proven by the fact that Valentina Tereshkova soon married cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolaev. He had already made one flight in August 1962 on the Vostok 3 spacecraft, later flying as commander on the ship of the new aria Soyuz 9.
Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya
Svetlana Savitskaya – cosmonaut, test pilot, aviation major, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. Candidate of Technical Sciences. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded orders and medals of the USSR and foreign countries. Svetlana Savitskaya has 3 world records set in parachute jumping, and 15 world records in jet aircraft. In aerobatics she is the absolute world champion. Svetlana Evgenievna, the second female cosmonaut in the world and the first to perform a spacewalk outside the ship.
She was born on August 8, 1948 in Moscow in the family of Air Marshal, twice Hero of the Soviet Union Evgeniy Yakovlevich Savitsky (1910-1990) and housewife Lydia Pavlovna Savitskaya (1924-1986). Russian. Member of the CPSU since 1975. She graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute named after Sergo Ordzhonikidze and the Central Flight Technical School of the USSR DOSAAF. Before enlisting in the cosmonaut corps, she worked as an instructor pilot. She mastered several types of jet aircraft: MiG-15, MiG-17, E-33, E-66B, setting 18 world records on them. In 1970, she was the absolute world champion in aerobatics on piston aircraft, and in the same year she became an Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. Set 3 world records in group parachute jumps from the stratosphere. Since 1976 she has been engaged in research work.
In 1980, she was accepted into the cosmonaut corps and included in group of women cosmonauts No. 2, where she completed a full course of training for space flights.
Savitskaya made her first space flight lasting 7 days 21 hours 52 minutes and 24 seconds on August 19-27, 1982 as a research cosmonaut on the Soyuz T-7 spacecraft and the Salyut-7 orbital station together with crew commander L.I. Popov and flight engineer A.A. Serebrov. During the flight on the orbital complex "Salyut-7" - "Soyuz T-5" - "Soyuz T-7" the crew consisting of A.N. Berezovoy, V.V. Lebedev, L.I. Popov, A.A. Serebrov and S.E. Savitskaya conducted technical, geo and astrophysical research, performed biotechnological and medical-biological experiments.
By decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated August 27, 1982, for the courage and heroism shown during the flight into space, Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 11481).
Hero of the Soviet Union Savitskaya made her second space flight lasting 11 days 19 hours 14 minutes and 36 seconds on July 17-29, 1984 as a flight engineer of the Soyuz T-12 spacecraft and the Salyut-7 orbital station together with crew commander V.A. Dzhanibekov and cosmonaut-researcher I.P. Volk. During the flight on the orbital complex "Salyut-7" - "Soyuz T-11" - "Soyuz T-12" the space crew consisting of L.D. Kizim, V.A. Solovyov, O.Yu. Atkova, V.A. Dzhanibekov, I.P. Volk and S.E. Savitskaya conducted a number of joint experiments and studies. The total duration of the two flights was 19 days, 17 hours and 7 minutes.
On July 25, 1984, for the first time in the world, female cosmonaut Savitskaya performed a spacewalk, spending 3 hours and 35 minutes outside the spacecraft. Together with V.A. Dzhanibekov, she performed unique experiments in outer space.
By a decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 29, 1984, for the courage and heroism shown during the space flight, Svetlana Evgenievna Savitskaya was awarded the Order of Lenin and the second Gold Star medal.
Having completed her space flights, until 1989 Savitskaya worked as deputy head of the department of the main design NPO Energia, first deputy chairman of the Soviet Peace Fund. In 1992-1995, associate professor at the Moscow State Aviation Institute.
Since 1989, Savitskaya has been actively involved in political activities. Until 1992, she was a people's deputy of the USSR and a member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. First Deputy Chairman of the Soviet Peace Fund.
On December 17, 1995, Savitskaya was elected as a deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the 2nd convocation. In the 1996 presidential elections, she was G.A. Zyuganov’s confidant in the Moscow region. In May 1997, she was elected first vice-president of the Russian Association of Heroes of the Soviet Union. On December 19, 1999, she was elected to the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the 3rd convocation, on December 7, 2003 - to the 4th convocation, on December 2, 2007 - to the 5th convocation. Member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF). As a deputy and public figure, Savitskaya is fighting for the preservation and revival of Russia - one that can conquer stellar heights in all areas of life. Including in the most literal, cosmic sense.
Svetlana Savitskaya is a strong and self-confident woman, striking with her inner strength and “masculine” character. Fearless, smart and talented, a truly amazing “set” of virtues.
Kondakova Elena Vladimirovna
Kondakova Elena Vladimirovna - cosmonaut-researcher of the Soyuz TM-20 spacecraft and the Mir orbital research complex, pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation.
Born on March 30, 1957 in the city of Mytishchi, Moscow region. Russian. In 1974, she graduated from the 10th grade of secondary school No. 16 in the city of Kaliningrad, Moscow region. In 1980 she graduated from the Moscow Higher Technical School (MVTU) named after N.E. Bauman.
Since May 1980, she worked as an engineer in the 113th department of NPO Energia. She worked in the Main Operations Group of the Directorate for Long-Term Flight Planning. In August 1981 she was transferred to the 115th department. Conducted training with the staff of the Main Operations Group of the department on working in emergency situations and on restoring skills after a break in work.
She took part in the operational work of the Main Operational Control Group during the 4th and 5th expeditions to the Salyut-6 DOS. She was involved in the development of documents for the training of personnel of the Main Operational Control Group. In September 1982 she was transferred to the 116th department. She took part in the flight control of the Salyut-7 DOS, developed documentation for the re-equipment of the flight planning group.
In 1983 she graduated from the All-Union University of Marxism-Leninism, Faculty of Art History and Marxist-Leninist Aesthetics.
In February 1989, she was enrolled as a candidate test cosmonaut in the 291st department of NPO Energia. From October 1990 to March 1992, she underwent general space training at the Yu.A. Gagarin. In March 1992, she was appointed to the position of test cosmonaut of the 291st department (cosmonaut detachment) of NPO Energia. Since 1995 - instructor-test cosmonaut.
From April 1992 to December 1993, she underwent training as part of a group of cosmonauts under the Mir program. In February-June 1994, she was trained as a flight engineer for the backup crew under the EO-16 program at the Mir space station, together with Alexander Stepanovich Viktorenko. From July to September 1994, she was trained as a flight engineer of the main crew at the Mir space station, together with A.S. Viktorenko and U. Merbold (Germany).
First flight:
From October 3, 1994 to March 22, 1995 as a flight engineer of the Soyuz TM-20 spacecraft and the Mir spacecraft under the EO-17 program (17th main expedition) together with A. Viktorenko. Started together with A. Viktorenko and U. Merbold. She landed together with A. Viktorenko and V. Polyakov.
Call sign: “Vityaz-2”.
The flight duration was 169 days 05 hours 21 minutes 35 seconds.
From August 21, 1996 to May 1997, she underwent training for a flight on the Atlantis STS-84 shuttle at the Space Center. Johnson in the USA.
By decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated April 10, 1995, Elena Vladimirovna Kondakova was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation for the courage and heroism shown during the long space flight of the seventeenth main expedition on the Mir orbital research complex.
Second flight:
From May 15 to May 24, 1997, as a flight specialist on the crew of the shuttle Atlantis STS-84 under the program of the sixth docking with the Mir space station.
The flight duration was 9 days 5 hours 20 minutes 48 seconds.
III. Conclusion
USA 46 women astronauts
USSR and Russia 3 female cosmonauts
Canada 2 female astronauts
Japan 2 female astronauts
UK 1 female astronaut
France 1 female astronaut
Republic of Korea 1 female astronaut
We see that in terms of the number of women cosmonauts who have been in space, Russia is not the leader. But the first in space was our Valentina Vladimirovna Tereshkova, the world’s first female cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union, Major General.
On April 9 in Star City, at the event “To the 50th Anniversary of Cosnautics,” the twelve-rayed star “Credo” was awarded to cosmonauts Alexei Leonov and Valentina Tereshkova.
I am proud of our country, which has been and remains one of the states most successful in space exploration and the development of new technologies for space exploration. The world's first artificial satellite of the Earth, the first animal to go into space, the world's first manned spacecraft launched into low-Earth orbit, the first manned flight - Yuri Gagarin - into space, the first female cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, the first ever spacewalk by Alexei Leonov, the first daily flight around the Earth by German Titov, the first launch of an automatic station on an interplanetary trajectory, the first module of the International Space Station and much more related to space, starting with the word “first”...
IV. Bibliography
1. Great Russian Encyclopedia: In 30 volumes. / Chairman of scientific-ed. Council Yu. S. Osipov. Rep. edited by S. L. Kravets. - M.: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 2006. - 767 p.
2. A. Zheleznyakov, 1997-2009. Encyclopedia "Cosmonautics". Publications. Last updated 12/13/2009.
3. Ponomareva V.L. The female face of space. - M.: HELIOS, 2002. - 320 p.
4. Svetlana Savitskaya “I try to be the first in everything”
