References| Korolev: The first chief designer of the Soviet Union's spacecraft

Reference News Network reported on January 22 that russia's "Izvestia" published an article entitled "The Man Who Built the Rocket: What Kind of Person the Chief Designer of the First Spaceship" was written by Arseny Zamostiyanov, deputy editor of the "Historian" magazine, and the full text is excerpted as follows:

In his lifetime, only a few dozen people knew him—secret scientists, important politicians, and soldiers. Today, according to all social surveys in Russia, he is a regular on the list of the top ten great men of the 20th century. His fate is like a novel, full of dreams and adventures. January 12 marks the 115th anniversary of the birth of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev. The Izvestia recalls the great scientist who sent humanity into space.

Dream of interstellar travel

On 12 January 1907, Sergei Korolev was born into a family of literature teachers in Zhytomyr. At the age of 5, he saw for the first time the plane piloted by legendary pilot Sergei Utochkin. This day determined the fate of the boy. He read a lot about flight and flying machines, then began to build it himself and became friends with the pilots of the Odessa Maritime Flight Squadron.

In 1926, Korolev graduated from the Bauman Secondary Professional School, at which time he was already considered a genius aircraft designer. But after being exposed to the work of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (Korolev is said to have met the great hermit of Kaluga), space became his dream.

In September 1929, Korolev and the famous aircraft designer Sergei Lyushin demonstrated an unusual glider in an all-Soviet competition in Koktorbel – it weighed as much as a tank. Korolev himself piloted the plane into the air and set a record glide, staying in the air for more than two hours.

In the 1920s, when he couldn't fill his stomach, he dreamed of interstellar travel. At the time, he had no shortage of supporters around him, and without them, going into space would not have been possible. The first was the future academician Valentin Glushko, who developed an engine to put Korolev's rocket into orbit.

The first ballistic missile

In 1933, Korolev was appointed deputy director of the Institute of Jet Science, where he developed missile systems.

In the summer of 1938, the 31-year-old designer was arrested. This began: he was first imprisoned in Büttel prison and then went to the mines of Correma for labor reform. In 1940, Korolev was transferred to the Special Prison of the NKVD. There, a group of scientists, led by aviation designer Andrey Tupolev (also arrested), worked for the defense industry. They are all legally inmates, but the conditions are passable.

In 1943, Korolev became the chief designer of the jet installation developed by the "Sharashka" in Kazan. It was not until 1944 that he regained his freedom. A year later, he presided over the development of the R-1, the Soviet Union's first ballistic missile. The Americans captured Werner von Braun, a rocket expert who had created a "weapon of revenge" for Hitler. In fact, he was the father of the U.S. missile program. Korolev had to work on his own, because the Soviets' spoils of war were only some of the research results of the German V-series missiles. But by the early 1950s, Korolev was half a step ahead of the Americans.

Kick off the space age

The conquest of space stems from a national defense imperative: a tool must be created to deliver a nuclear bomb to the territory of a hypothetical enemy. This was the unique result of Korolev and his colleagues, the R-7, which for several years ensured the world's leading position in the Soviet space industry. As the world's first intercontinental missile, the R-7 surpasses its American counterparts in range and reliability. It was tested in the summer of 1957 and put into orbit the first artificial Earth satellite in history on October 4 of the same year. Thus began the space age.

Unlike most scientists, Korolev was adept at dealing with managers, commanders, and leaders of important Soviet departments. It's not an easy thing to do. He found a common language with Dmitry Ustinov, Alexei Kosygin, Nikita Khrushchev, and Leonid Brezhnev.

Korolev's main state and army representative was The legendary pilot, Admiral Nikola Kamanin, one of the first Heroes of the Soviet Union, whom the first astronauts called the "Father of Flight." The two men often quarreled and even clashed, but never lost their understanding.

Korolev never made a promise in front of the leadership, and was therefore respected. Of course, this is not the only secret of this academician. More important is his character, his determination, and his ability to take risks and compromise in a timely manner. The young colleagues wanted to seize the moment and install complex equipment on the first satellite. But Korolev understood: the most important thing is to take the first step steadily. On October 4, 1957, a simple spacecraft carrying a radio transmitter entered space and made a sound to the world.

Before the satellite was launched, Korolev was sometimes able to speak under his own name at the meeting. After going into space, this is no longer possible. Foreign counterparts can only guess who the father of the world's spaceflight really is.

Pragmatic fantasist

He was called chief designer in the newspaper and was also highly respected in rocket circles. Receiving medals was not Korolev's priority. He did not accept the position of "boss" and did not dream of a Nobel Prize – he did not win the Nobel Prize because it had been kept secret. The chief designer is immersed in his own "little kingdom" – Podlipki, near Moscow, where rocket practitioners live, from big scientists to ordinary workers. In the center of scientific production there, Korolev's words were as precious as gold. Scientists are ambitious people, and it is not easy to become undisputed leaders in this environment.

There are many legends about Korolev: there is no exact information about how he let the trumpeter blow the trumpet to celebrate after the launch of the first satellite, and how he resolved the debate about the lunar surface — whether it was hard or soft as a pillow. The chief designer took out a piece of paper and wrote a few big words: "The surface of the moon is hard—Korolev." He was responsible for his own words.

Astronaut and scientist Konstantin Fyokortistov, who wrote an article about the chief designer, said: "Korolev's most distinctive feature is the abundance of energy. He can infect others with this energy. He was a very determined man, often quite stern. Korolev is a fusion of reason and fantasy. ”

Many recall the chief designer's temper tantrums: he once threw documents all over the floor in his office. But when making important decisions, he patiently listens to all parties.

Spaceship Expedition

Because of Korolev, the world knew several new Russian words — starting with "satellite." One day in late 1960, the academician summoned the staff to a secret meeting: a call for a manned spacecraft. Everyone gave various solutions: "rocket-powered aircraft", "interstellar aircraft", "spacecraft"... Korolev said: "I call it 'spaceship'". Everyone laughed – did this container look like a boat? But then everyone admitted that Korolev was right. The word is reminiscent of the earth, of an expedition to the sea of stars. Today, in our view, this concept has always existed. Spaceships – what could be more natural than that?

Korolev also dreamed of becoming the first interstellar traveler. He was not afraid of danger, and was even prepared to stay on track forever – just to make that leap. But I thought it didn't work out. In preparation for the first manned space flight, Korolev felt the need to choose a young ace pilot. In the United States, von Braun valued the experience of future astronauts; in the Soviet Union, youth prevailed. Fearless and athletic young officers were selected for the first astronaut team. Russia's second astronaut, Gelman Titov, is still the youngest man to go into space.

Before the launch on April 12, 1961, Korolev said to Yuri Gagarin through radio: "Everything must be calm. See you in Moscow. "Their conversation became the first clue that astronauts firmly grasped during the toughest moments of take-off and landing." At the time, no one could accurately tell how heavy the space overload was. They took a step into uncharted territory – and won.

The chief designer refers to the astronaut as "Skyhawk" and gagarin has always used the honorific title of "name + paternal name", although he is 27 years older than Gagarin. By the way, a surprising coincidence: on March 9, 1934, the day Gagarin was born in the town of Klusino, Smolensk Oblast, Korolev wrote a report on the entry of humans into the stratosphere on rockets, which was the basis for his first published work.

Doctor's mistake

At the age of nearly 60, Korolev also believed that after 5 to 10 years, the physical requirements for astronauts would be less demanding, and he would be able to realize his dream of flying. He didn't think of himself as an old man and simply didn't have time to seriously consider his health.

Nothing seems impossible to him: the first multiplayer flying, the first spacewalk, the first photograph of the far side of the moon, the first female astronaut... There is a long list of victories. There were only two things he failed to do: flying in person and learning to rest. For at least 20 years, he has lived an overly stressful life, sleeping short and having an uneven heart rate.

In early January 1966, he underwent what he called a "minor operation that was not worth mentioning"—the removal of the rectal polyps. The surgery was performed by The Soviet Minister of Health, Boris Petrovsky. On the operating table, it was found that the original diagnosis was wrong: not a polyp, but a deadly tumor. The tumor was removed, but the patient failed to wake up from the anesthesia.

The state buried him in a low profile. Immediately after the one-word official statement, it became clear that it was the chief designer who had left, the man who had done the feats of satellite launch and Gagarin's flying sky. The academician lying on a velvet mat wore a medal – including two "Heroes of Socialist Labor" medal. A new tomb appears under the walls of the Kremlin. After Korolev's death, the Soviet space industry fell into crisis for several years, which lasted until the 1970s. Now, his name can be heard in songs, and his portrait can be seen in textbooks and stamps. He became a symbol of the best things of the 20th century: faith in science, unstoppable confidence in humanity's ability to conquer the vast universe and progress.

Source: Reference News Network