Karim Karimov

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Postage stamp of Azerbaijan for the 90th birthday of Karim Karimov

Karim Karimov ( Azerbaijani Kərim Kərimov or Kərim Abbasəli oğlu Kərimov; Russian Керим Аббас-Алиевич Керимов * 14 November 1917 in Baku , Government Baku , Russian Empire ; † 29. March 2003 in Moscow , Russia ) was a Soviet- Azerbaijan ical engineering scientist , Lieutenant General of the Artillery of the Soviet Army and Chairman of the Commission on Manned Space Missions of the Soviet Union between 1966 and 1991. He is considered a pioneer and one of the most famous leaders of the Soviet space program. Despite its prominent role, Karimov's name was kept a secret from the Soviet and international public for many years.

biography

Karimow was born into the family of a process engineer. From 1936 to 1939 he studied at the energetic faculty of the Novocherkassk Polytechnic Institute named Sergo Ordzhonikidze (today the South Russian State Technical University ). In 1942 he graduated from the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University . At the end of 1943 Karimow graduated from the Feliks Dzierżyński Artillery Academy in Moscow.

During the Second World War Karimov worked, among other things, in the Moscow factories and was responsible for the inspection and use of the Soviet multiple rocket launcher Katyusha . Together with other rocket technology specialists, he was sent to Nordhausen in 1946 to collect more details about the manufacture of the Aggregat 4 ballistic artillery rocket ( declared a weapon of retaliation by Joseph Goebbels in 1944 ).

Until 1960 Karimov held various positions in the Soviet Ministry of the Interior and over time worked his way up from chief engineer to chairman of the Directorate for Strategic Missile Forces (now space forces ). In September 1960 he moved to the head of the Main Directorate for Missile Weapons (Russian: Главноe управлениe ракетного вооружения). Four years later, Karimow was already in charge of the newly established central office for aerospace equipment. He was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1961 for designing and introducing the “Zenit” reconnaissance satellite . In 1965 Karimov got another leading position in the Ministry of General Mechanical Engineering of the Soviet Union as head of the space administration, which dealt with the development of rocket and space technology.

The high point of his career up to then was the appointment as chairman of the State Commission for manned flights after the death of Sergei Pavlovich Korolev in 1966. Karimov also acted as chairman of the State Commission for the flight tests of the first Soviet telecommunications satellite " Molnija 1 ", the weather satellite " Meteor 1 ", as well as the orientation sputnik to capture the planet earth .

For the successful docking of two unmanned Soyuz spaceships - " Kosmos 186 " and " Kosmos 188 " in orbit, Karimov was promoted to lieutenant general in October 1967 at the age of 50.

In 1974 Karimov was appointed to the post of deputy director of the Soviet Research Institute of Mechanical Engineering. He coordinated the construction, the launch mission and the operation of the manned space station " Mir ". At the same time, Karimov retained his position as chairman of the State Commission for Manned Space Flights.

In 1975 Karimov led the preparations for the joint Soviet-American test project " Apollo-Soyuz ". Under his supervision, the cosmonauts went on the space missions. Of all people, the astronauts at the Baikonur spaceport reported to him about their readiness to fly and about the fulfillment of the mission after landing. However, his name was never mentioned in the mass media and was kept strictly secret for decades. In Soviet TV reports, Karimov was always seen from behind. His identity only became known in the summer of 1987, when the newspapers Pravda and Sovetskaya Rossiya wrote about his great achievements. After 25 years, Karimov retired in 1991 at the age of 74.

After finishing his active career, Karimov stayed in Moscow and in 1995 published a book on the history of the Soviet space program. In the same year he also wrote an autobiographical work entitled “The Way to Space” (Notes from the Chairman of the State Commission), which was published in 1995 by the Azerbaijan Publishing House in Baku. Karimov was an honorary member of the National Academy of Sciences of Azerbaijan in the 1990s . He died on March 29, 2003 and was buried in the Vagankovo ​​Cemetery in Moscow.

Awards

  • Order of Lenin - for the preparation of the first manned space flight (1961). He received a second award in 1987

Others

School No. 157 (today Gymnasium No. 1583) in Moscow was named after Karimov.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Г.САЛАЕВ: Керим Керимов: один из руководителей космической программы СССР. Retrieved November 17, 2018 (Russian).
  2. ↑ Инженеры России // Керимов Керим Алиевич. Retrieved November 17, 2018 (Russian).
  3. ↑ a b c Герои социалистического труда: Керим Алиевич Керимов. Retrieved November 17, 2018 (Russian).
  4. ↑ Peter Bond: Lt-Gen Kerim Kerimov. Shadowy figure behind the Soviet space program. April 7, 2003, accessed November 17, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Владимир НИКОЛАЕВ: Он давал «добро» на старт. April 12, 2005, Retrieved November 17, 2018 (Russian).
  6. ^ Betty Blair: Behind Soviet Aeronauts. Interview with General Karim Karimov. 1995, accessed November 17, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Центр военно-политических исследований: КЕРИМОВ КЕРИМ АББАС-АЛИЕВИЧ. Retrieved November 17, 2018 (Russian).
  8. ↑ Официальный сайт ГБОУ Школа № 1583 города Москвы. Retrieved November 17, 2018 .
personal data
SURNAME Karimov, Karim
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Kərimov, Kərim; Kərimov, Kərim Abbasəli oğlu; Кери́мов, Кери́м Абба́с-Али́евич
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Soviet-Azerbaijani engineer, Soviet lieutenant general, and space functionary
DATE OF BIRTH November 14, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Baku , Baku Governorate , Russian Empire
DATE OF DEATH March 29, 2003
Place of death Moscow , Russia