Pavel Romanowitsch Popowitsch

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Pavel Popovich
Country: Soviet UnionSoviet Union Soviet Union
Organization: WWS
Call sign: Беркут (Berkut - " golden eagle ")
selected on March 7, 1960
( 1st cosmonaut group )
Calls: 2 space flights
Start of the
first space flight:
August 12, 1962
Landing of the
last space flight:
July 19, 1974
Time in space: 18d 16h 27min
retired on January 1982
Space flights
Popovich as 2nd from left 1963 in the stands of the Lenin Mausoleum in Moscow at an event on the success of the space flight companies Vostok-5 and Vostok 6 with the Soviet head of state and party leader Nikita Khrushchev (right), Valentina Tereschkowa (center) and Yuri Gagarin (left)

Pawel Romanovič Popovič ( Russian Павел Романович Попович , scientific transliteration Pavel Romanovič Popovič ; born October 5, 1930 in Usyn , Ukrainian SSR , Soviet Union ; † September 29, 2009 in Hursuf ) was a Soviet cosmonaut who took part in the first group flight. He was the first Ukrainian cosmonaut.

Life

Selection and training as a cosmonaut

In 1954 Popovich graduated from the Aviation School in Grozny , and then served as an Air Force pilot. In early 1960, the Soviet Union's First Cosmonaut Group was formed, and Popovich was one of the 20 pilots selected for the first space flights. He was also one of the six candidates for the first Vostok flight .

First flight: Vostok 4

After the first space flight in history with Vostok 1 and the first 24-hour flight with Vostok 2 , the Soviet Union planned another first achievement: with Vostok 3 and Vostok 4 , two spaceships should be in orbit for the first time. The flight duration was controversial. Little was known about the behavior of the human body during prolonged weightlessness . Chief designer Korolev was in favor of a three-day flight, while the head of cosmonaut training, Kamanin , wanted a maximum of two.

Popovich took off with Vostok 4 on August 12, 1962. Andrijan Nikolajew had been in space with Vostok 3 the day before . The two spaceships approached each other within 6.5 km. This was based on precise calculations already at the start and not on a control (maneuvering) of the spaceships. Since the spaceships had different orbital times, they diverged from each other over time. Popovich and Nikolayev had radio contact between the spaceships.

Due to a defect in the life support system, the temperature in Popowitsch's capsule fell to 10 ° C, but this did not affect the course of the mission. Popovich landed after three days, shortly after Nikolayev, who had spent four days in space. As usual with the Vostok flights, Popovich used the ejection seat and landed on his own parachute .

Between flights

After his space flight, Popovich went on lecture tours that took him to Cuba and Australia, among other places. From September 1966, Popovich led a group of cosmonauts who were preparing for a flight on the military version of Soyuz VI . The first flight (probably with Popovich and Gennady Kolesnikov as a crew) should have taken place in 1969, but the project was canceled in December 1967, despite Popovich's objections. After that, Popovich trained again in the Soviet lunar program . He was scheduled to be in command of a Soviet orbit planned for July 1969, together with Vitaly Sevastyanov . This program was stopped after the success of Apollo 8 .

At the same time, Popovich studied from 1966 to 1968 at the Air Force Military Academy in Monino .

Second flight: Soyuz 14

In September 1970, Popovich became the head of a department of 22 cosmonauts dealing with the planned Almas military space station . From September 1972, Popowitsch and his flight engineer Artjuchin prepared for a stay on board the first Almas space station. They were intended to be the first crew. The flight did not take place because the space station could not be stabilized in Earth orbit in April 1973 and crashed after a short time.

After an Almas space station called Salyut 3 was launched on June 24, 1974 and was ready for use, Popowitsch and Artjuchin were able to launch Soyuz 14 on July 3, 1974 . The two cosmonauts spent two weeks aboard the space station and landed on July 19.

After the space flights

From January 1978 to March 1989, Popovich was responsible for science and research at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center . On January 26, 1982 Popovich left the cosmonaut squad and in 1989 became director of the AIUS Agroresurs Institute for the exploration of mineral resources. In August 1993 he retired from active military service.

Others

Popovich published several books and was a member of the Soviet (later: Russian) writers' association. He was a member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.

Honors (selection)

The minor planet (8444) Popovich and a mountain in Antarctica are named after Popovich .

Private

Popovich was married to Marina Popovich , whom he met in 1955. At that time she was already a test pilot and held several world records. In 1961/1962 she was shortlisted for the female cosmonaut group, but was ultimately not accepted. Popovich tried in vain to dissuade his wife from flying. This marriage, which was later divorced, has two children. Popovich later married a second time.

Web links

Commons : Pawel Popowitsch  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. Photo: RIA Novosti archive, image # 159271 / V. Malyshev / CC-BY-SA 3.0