Sergei Pavlovich Korolev is an academician whose name is known, as a rule, to all educated people on the planet. What is the reason for this popularity? What is it that this unconditionally talented person managed to create, that stories about him have been retold for several decades?
Like all Soviet scientists, he made a significant contribution to the development of world science. But that is not all. He was the first. The first who managed to conquer outer space. Of course, after him there were and will be talented specialists who have devoted and dedicate their work to the development of the galaxy. But it is Korolev Sergey Pavlovich who is considered a pioneer.
You can actually talk about this person indefinitely, each time wondering at his talent, perseverance, and determination.
Section 1. Childhood and adolescence
Sergey Korolev, whose biography is quite saturated, was born in the Ukrainian city of Zhitomir on January 12, 1907. His parents divorced early, the boy did not remember his father at all, as he was brought up in his mother's family in the city of Nizhyn. It was there that in 1911, Sergei saw the flight of pilot Utochkin on an airplane. To say that this event simply impressed him was to say nothing. The teenager was indescribable delight.
In 1917, Korolev, together with his mother, moved to Odessa with his stepfather. In South Palmyra, there was a seaplane squad. And pure chance brought the teenager to the mechanic V. Dolganov, who subsequently began to teach him all the subtleties. The kid spent the whole summer with the brigade, helped prepare the planes for flights, and in a very short time was able to become an indispensable and trouble-free assistant to local mechanics and pilots.
Sergei Korolev was not able to immediately get a certificate of general secondary education, as a result he graduated from a two-year construction school, where he studied very diligently. Throughout his studies, Korolev continued to participate in the life of the hydroaviation squad. And the fame of a brilliant mechanic was firmly entrenched in the guy.
Korolev Sergey Pavlovich was a member of the Ukrainian Aviation Society, gave lectures on gliding, took part in the construction of a glider designed by the famous pilot K. A. Arceulov. After a while, he entered the Polytechnic Institute of Kiev, where he was considered one of the most educated students of fur. faculty.
In 1926, after two years of training in Kiev, a talented young man transferred to Moscow with a degree in aeromechanics (MVTU). In March 1927, Korolev graduated from a glider school with honors.
Section 2. Arrest and work for the KGB
In his autobiography, the chief designer recalled that he was arrested very unexpectedly (it happened on June 27, 1938) on charges of sabotage. Like many famous people of that time, he was tortured. There is evidence that both his jaws were broken.
On September 25, 1938, the scientist was included in the list of special persons whose cases were examined by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR. In that list, he was listed in the first (firing) category. But the court on September 27, 1938 sentenced him to only 10 years in prison. A few years later, the term was reduced, and he was released in 1944. During this time, Sergey went to Butyrku in Moscow, a prison in Novocherkassk and Kolyma, where he was engaged in "common work" in a gold mine.
The future chief designer returned to Moscow on March 2, 1940, where after only 4 months he was convicted a second time. In the NKVD prison TsKB-29, he participated in the construction of the Pe-2 and Tu-2 bombers. Such talents served as the reason for the transfer of the Queen to another design bureau at the aircraft factory No. 16 in Kazan. In 1943 he was appointed to a responsible position in the production of rocket launchers. In July 1944, the scientist was prematurely released on the personal instructions of I.V. Stalin.
Section 3. Sergey Korolev - Academician. Scientific works
Advances in space exploration deserve special attention. So, this talented Soviet specialist took part in the following projects aimed at:
- Ballistic missile development . In 1956, under his strict guidance, a two-stage ballistic missile R-7 was created, its modification was in service with the Strategic Missile Forces of the USSR. In 1957, he created the first rockets operating on the basis of stable fuel components.
- Creation of the first artificial satellite of our planet. S.P. Korolev developed it on the basis of a military missile with a three- and four-stage carrier. As a result, on October 4, 1957, this Earth satellite was launched.
- The construction of various satellites and the launch of vehicles to the moon. Among other things, he managed to develop a geophysical satellite, pair of satellites "Electron" and automatic stations to the moon.
- The assembly of the Vostok-1 manned spacecraft, which made possible the world's first human flight - Yu. A. Gagarin - in low Earth orbit. For this, the Queen was again awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor.
Section 4. Love and Cosmos of the Scientist
The first kiss of the Queen with the girl of his dreams, oddly enough, happened on the roof. He lived in Odessa and fell in love with Ksenia Vincentini, long sought her favor, and only before leaving for the Kiev Polytechnic Institute made an offer to her. Ksenia replied that she would wait until Sergey finished his studies. It turned out that she studied in Kharkov as a doctor, and he was in Kiev, and then in Moscow. Korolev constantly tried to get Xenia’s consent to marriage, she resisted for several years, but in the end she became his wife, and Sergey took her beloved to Moscow.
However, unfortunately, shortly afterwards, Korolev quickly loses interest in his wife and is fond of other women. As a result, such adventures of the husband brought the woman to a nervous breakdown, and she decides to leave him. Their daughter Natasha learned about the “betrayal of her father” at age 12, as a result, the crack between the daughter and father remained for his whole life.
It turns out that the famous Korolev-academician never could become a loving and caring husband and father.
Section 5. Exhausting Inner Loneliness
The second wife - Nina - was no easier with his adventures. Sergei Pavlovich continued to disappear on indefinite business trips, tormented by loneliness.
He often turns to his wife for advice, writes letters to her, talks about his difficulties and feelings, eternal problems in his soul and work. But soon her eternal torment and recognition begin to bother her, she ceases to respond to them, and he feels even more lonely.
Section 6. Medical history and death
It all happened too suddenly. A man lived, worked for the good of the Motherland, glorified his country, when he suddenly died. There were neither solemn speeches, nor a magnificent funeral, nor even articles on the topic “S.P. Korolev, Academician of World renown, passed away.”
Citizens of the USSR learned about what happened from the press. On January 16, 1966, the Pravda newspaper published a medical report on the cause of Korolev’s death. It turned out that he had been ill for a long time, and several serious diseases were pestering him at once: rectal sarcoma, atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis, sclerosis of cerebral arteries and pulmonary emphysema. Just on this day, Sergei Pavlovich underwent surgery to remove the tumor, but he died due to heart failure right on the operating table, without regaining consciousness.