The space flights that began in the early 60s of the twentieth century had no analogues in the whole history. The path of pioneers can be not only difficult, but also dangerous. So the development of the black abyss was not without tragedies. And the first drama was played with the participation of the hero of this article. Valentin Vasilyevich Bondarenko topped the list of astronauts who, having stood on the star road, did not reach their cherished goal. This article will describe his brief biography.
Childhood
Bondarenko Valentin Vasilievich (photo below) was born in 1937. Before the war, the boy’s dad headed the tailor shop at the Kharkov Fur Factory, and then volunteered for the front. During the service, he earned seven military awards.
Well, Valentine had to endure a two-year occupation with his brother and mother. The boy just dreamed of the sky. In high school, Bondarenko went to the Kharkov flying club. And after graduation, he entered the Voroshilovgrad Aviation School.
Military career
In 1956, Valentin Vasilievich Bondarenko was transferred to another educational institution. First to the Grozny school, and then to Armavir. In 1957, he successfully graduated from it. Around the same time, the future astronaut married, and his son Sasha was born.
Then Valentine was sent to serve in the Baltic states. Bondarenko was a very talented pilot. In his certification sheet wrote only positive characteristics. Soon, a commission arrived at Valentin's regiment to select pilots for the cosmonaut corps. The hero of this article was called for an interview first. This suggests that he was a born pilot. And only such were selected in the detachment.
Preparing for space flight
In the middle of the 20th century, a new program was launched in the USSR. Naturally, it was about space exploration, and everything was strictly classified. In 1959, Valentin Vasilievich Bondarenko received an offer from doctors to participate in flights on new equipment. The young man happily agreed. After a detailed medical examination, he was included in the first space squad, numbering 20 people. They were selected from several thousand applicants. Then there were long trainings to prepare for the flight on the spacecraft. As a result, only six people remained. Bondarenko Valentin Vasilievich was not included in their number, but did not despair. The pilot believed that everything was ahead of him, because he was almost 12 years younger than the oldest member of the detachment.
During space training, some pilots were injured. For example, Anatoly Kartashov received many point hemorrhages after a centrifuge test. Valentin Varlamov seriously injured the cervical vertebra. Vladimir Komarov was suspended from training for six months due to a hernia operation, and Pavel Belyaev - for twelve months due to a broken leg. The hero of this article had excellent physical preparation, and he managed to avoid injuries.
Signature chamber experiment
March 13, 1961 - this is the date when Valentin Bondarenko informed his family about a business trip. The astronaut actually lied. But he could not tell the truth to those close to him. Valentine had to go through a complex experiment in the sound chamber. It was a sealed room with low atmospheric pressure and pure oxygen inside. Bondarenko was in the cell for ten days. All this time, scientists tracked his reaction to stimuli. He was completely isolated from the outside world.
Upon completion of the experiment, the pilot was informed that he could disconnect the medical sensors from the body. Valentin did this with pleasure, and the remaining traces of them were wiped with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol. After which the young man threw her into the bin. But the tampon did not reach the goal, but got on the included electric stove. Due to the increased oxygen concentration and reduced pressure, the entire room instantly burst into flames. The signbar chamber could not be opened immediately because of the huge difference in pressure. When the pilot was pulled out with severe burns (90% of the body), he was still conscious.
March 23, 1961 - this is the date when Valentin Bondarenko got to the hospital. The astronaut was there for eight hours. Doctors tried to save his life. But everything was in vain. The young man passed away. And after 19 days, Yuri Gagarin made the first space flight.
Effects
Valentin Vasilyevich Bondarenko was posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Star. And he received the title of astronaut. Due to the fatal outcome of the experiment, scientists and engineers rethought the design of the camera and corrected a number of elements. Including the composition of the atmosphere and its pressure was changed.
Memory
Information about the death of the astronaut was not disclosed until 1986. A few years after the death of Bondarenko, his son and wife moved from Star City to Kharkov. Until the boy was 16 years old, their family was paid 100 rubles a month. The grandson of the hero of this article was named after him.
The Museum of the First Flight (Smolensk region, Gagarin) has a sound chamber. It was in this that Valentin Vasilievich Bondarenko died, whose biography was presented above. In honor of the astronaut named a crater on the moon (diameter 30 kilometers). Also, the native school of the pilot was assigned his name.
The history of Bondarenko is well known in the Kharkov planetarium. Visitors are always shown a stand dedicated to Valentin Vasilyevich. Galina Zheleznyak (director of the planetarium) is in touch with her son Bondarenko, who now lives and works in Star City. He transferred several things of his father to the Museum of Cosmonautics: pages of a personal file, a diploma of a military school, photographs, the Order of the Red Star ...