Viktor Savinykh is the Soviet cosmonaut, the 50th on the list of those who in the USSR were able to fly into space. For all his life he had three flights, during one of which he was able to visit in outer space. The total time of all flights is more than 252 days.
Biography
Viktor Savinykh is an astronaut whose biography was once known to many Soviet citizens, because the whole country looked at people like him, was proud of them, looked up to them.
The future cosmonaut was born in the small village of Berezkiny, located in the Oric district of the Kirov region. His birthday is March 7, 1940. Early childhood fell on the war years, shortly after the Victory Victor Savinykh went to school. He graduated from it, like many other Soviet schoolchildren, at 17 years old. Having received secondary education, Victor entered the Perm College of Railway Transport, in the diploma of completion of which the qualification "traveling technician" was listed.
On the achieved young V.P. Savinykh did not stop and in 1969 he graduated from the institute, having received the qualification of “mechanical engineer-optician”. However, this did not seem enough to him, so he remained in graduate school at the same educational institution - the Moscow Institute of Geodesy, Aerial Photography and Cartography Engineers. After its graduation, he defended his Ph.D. on the topic "Orientations of spacecraft in low Earth orbit."
After another 5 years, the doctorate was defended, which revealed a topic related to the environmental difficulties of the atmosphere. After that, he decided to start a career as a diplomat, for which he needed to get a diploma from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Space
Victor Savinykh began his career in 1960, working as a foreman on the Sverdlovsk Railway. In the years 60-63 he served in the ranks of the SA, in the railway troops.
The Queen came to the Design Bureau in 1969. He began his career in this place with an engineer, after 20 years he resigned from the post of head of the complex.
In 1975, Viktor Savinykh received admission from the Main Medical Commission, on the basis of which three years later - in December 1978 - recommendations were received to enroll the beginner in the squad. For events of this level, all this happened incredibly fast. Savinykh himself explains this by the fact that he knew the aircraft thoroughly, tuned it from the moment it was created. He came to the design bureau even when this project was only on paper, so Viktor Petrovich accompanied him almost from the moment of “conception”. The appointment as a test cosmonaut was signed on December 8, 1978.
Together with the group, which was expected by the Salyut-6 station, he participated in pre-flight training until May 1980.
October 1978 - spring 1980 - busy preparing for a test flight on Soyuz T-2. The exams were successfully passed to them, but almost before the start, a message appeared that the ship was double for the flight, so it was withdrawn from the program.
Quite unexpectedly, he was transferred to another project, so in October-November 1980 he was preparing for another project. After its successful completion, the astronaut received the post of flight engineer of the second crew, intended for the Soyuz T-3 test flight.
In December 1980, the final preparations for the launch at Salyut-6, which ended in February 81st, began. In the fifth main expedition, Viktor Savinykh became an onboard engineer for the reserve crew. However, after the exam, the commission decided to transfer him along with V. Kovalenk to the main crew, while Andreev and Zudov transferred to the backup team.
First flight
Victor Savinykh, the astronaut, was waiting with particular impatience for his very first flight. The launch was made on March 12, 1981. His position for 74 days, 17 hours and 37 minutes and 23 seconds, which this flight lasted, is flight engineer. His call sign during this period is Photon-2. The difference between this flight and most others, including the fact that the start took place in the evening. After takeoff, the astronauts had a lot of work to do, so they were forced to restructure their schedule in advance. They went to bed in the morning, waking up when the rest of the Muscovites were already preparing for bed. After the decision on the flight was finally made, it was reported that Victor became the fiftieth Soviet cosmonaut and No. 100 in international qualifications.
Before the flight, doctors treated the departing with alcohol as a disinfection. Savinykh recalled how the doctor joked that now they are completely invulnerable to microbes. On this day, Victor wrote letters to his wife and parents. He put a photo in an envelope in which he is shown in a spacesuit. The family did not see him in this form and could not even think that at this moment he was going to the rocket, that his flight would be announced very soon.
After returning to Earth, the Savinykh recalled that his colleagues tried very hard to make him laugh, to distract him from excitement. One of them absolutely seriously asserted that he had put skis in the cargo compartment on which to run on a space ski. These assurances were so serious and detailed that Savinykh could not help smiling.
When correspondents asked before the start what they would miss in space, Savinykh replied that he did not know, but at the moment he was missing space.
The mission's goal was to re-commission the Salyut-6 station, which had lost contact some time ago. It was inside the “dead” station that Savinykh first tried to fly in zero gravity. Not immediately, but rather quickly, he learned that it was necessary to make a decision on the direction of movement near the plane - there was no sense in twitching at the time of the flight. Until you reach a surface, nothing can be changed.
Returning from the first flight, the astronaut enthusiastically talked about how beautiful our planet is that it is impossible to appreciate it so much from the surface. Watching endless sunrises (you can see them 16 times in space per day), Viktor Petrovich recalled life in the Urals, early mornings with their clean, fresh smell. How could he then suggest that he would look at his planet from outer space? Of course, even in my wildest dreams this did not occur to me.
With amazement he told Savinykh about the magnificence of flowers opened from space. The aurora made an indelible impression on him, especially since the astronauts managed to visit the very center of this phenomenon. Not a single film, according to observers, is capable of reproducing the wealth of colors that they managed to observe from space.
Second flight
It was the longest flight of those that fell to the Savins. The expedition to Salyut-7 lasted about 4 months. The first stage consisted of restoring all the functions of the station. Joint work with Dzhanibekov gave an excellent result: the station was restored to working capacity. As part of this assignment, the Savins went into outer space. Work outside the ship took 5 hours.
The work plan for the second stage included Vasyutin and Volkov, however, due to Vasyutin's illness, the flight had to be completed ahead of schedule. Savinykh was appointed to the position of crew commander.
This flight lasted a total of 168 days 3 hours 51 minutes 8 seconds.
After returning to Earth, our hero, as an on-board engineer, underwent training at the Mir OK, then - to fly to the Mir OS. In the first case, his crew was duplicate, in the second - the main one.
Third flight
Victor Savinykh, astronaut number 50 in the country, made his last career flight in 88. From June 7 to 17, he participated in a mission at the Soyuz TM-5 spacecraft as a flight engineer.
Two days after the launch, the spacecraft docked with the orbital station, on which the main fourth expedition operated. Station "Mir" made a favorable impression on the arrivals. Having completed the tasks of the joint flight, the crew returned to Earth. This expedition was unusual in that, together with the Soviet cosmonauts, the Mir station received specialists from Bulgaria.
This flight lasted 9 days 20 hours 9 minutes 19 seconds.
Personal life
With a girl who later became a wife, Victor met while studying at a technical school in Perm. The first thing he noticed was how easily and freely Lilia danced. She herself decided that he would go to see her home, which greatly amused the future astronaut. The girl loved sports, was engaged in athletics and was an excellent skier, which made her accustomed to attention and longed for him. The wife of Viktor Savinykh was born on February 23, 41, her maiden name is Menshikova. Lilia Alekseevna worked as a teacher in the department of physical education of the Moscow Forestry Institute.
Victor Savinykh, whose family in childhood consisted of parents, himself and his younger brother, raised one daughter, born August 12, 1968. Valentina, who had been proud of her father all her life, did not follow in his footsteps. She became a biologist.
Life after
In 1988, Viktor Petrovich accepted the offer to become a rector. He began to lead the university, in which he studied years ago - MIIGAiK. A year later, the astronaut's career was officially ended, after which until 1992 Savinykh was a People’s Deputy of the Soviet Union. Viktor Petrovich is a doctor of technical sciences since 1990.
Today, the former astronaut holds the position of editor-in-chief of the Russian Space magazine. He is an honorary citizen of Kirov, where a monument was erected in his honor. In addition, the name of this astronaut is assigned to one of the minor planets.
Awards
For his long work and thanks to the research, the Savinykh received many awards and titles. He several times became a laureate of various state awards, Knight of the Orders of Lenin, "For Merit to the Fatherland", "Golden Star" medals, awarded the medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" and many others. In addition, he repeatedly received the title of hero.
Twice became the hero of the Soviet Union. Ranks assigned to him in 1981 and 1985.
In 1981 he received the title of Hero of the Mongolian People’s Republic, seven years later - the same in the Bulgarian Republic.
Since 1981 - pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR.
Not only in our country have the activities of the Savins been appreciated, in Paris he is a member of the International Academy of Astronautics. In addition, he is a member of the International Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Informatics. Since 2006 he is a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Social work
Victor Savinykh always led a very active public life. He was a deputy of the USSR, a member of the committee on ecology, ran for the Duma of the Russian Federation twice, but both times he did not become the chosen one of the people. He is the president of the Swimming Federation, a member of the presidium of the philatelic society, is a full member of a large number of diverse societies. In 2010, he entered the top three on the list of the Kirov branch of United Russia in the elections to the state assembly. In 2011, he was elected as a deputy.
Hobbies
Even during his studies, the Savinykh became addicted to skiing, then he became interested in fishing, hunting, tennis and became addicted to skiing. Now, despite a busy schedule, Viktor Petrovich is trying to devote as much time as possible to sports and hobbies so as not to lose physical fitness.
Although the former astronaut lives in Moscow today, he tries to come to his native Vyatka every year to go to the forest and go fishing on the banks of the river that he has known since childhood.
Publications
Viktor Petrovich is the author of the books “The Earth Waits and Hopes” written in 1983, Notes from the Dead Station, completed in 1999, Geography from Space, created in 2000, and Vyatka. Baikonur. Space ”, which the astronaut was engaged in in 2002 and 2010.
In addition, he is a co-author of many publications on space and the environment.