Russian cosmonautics knows a large number of outstanding personalities. But among them, the Soviet cosmonaut Aleksey Arkhipovich stands out. First of all, he is known for being the first person who was not afraid to go into outer space. This is what Leonov-cosmonaut became famous for. The biography of this outstanding personality will be the subject of our discussion.
Birth and childhood
In the Kemerovo region, the territory of which then belonged to the West Siberian Territory, the future Soviet cosmonaut Leonov was born. Date of birth - May 30, 1934. His parents, Arkhip Alekseevich Leonov and Evdokia Minaevna Sotnikova, in addition to little Alyosha, raised seven more children.
When Alex was three years old, his family was repressed. The father went to places of detention, and the mother with the children was forced to move to Kemerovo, since their house was actually given for plunder. But two years later his father was rehabilitated.
A.A. Leonov went to school in Kemerovo, but in 1947 the family was forced to move to Kaliningrad due to a change of job as a breadwinner. It was in this city that the future great astronaut received secondary education.
From early childhood A.A. Leonov dreamed of an army career, therefore, after receiving a certificate of secondary education (1953), he entered the Military Aviation School, which he successfully graduated in 1955. Two years later, he completed his studies at the school of the corresponding profile.
Cosmonautics development
Meanwhile, the second half of the 50s and 60s of the XX century was a time of rapid development of astronautics. In 1957, the Soviet Union launched an artificial Earth satellite. In the same year, the first living creature, the Laika dog, was launched into orbit in an aircraft. The issue of the possibility of manned space flight became more and more relevant.
In 1960, the USSR Air Force selected the first cosmonaut squad, which included the 20 most trained pilots. It was from among the members of this detachment that a crew was formed for the first Soviet space expeditions. In this twenty most worthy was A.A. Leonov. In addition to him, the squad included German Titov, Dmitry Zaikin, Pavel Popovich, Ivan Anikeev, Adriyan Nikolaev and many other famous pilots. The honor of becoming the first astronaut was granted to Yuri Gagarin. In April 1961, on the Vostok-1 spacecraft, he made his first orbital flight.
From 1961 to 1964 G. Titov, A. Nikolaev, P. Popovich, V. Bykovsky and V. Komarov also made flights into space. The crew of Vladimir Komarov, who flew in October 1964, except for the commander, consisted of two more people. This opportunity was provided by a new type of multi-seat spaceship Voskhod, which replaced the Vostok series.
The Soviet cosmonaut Leonov was waiting in line. Photos with him and Yuri Gagarin can be seen above.
Historical flight
A new space expedition was planned for mid-March 1965. She consisted of two people. Pavel Belyaev was appointed commander , and A.A. Leonov was appointed pilot. The flight was supposed to take place on the multi-seat spaceship Voskhod-2, which, in comparison with the first version, was modified.
Initially, the expedition's tasks included manned spacewalks, and it was considered as part of the lunar program of the USSR.
The ship "Voskhod-2" with Belyaev and Leonov on board was launched on March 18, 1965.
In outer space
After the spacecraft entered orbit, it was necessary to realize the main goal of the flight - access to outer space. This problem was to be solved by A. A. Leonov. The astronaut immediately moved to the lock chamber, after which the crew commander closed the compartment and began its depressurization. Then Alexey Arkhipovich left the lock chamber and went into outer space. It was this act that A. A. Leonov (astronaut) became known throughout the world. A photo of his stay in outer space is located below.
It should be noted that while he was out of the spacecraft, Alexei Arkhipovich felt uncomfortable: his body temperature rose, increased sweating began, and his breathing and heart rate increased. In open space, the astronaut spent more than twelve minutes.
The return to the spacecraft was associated with some difficulties. Due to the fact that the suit was greatly swollen, it was difficult for Leonov to return to the lock chamber. Therefore, in violation of the instructions, he was forced to squeeze into it with his hands, head first.
Landing
The landing of the spacecraft was also accompanied by some unforeseen incidents. It had to be carried out automatically after the ship made 17 orbits around the orbit. But the automation failed. Therefore, Voskhod-2 had to be planted manually after 18 turns.
The taiga area in the Perm Region turned out to be the landing site. The rescue expedition was able to find the crew of the spacecraft only on the second day. This was due to the fact that due to failures in automation, the landing occurred in an unplanned place.
Further career of an astronaut
After completing a historic flight, which culminated in the first manned spacewalk, Alexei Leonov received the title of Hero of the USSR. He was awarded the highest Soviet awards - the "Golden Star" and the Order of Lenin.
After that, and until 1969 inclusive, Leonov took part in the Soviet lunar program. But after the Americans landed on the moon, it was curtailed, since the USSR lost the US championship in the "moon race." Now the natural satellite of the Earth was not of special interest for the Russian cosmonautics. Although at one time it was planned that it was Leonov who should become the person who first landed on the moon.
At this time, simultaneously with work, Alexey Arkhipovich studied at the Air Force Academy in engineering.
In 1975, A. Leonov made his second flight into space. This time it was he who was the commander of the crew, which, in addition to him, included V. Kubasov. The flight was carried out on an Soyuz-19 aircraft and lasted more than five days. During this expedition, he was once again awarded the title of Hero of the USSR.
In January 1982, the forty-seven-year-old A. Leonov, along with other pilots of his generation, left the team of astronauts. This was primarily due to his age. However, he continued until 1991 to occupy the post of deputy. Head of the CPC. In 1991, he retired with the rank of Major General.
Retired Activities
But Alexey Arkhipovich is not such a person to stay on a well-deserved rest. Already in 1992, he headed the company engaged in the development of space programs. In addition, he is the official adviser to a member of the board of directors of one of the largest Russian banks.
The main hobby of Alexei Arkhipovich at present is painting. In this matter, he received well-deserved recognition from professionals. A. Leonov collaborates with the artist A. Sokolov, with whom he is a co-author of a series of postage stamps.
Alexei Arkhipovich does not shy away from politics either. He is currently a member of the Supreme Council of the United Russia party organization. On his 75th birthday, he was personally congratulated by Dmitry Medvedev, who at that time was the president of Russia.
A family
The wife of Alexei Leonov is Svetlana Pavlovna Dotsenko, born in 1940. In the past, she worked as an editor in the publishing house of the CPC, and now she is retired.
In marriage, they had two daughters - Victoria (born 1961) and Oksana (born 1967). But Victoria, who worked at Sovfreight, died in 1996 due to hepatitis with pneumonic complications. Oksana is currently working as a translator.
Personality assessment
So, we learned about such an outstanding personality in history as A. A. Leonov (astronaut). His biography was rather complicated: at an early age he was faced with Stalinist repressions, and in retirement he experienced the bitterness of losing his daughter.
But, despite all the misadventures and obstacles, A. Leonov managed to become one of the most famous personalities in Soviet and world cosmonautics. It was he who was honored for the first time to go into outer space. Considering the attitude towards the selection of candidates at that time, it must be recognized that in order to be assigned to such a mission, a person had to have truly exceptional personal qualities. And the correctness of this choice, Alexei Arkhipovich proved in practice.
A. Leonov demonstrated his stiffness and industriousness after retirement, when, instead of retiring to a well-deserved rest, he did not stop active labor and social activities.
It is people like A. A. Leonov who are proud of Russia.