Patsaev Viktor Ivanovich, whose biography is described in this article, Hero of the USSR, Soviet cosmonaut. This is the first astronomer to leave Earth orbit. His death was tragic - during the landing of Soyuz-11, due to depressurization.
Childhood
06/16/1933 in Kazakhstan, in the city of Aktyubinsk, the future cosmonaut Patsaev Viktor Ivanovich was born. The family was small at first. Victor had his own sister Galina and brother Victor. His father, Ivan Panteleevich, was a simple employee. When the war began, he went to the front and died in 1941. Victor’s mother, Maria Sergeyevna, was left to raise her children alone. After the death of her husband, she married a second time, to Ivan Ivanovich Volkov.
He was also a widower. And from his first wife he left four children in his care. When Patsaeva and Volkov got married, the families became one big. Ivan Ivanovich moved everyone to live in the Kaliningrad region, in the city of Nesterov. He got a job as director of Sberkasy. And Maria Sergeevna - to the store as a seller.
Education
Patsaev Viktor Ivanovich went to school at the age of six. After graduating from first grade, he received a letter of commendation. After the death of his father, when the whole family moved to the city of Nesterov, Victor continued his studies at a local school. He enrolled in a fencing club, took part in scientific and technical conferences. He wrote articles for the newspaper. He graduated from the school in 1950.
Victor had a dream - to enter a geological exploration institute and study the Earth from a flight height. After graduating from high school, he immediately submitted documents to the university. Despite the fact that he passed the exams well, Victor did not have enough points for admission. He was offered an alternative option - Industrial Penza Institute.
He agreed to enrollment and graduated in 1955. He received a degree in precision mechanics. In 1968 he graduated from pilot courses at the Kolomensk flying club. At the same time he studied at graduate school. From 1967 to 1969 he was trained as an astronaut under the H1-L3 program.
Work
After the institute, Patsaev Viktor Ivanovich got a job as a designer at the aerological observatory. He created instruments for meteorological rockets. In 1958 he worked in the department of antenna-feeder devices in the design office of Korolev. During his activity, Viktor Ivanovich conducted many experiments and studies in the field of plasma, radio antennas, etc.
Space
After training cosmonauts, Viktor Ivanovich was allowed to train at the TsKBEM. He took part as a flight engineer of Soyuz-18 in the Contact project. Viktor Ivanovich made his first flight in 1971 from June 6 to 29. At that time, he was already a research engineer at Soyuz-11.
Patsaev Viktor Ivanovich, whose photo is in this article, performed spectrography of Beta Centauri, investigated the Earth's atmosphere using the twilight horizon method and other species. Successful and significant is his activity in the field of polarization of sunlight and its effects. Patsaev participated in the cultivation of zero gravity cabbage, onions, etc. The results of work that have been carried out in many directions are important in the development of space flights.
Tragic death
After the next program given to the astronauts was completed, the spacecraft returned to Earth. In flight, he spent 24 hours. The tragedy occurred on the night of June 30 during the landing of Soyuz-11. Suddenly on the ship, the ventilating breathing valve failed. And the astronauts were left without air. This led to their death. When the ship was opened, resuscitators immediately began work. But it was not possible to save the astronauts.
A family
Patsaev Victor Ivanovich married Vera Aleksandrovna Kryazheva. His wife worked at TsNIImash. The Patsayevs had two children. The first to be born in 1957 was Dmitry. In 1962, the daughter Svetlana was born. The son, Dmitry Viktorovich, subsequently worked at IKI. Over time, he went to live abroad. Svetlana began to teach at Moscow University for the Humanities. But then, like her brother, she left for permanent residence abroad.
Awards and memory
In memory of Patsaev, a crater on the Moon, planet No. 1791, some streets in Aktyubinsk, Kirovograd, Kaliningrad and other cities were named after him. The name of the astronaut received a research vessel. Several monuments were erected in memory of Patsaev. A memorial plaque has been installed in Kaluga . Patsaev Viktor Ivanovich is buried on Red Square in Moscow. The astronaut was awarded the Order of Lenin and received the title of Hero of the USSR. But it was awarded to him posthumously.