Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov is the only person in the history of Soviet cosmonautics who was not a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Is this possible? The researcher made his first space expedition in October 1964. Cosmonauts Komarov, Feoktistov, Egorov - the first in the USSR and the world group space crew with triple accommodation on board.
Childhood and scorched youth
The future cosmonaut was born on February 7, 1926 in Voronezh. Konstantin became the second son in the family of accountant Pyotr Pavlovich and nurse Maria Feodorovna Feoktistovs. In his book “The Trajectory of Life,” Konstantin Feoktistov described in detail the childhood and youth. The fact that his paternal grandfather was a priest, the guy found out shortly before entering the institute. Parents did their best to hide this fact from their sons, so as not to complicate their lives.
Fifteen-year-old Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov met the war in Voronezh. However, when the family was evacuated from the city, the impudent teenager fled to the front. The guy was assigned a scout in one of the military units of the Voronezh garrison of the Bryansk Front, retreating to the east of the country. During a reconnaissance operation in his hometown, Konstantin was captured by the Nazis and executed. Fortunately, a shot in the throat was not fatal. After the hospital, the young scout is sent to evacuate to his parents in Kokand (Uzbekistan), where he received secondary education in 1943.
Years of study at MVTU
The move to Moscow was connected with entering a higher educational institution (MVTU named after N.E. Bauman), which Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov graduated in 1949, having received the specialty of a mechanical engineer in thermal and hydraulic machines. After successfully defending a graduation project, a young engineer is assigned to the Secret Design Bureau (SKB-385) in the city of Zlatoust, Chelyabinsk Region. There, starting with an ordinary design engineer, Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov reached the head of the design team.
Work in NPO Energia
The first meeting with chief designer S.P. Korolev took place at OKB-1, where the future astronaut had an internship and defended his degree. In 1957, Konstantin P. Feoktistov transferred to work at OKB-1, which was subsequently reorganized into the Scientific and Production Association Energia, and began designing the first Earth satellite as the head of the design experimental group.
The deputy head of the special engineering department, the head of the sector, the head of the 9th secret department is a short track record of K.P. Feoktistov. After the formation of the first cosmonaut corps, Konstantin Petrovich acquaints future space explorers with the device of the Vostok spacecraft, of which he was an active developer. The teaching of the material at the Cosmonaut Training Center and the first flight of Yu. A. Gagarin formed the scientist's desire to participate in space flight himself.
K.P. Feoktistov - astronaut No. 12
In 1964, having completed a full course of general space training, Konstantin Petrovich became the first civilian specialist in the cosmonaut corps. The unexpected fact that the future researcher is not a member of the CPSU greatly upset members of the government. However, with the personal approval of L. I. Brezhnev and after his triumphal victory over the removal of N. S. Khrushchev from the post of General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, this fact was not given special significance in the biography of Konstantin Petrovich. Konstantin P. Feoktistov, astronaut No. 12, made his first flight to the stars on October 12, 1964.
The composition of the first group multi-seat crew of the Voskhod spacecraft:
- V. M. Komarov - commander and pilot of the spacecraft.
- B. B. Egorov is the country's first "space" doctor and deputy commander.
- K.P. Feoktistov is a civilian astronaut-researcher.
The duration of the flight of the Voskhod apparatus lasted a little more than a day. Its uniqueness consisted in the fact that for the first time in space orbit, people were without spacesuits. Another objective of this expedition was to attempt a soft landing on Earth, which was successfully completed. The scientific interest of the astronaut-researcher was to determine the optical characteristics of the atmosphere, test the navigation system and on-board equipment. During this flight, the country's government awarded the astronauts the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union. The Gold Star medal No. 11227 was awarded to K. P. Feoktistov.
Interesting Facts
- The idea of a space flight without spacesuits on the Voskhod apparatus was born a few days before the launch. The tight cockpit of the ship did not provide for the placement of three astronauts in full gear.
- During the space trip, the crew flew around the planet 16 times.
- The ejection system on board the device was completely absent.
- The report on the launch of the space crew on October 12, 1964 was received by Nikita Khrushchev, and the report on the completion of the expedition the next day was already received by the new Prime Minister Leonid Brezhnev.
- In 1979, cosmonaut K.P. Feoktistov was forbidden to leave the Soviet Union. The reason was his misbehavior on Liberty Island. During a ceremony in honor of the memory of the deceased Cuban revolutionary, Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarana, the astronaut “threw flowers at sea”. The question of his further foreign missions was decided at the level of the chairman of the USSR State Security.
Homeland Awards
In total, in the arsenal of Konstantin Petrovich's awards there are more than 30 state distinctions. This is a token of gratitude not only from the Soviet government, but also the worldwide recognition of other states:
- The hero of the USSR.
- Hero of Labor DRV (Democratic Republic of Vietnam).
- The order of Lenin.
- Order of the Red Banner of Labor (twice).
- Order of the Badge of Honor and many other awards.
In addition, K.P. Feoktistov is a laureate of the Lenin and State Prizes, an honorary citizen of Voronezh and Kaluga. He named the largest impact crater in the northern (reverse) hemisphere of the moon. Many streets in the cities and towns of the former Soviet Union bear the name of the twelfth Earth astronaut.
Work continues
Due to health problems in 1987, the researcher leaves the cosmonaut corps. All subsequent years, Feoktistov Konstantin Petrovich, whose biography became “space”, was closely associated with scientific developments and the design of orbital stations.
For more than 15 years, K.P. Feoktistov headed the department of Moscow University. His scientific works, inventions and books on the history of space exploration have been translated into many foreign languages. November 21, 2009, Feoktistov Konstantin Petrovich finished his life.
The family has lost a loving spouse and caring father. His wife (Vera Viktorovna born in 1955) and children (Natalia Konstantinovna born in 1979 and Konstantin Konstantinovich born in 1982) buried a pilot-cosmonaut at the Troekurovsky cemetery.