There are only about 20 people who gave their lives for the benefit of world progress in space exploration, and today we will tell about them.

Their names are immortalized in the ashes of cosmic chronos, burned into the atmospheric memory of the universe forever, many of us would dream of remaining heroes for humanity, however, few would like to accept such a death as our astronaut heroes.

The 20th century became a breakthrough in mastering the path to the expanses of the Universe, in the second half of the 20th century, after long preparations, a person was finally able to fly into space. However, there was a downside to this rapid progress - death of astronauts.

People died during pre-flight preparations, during takeoff of a spacecraft, during landing. Total during space launches, flight preparations, including cosmonauts and technical personnel who died in the layers of the atmosphere more than 350 people died, only astronauts - about 170 people.

We list the names of the cosmonauts who died during the operation of the spacecraft (the USSR and the whole world, in particular America), and then we will briefly tell the story of their death.

Not a single cosmonaut died directly in space, basically all of them died in the Earth's atmosphere, during the destruction or fire of the ship (the Apollo 1 cosmonauts died in preparation for the first manned flight).

Volkov, Vladislav Nikolaevich ("Soyuz-11")

Dobrovolsky, Georgy Timofeevich ("Soyuz-11")

Komarov, Vladimir Mikhailovich ("Soyuz-1")

Patsaev, Viktor Ivanovich ("Soyuz-11")

Anderson, Michael Phillip (Columbia)

Brown, David McDowell (Columbia)

Grissom, Virgil Ivan (Apollo 1)

Jarvis, Gregory Bruce (Challenger)

Clark, Laurel Blair Salton (Columbia)

McCool, William Cameron (Columbia)

McNair, Ronald Ervin (Challenger)

McAuliffe, Christa (Challenger)

Onizuka, Allison (Challenger)

Ramon, Ilan (Columbia)

Resnick, Judith Arlen (Challenger)

Scobie, Francis Richard (Challenger)

Smith, Michael John (Challenger)

White, Edward Higgins (Apollo 1)

Husband, Rick Douglas (Columbia)

Chawla, Kalpana (Colombia)

Chaffee, Roger (Apollo 1)

It is worth considering that we will never know the stories of the death of some astronauts, because this information is secret.

Soyuz-1 disaster

"Soyuz-1" - the first Soviet manned spaceship(KK) Soyuz series. Launched into orbit April 23, 1967. On board the Soyuz-1 was one cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union Colonel-Engineer V. M. Komarov, who died during the landing of the descent vehicle. Komarov's understudy in preparation for this flight was Yu. A. Gagarin.

Soyuz-1 was supposed to dock with the Soyuz-2 spacecraft to return the crew of the first ship, but due to malfunctions, the Soyuz-2 launch was canceled.

After entering orbit, problems began with the operation of the solar battery, after unsuccessful attempts to launch it, it was decided to lower the ship to Earth.

But during the descent, 7 km to the ground, the parachute system failed, the ship hit the ground at a speed of 50 km per hour, the hydrogen peroxide tanks exploded, the cosmonaut died instantly, the Soyuz-1 almost completely burned out, the cosmonaut's remains were badly burned so that it was impossible to determine even fragments of the body.

"This crash was the first in-flight death in the history of manned spaceflight."

The causes of the tragedy have not been fully established.

Soyuz-11 disaster

Soyuz-11 is a spacecraft whose crew of three cosmonauts died in 1971. The reason for the death of people is the depressurization of the descent vehicle during the landing of the ship.

Just a couple of years after the death of Yu. A. Gagarin (himself famous astronaut died at aviation accident in 1968), having already gone along the seemingly trodden path of conquering outer space, several more astronauts passed away.

Soyuz-11 was supposed to deliver the crew to the Salyut-1 orbital station, but the ship was unable to dock due to damage to the docking port.

Crew composition:

Commander: Lieutenant Colonel Georgy Dobrovolsky

Flight Engineer: Vladislav Volkov

Research Engineer: Victor Patsaev

They were between 35 and 43 years old. All of them were posthumously awarded awards, diplomas, orders.

What happened, why the spacecraft was depressurized, could not be established, but most likely we will not be told this information. But it is a pity that at that time our cosmonauts were "guinea pigs", which they began to release into space after the dogs without much reliability, security. However, probably, many of those who dreamed of becoming astronauts understood what a dangerous profession they were choosing.

Docking took place on June 7, undocking on June 29, 1971. There was an unsuccessful attempt to dock with the Salyut-1 orbital station, the crew was able to board the Salyut-1, even stayed at the orbital station for several days, a TV connection was established, however, already during the first approach to the station, the cosmonauts turned their footage for some smoke. On the 11th day, a fire began, the crew decided to descend on the ground, but problems were revealed that disrupted the undocking process. Space suits were not provided for the crew.

On June 29, at 21.25, the ship separated from the station, but after a little more than 4 hours, communication with the crew was lost. The main parachute was deployed, the ship landed in a given area, and the soft landing engines fired. But the search team found at 02.16 (June 30, 1971) the lifeless bodies of the crew, resuscitation measures were unsuccessful.

During the investigation, it was found that the astronauts tried to the last to eliminate the leak, but mixed up the valves, fought not for the broken one, in the meantime they missed the opportunity to save. They died from decompression sickness - air bubbles were found during the autopsy of the bodies, even in the valves of the heart.

The exact reasons for the depressurization of the ship have not been named, more precisely, they have not been announced to the general public.

Subsequently, engineers and creators of spacecraft, crew commanders took into account many tragic mistakes previous unsuccessful flights into space.

Shuttle Challenger disaster

The Challenger Shuttle Disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger at the very beginning of the STS-51L mission was destroyed by an explosion of an external fuel tank at the 73rd second of flight, which led to the death of all 7 crew members. The crash occurred at 11:39 EST (16:39 UTC) over the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the central part of the Florida peninsula, USA.

In the photo, the crew of the ship - from left to right: McAuliffe, Jarvis, Reznik, Scobie, McNair, Smith, Onizuka

All of America was waiting for this launch, millions of eyewitnesses and viewers on TV watched the launch of the ship, it was the climax of the conquest of space by the West. And so, when there was a grand launch of the ship, in seconds, a fire began, later an explosion, the shuttle cabin separated from the destroyed ship and fell at a speed of 330 km per hour on the surface of the water, seven days later the astronauts will be found in a breakaway cabin at the bottom of the ocean. Until the last moment, before hitting the water, some crew members were alive, trying to supply air to the cabin.

There is an excerpt in the video below the article live broadcast with the launch and death of the shuttle.

“The crew of the shuttle Challenger consisted of seven people. Its composition was as follows:

The crew commander is 46-year-old Francis "Dick" R. Scobee. Francis "Dick" R. Scobee. US military pilot, US Air Force lieutenant colonel, NASA astronaut.

The co-pilot is 40-year-old Michael J. Smith. Test pilot, US Navy captain, NASA astronaut.

The scientific specialist is 39-year-old Allison S. Onizuka. Test pilot, US Air Force lieutenant colonel, NASA astronaut.

The scientific specialist is 36-year-old Judith A. Resnick. NASA engineer and astronaut. She spent 6 days in space 00 hours 56 minutes.

Scientific specialist - 35-year-old Ronald E. McNair. Physicist, NASA astronaut.

The payload specialist is 41-year-old Gregory B. Jarvis. NASA engineer and astronaut.

The payload specialist is 37-year-old Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe. The Boston teacher who won the competition. For her, this was her first flight into space as the first participant in the “Teacher in Space” project.”

Last photo of the crew

Various commissions were created to establish the causes of the tragedy, but most of the information was classified, according to assumptions - the reasons for the crash of the ship were poor interaction between organizational services, violations in the fuel system that were not detected in time (the explosion occurred at launch due to burnout of the wall of the solid fuel booster) and even. . terrorist attack. Some have said that the shuttle explosion was staged to hurt America's prospects.

Columbia shuttle disaster

“The shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, shortly before the end of its 28th flight (mission STS-107). The last flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia began on January 16, 2003. On the morning of February 1, 2003, after a 16-day flight, the shuttle returned to Earth.

NASA lost contact with the spacecraft at approximately 14:00 GMT (09:00 EST), 16 minutes before the expected landing on Runway 33 at the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida, which was scheduled to take place at 14:16 GMT. Eyewitnesses filmed the burning wreckage of the shuttle flying at an altitude of about 63 kilometers at a speed of 5.6 km / s. All 7 crew members were killed."

Pictured is the crew - From top to bottom: Chawla, Husband, Anderson, Clarke, Ramon, McCool, Brown

The Columbia shuttle was making its next 16-day flight, which was supposed to end with a landing on Earth, however, as the main version of the investigation says, the shuttle was damaged during launch - a piece of thermal insulation foam came off (the coating was intended to protect oxygen tanks from ice and hydrogen) damaged the wing coating as a result of the impact, as a result of which, during the descent of the apparatus, when the heaviest loads on the hull occur, the apparatus began to overheat and, subsequently, destruction.

Even during the shuttle expedition, engineers repeatedly turned to NASA management in order to assess damage, visually inspect the shuttle body using orbital satellites, but NASA specialists assured that there were no fears and risks, the shuttle would safely descend to Earth.

“The crew of the Columbia shuttle consisted of seven people. Its composition was as follows:

The crew commander is 45-year-old Richard "Rick" D. Husband. US military pilot, US Air Force colonel, NASA astronaut. Spent 25 days 17 hours 33 minutes in space. Prior to Columbia, he was commander of the STS-96 Discovery shuttle.

The co-pilot is 41-year-old William "Willie" C. McCool. Test pilot, NASA astronaut. Spent 15 days 22 hours 20 minutes in space.

The flight engineer is 40-year-old Kalpana Chawla. Researcher, first female NASA astronaut of Indian origin. Spent 31 days 14 hours 54 minutes in space.

Payload Specialist - 43-year-old Michael F. Anderson (Eng. Michael P. Anderson). Scientist, NASA astronaut. Spent 24 days, 18 hours, 8 minutes in space.

Specialist in zoology - 41-year-old Laurel B. S. Clark (Eng. Laurel B. S. Clark). US Navy Captain, NASA Astronaut. Spent 15 days 22 hours 20 minutes in space.

Scientific specialist (physician) - 46-year-old David McDowell Brown. Test pilot, NASA astronaut. Spent 15 days 22 hours 20 minutes in space.

Scientific specialist - 48-year-old Ilan Ramon (Eng. Ilan Ramon, Heb.אילן רמון‏‎). First Israeli NASA astronaut. Spent 15 days 22 hours 20 minutes in space.

The shuttle descended on February 1, 2003, landing on Earth was supposed to occur within an hour.

“On February 1, 2003 at 08:15:30 (EST), the space shuttle Columbia began its descent to Earth. At 08:44 the shuttle began to enter the dense layers of the atmosphere. However, due to damage, the leading edge of the left wing began to overheat badly. From the period of 08:50, the ship's hull endures strong thermal loads, at 08:53, debris began to fall off the wing, but the crew was alive, there was still communication.

At 08:59:32 the commander sent last message, interrupted in mid-sentence. At 09:00 eyewitnesses have already filmed the explosion of the shuttle, the ship fell apart into a lot of debris. that is, the fate of the crew was a foregone conclusion due to the inaction of NASA, but the destruction itself and the death of people occurred in a matter of seconds.

It is worth noting that the Columbia shuttle was operated many times, at the time of its death the ship was 34 years old (in operation with NASA since 1979, the first manned flight in 1981), flew into space 28 times, but this flight turned out to be fatal.

In space itself, no one died, in the dense layers of the atmosphere and in spacecraft - about 18 people.

In addition to the disasters of 4 ships (two Russian - Soyuz-1 and Soyuz-11 and American - Columbia and Challenger), in which 18 people died, there were several more disasters during the explosion, fire in pre-flight preparation , one of the most famous tragedies - a fire in an atmosphere of pure oxygen in preparation for the Apollo 1 flight, then three people died American astronauts, in a similar situation, a very young cosmonaut of the USSR, Valentin Bondarenko, died. The astronauts just burned alive.

Another NASA astronaut, Michael Adams, died while testing the X-15 rocket plane.

Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin died during an unsuccessful flight on an airplane during a routine training.

Probably, the goal of the people who stepped into space was grandiose, and it’s not a fact that even knowing their fate, many would renounce astronautics, but still you always need to remember at what cost we paved the way to the stars ...

In the photo is a monument to the fallen astronauts on the moon

requirements. PREPARATION. PERSPECTIVES

If you are a citizen of the Russian Federation, you are no more than 35 years old and you know how to store state secrets- You have a chance to become an astronaut.

How to do it?

Wait until Roskosmos and the Cosmonaut Training Center officially announce next set to the Russian detachment (the 17th enrollment took place in 2017).

Send all the necessary documents to the head of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "NII TsPK named after Yu.A. Gagarin" at the address: 141160, Moscow Region, Star City, marked "To the commission for the selection of candidates for astronauts."

Successfully pass the "space" interview and entrance tests.

Dedicate at least six years to preparation and training.

Wait for the assignment to the crew and, in fact, fly into space.

Lack of specifics? We talk in detail about how to make space your profession.

WHICH ARE TAKEN IN THE COSMONAUTS

Today it is not at all necessary to be Yuri Gagarin to get into the detachment: the requirements for new sets are much softer than for the first.

57 years ago, an astronaut had to be a member of the party, be an experienced military pilot no taller than 170 cm and no older than 30 years old, have impeccable health and physical fitness at the level of a master of sports.

Today political beliefs do not affect the selection result in any way, although a number of "strategic" restrictions are still present. Thus, the path to space is closed for holders of dual citizenship and residence permits on the territory of a foreign state.

As for the "compactness" of the first detachment, it is connected with the small dimensions of the Voskhod-1 spacecraft. Growth restrictions have been preserved, but in general, modern astronauts have become much taller. According to experts, in the future, when developing new models of space technology, it will be possible to get away from rigid anthropometric limits. The requirements may soften after the commissioning of the five-seater Federation spacecraft.

But for now, even the length of the foot is regulated.

There is no lower age limit, but the candidate must have time to get a higher education and work in the specialty for at least three years. During this time, a person manages to "show himself" from a professional point of view. Only diplomas of specialists and masters are "counted" (in modern requirements nothing is said about bachelors).

Most of space programs is international, therefore, candidates are also required to have knowledge of English at the level of the program of non-linguistic universities. In fairness, it should be noted that the training of foreign astronauts also includes the study of Russian (mainly technical terms).

There are no "profile" universities yet, but Roscosmos is actively cooperating with the Moscow Aviation Institute, MSTU. Bauman and Faculty of Space Research of Moscow State University.

Since 2012, the Russian Federation has been holding open sets, which means that not only military pilots and employees of the rocket and space industry have a chance to become an astronaut. Although engineering and flight specialties are still a priority.

Are there any chances for the humanities? Yes, but not in the near future. So far, as experts emphasize, it is faster to teach an engineer or a pilot to report or shoot than a professional journalist or photographer to understand complex space technology.

As for the level physical training, then the "space" standards are partially comparable with the GTO standards for age group from 18 to 29 years old. Candidates need to demonstrate endurance, strength, speed, agility and coordination. Run 1 km in 3 minutes 35 seconds, pull yourself up on the bar at least 14 times, or turn 360 degrees while jumping on a trampoline. And this is only a small part of the program.

The most stringent requirements are put forward for the health of potential cosmonauts. Problems that seem insignificant on Earth can become fatal under the influence of harsh space conditions.

If you get sick while traveling, that's a problem. In space, where the usual concepts of top and bottom are absent as such, people with a strong vestibular apparatus are needed.

Regarding psychology: there are no fixed requirements for temperament, but, as doctors emphasize, both “pure” melancholics and pronounced choleric people are not suitable for long-term missions. Space does not like extremes.

Yuri Malenchenko, pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, first deputy head of the Yu.A. Gagarin

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The margin of psychological strength of those whom we select is high enough for a person to work well with any team. People must be sufficiently balanced and primarily focused on the implementation of the flight program

Yuri Malenchenko, pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, first deputy head of the Yu.A. Gagarin

It is also important to have a good memory, the ability to hold attention, the ability to work in extreme situations and under severe time pressure. And be punctual (work in space is scheduled by the hour). Therefore, we do not recommend that you be late for an interview.

Well, the common phrase about the fact that "if you really want to, you can fly into space" is not without practical meaning here. After all, one of the main requirements for future astronauts is strong motivation.

HOW EARTH IS PREPARING FOR SPACE

Let's start with the fact that, having passed the selection, you will not immediately become an astronaut. From the "applicant to the candidates" you will be transferred simply to the "candidates". You have two years ahead of you space training, after which you have to pass State exam and get the title of "test cosmonaut".

They will be followed by two years of training in groups (and this is about 150 more exams, tests and tests). And, if you are assigned to the crew, it will take another 18 to 24 months to prepare for the first flight under a specific program.

Despite all the romanticized ideas about the profession, most of the time you will spend on studying the theory (from the structure of the starry sky to the dynamics of flight) and the principles of working with on-board systems and complex space equipment.

Oleg Kononenko,

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I still remember the mnemonic rule for memorizing and identifying constellations. So, the base constellation is Leo. And we remembered that Leo holds Cancer in his teeth, points to Virgo with his tail, and crushes the Chalice with his paw.

Oleg Kononenko,

pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, commander of the cosmonaut corps

During prolonged training, you will begin to develop a set of certain qualities. So, professional composure, noise immunity and multitasking are formed in the process of parachute training. During the jump, you concentrate not only on flying, but also on other tasks, such as reporting, solving examples, or deciphering ground signs. And, of course, it is important not to forget to open the parachute at an altitude of about 1200 meters. If you still forget about it, the system will open it automatically, but the task will most likely not be counted for you.

Another purely cosmic task is connected with flights - the creation of weightlessness. The most "clean" possible on Earth occurs when flying along a certain trajectory, called the "Kepler parabola". For these purposes, the Cosmonaut Training Center uses the Il-76 MDK laboratory aircraft. Within one "session" you have from 22 to 25 seconds to work on a specific task. As a rule, the simplest of them are aimed at overcoming disorientation and testing coordination. For example, you may be asked to write a name, date, or sign.

Another way to "reproduce" weightlessness is to transfer training under water, to the Hydrolaboratory.

Also, the future astronaut must thoroughly study the structure of the International Space Station. To do this, you will have at your disposal a model of the Russian segment of the ISS in life size, which will allow you to get acquainted with the structure of each module, conduct a "rehearsal" of orbital scientific experiments and work out various situations - from regular to emergency. If necessary, training can be carried out in various "high-speed" modes: both in slow and accelerated pace.

The program also includes regular business trips, during which you will have the opportunity to study foreign segments of the station, including American (NASA), European (EKA) and Japanese modules (JAXA).

Well, then - to the "exit". This is the name of the simulator based on the Orlan-M space suit, which simulates going to outer space- in a professional environment, considered the most complex and dangerous procedure. And, perhaps, most of the cosmic stereotypes are associated with it.

So, the suit is not put on - it is "entered" through a special hatch located on the back. The hatch cover is also a satchel, which houses the main life support systems, designed for ten hours of battery life. At the same time, the "Orlan" is not monolithic - it has detachable sleeves and legs (allowing you to "adjust" the suit to a specific height). Blue and red patches on the sleeves help distinguish those in outer space (as a rule, all similar works performed in pairs).

The control panel located on the chest allows you to adjust the ventilation and cooling systems of the suit, as well as monitor vital signs. If you are surprised why all the inscriptions on the case are mirrored, then this is for your own convenience. You will not be able to read them "directly" (the suit is not so flexible), but to do this with a small mirror attached to the sleeve is completely.

It takes a lot of effort to work at Orlan for at least a few hours. Thus, moving in a 120-kilogram spacesuit occurs exclusively with the help of hands (legs in the space environment generally cease to perform their usual functions). Every effort it takes to squeeze your gloved fingers is comparable to training with an expander. And during the spacewalk such "grasping" movements must be made at least 1200.

As a rule, in real space conditions after working outside the ISS, you may need to spend several hours in the airlock in order to equalize the pressure. On Earth, they prepare for a long stay in confined spaces in a sound chamber - a small room with artificial lighting and soundproof walls. As part of the general space training, the candidate must spend about three days in it. Of these, 48 hours - in the mode continuous operation i.e. absolutely no sleep.

As psychologists emphasize, even if at first it seems to you that you are accommodating, patient and socially adapted, two days of forced wakefulness will "tear off all the masks."

The final stage pre-flight training of astronauts - training in a centrifuge. The Cosmonaut Training Center has two: TsF-7 and TsF-18. Contrary to popular belief, their size does not affect the "intensity" of the simulated overloads at all.

The maximum "power" of the overload created by the 18-meter TsF-18 is 30 units. An indicator incompatible with life. AT Soviet time when the requirements for astronauts were much tougher, overloads did not exceed 12 units. Modern training takes place in a more gentle mode - and overloads are up to 8 units.

What is the difference in size? As experts explain, the longer the centrifuge arm, the less discomfort your vestibular apparatus experiences, and the workout goes more "smoothly". Therefore, from the point of view of sensations, training on a relatively small ZF-7 can be more difficult than on an impressive ZF-18.

Also, before you go into space, you have to study in detail all the components of the flight: its theory, dynamics, the processes of launching the ship into orbit, descending to Earth and, of course, the structure of the Soyuz MS itself. It usually takes about a year.

Oleg Kononenko,

pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, commander of the cosmonaut corps

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As for the preparation - when I boarded the ship for the first time (and it was already ready for launch and docked with the rocket), at first, of course, there was a feeling of excitement, but when the hatch was closed behind me, I had a complete feeling that I was in a simulator

Oleg Kononenko,

pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, commander of the cosmonaut corps

Since it is not always possible to predict where the ship will land, you will have to go through a group of "survival" trainings in rather unfriendly locations: desert, mountains, taiga or open water. In a professional environment, this stage of preparation is considered an extreme analogue of team building.

Perhaps the most innocuous part of pre-flight preparation is tasting and compiling a space menu. So that during the flight everything does not "pall", the diet is designed for 16 days. Then the set of dishes is repeated. Contrary to popular belief, freeze-dried products are packaged not in tubes, but in small plastic bags (the only exceptions are sauces and honey).

The main question: does everything you have passed guarantee that you will move on to the fourth stage of preparation, that is, direct flight into space and honing your acquired skills already outside the Earth?

Unfortunately no.

So, the annual medical-expert commission can remove you at any stage (for your own good). After all, during training you will constantly check for strength backup capabilities own organism.

Yuri Malenchenko, pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, first deputy head of the Yu.A. Gagarin

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It happens that a person is already ready to be included in the crew, but within the framework of a specific program there is simply no place for him. Therefore, we do not carry out sets on a regular basis, but as needed. So that there are no "extra" astronauts and that everyone is distributed in the most optimal way

Yuri Malenchenko, pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, first deputy head of the Yu.A. Gagarin

WHAT EXPECTS THOSE WHO HAVE PASSED ALL THE STAGES

What will those six or eight people who will eventually be enlisted in the detachment do?

If everything goes well, they will have the opportunity to join the ranks of those flying into space.

According to the International Aviation Federation (FAI), this is . Among them are pioneers, researchers and holders of space records.

Over the next 10 years, the main place for the implementation of space programs is the ISS. It is believed that "newcomers" need to spend at least a month at the station in order to feel confident and acquire all the necessary skills for further work.

The priority task of astronauts in orbit is to conduct scientific research which will help humanity advance in the further exploration of outer space. These include biological and medical experiments related to preparing for long-range flights, growing plants in space conditions, testing new life support systems and working with new technology.

During his third flight, Oleg Kononenko took part in the Russian-German experiment "Kontur-2", in which he remotely controlled a robot designed to explore the planets.

Oleg Kononenko,

pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, commander of the cosmonaut corps

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Let's say we go to Mars. We do not know in advance where it will be possible to land. Accordingly, we will lower the robot to the surface of the planet and, by remotely controlling it, we will be able to choose a landing site and land

Oleg Kononenko,

pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, commander of the cosmonaut corps

You most likely will not have time to fly to Mars in your career. But on the moon - quite.

The estimated launch date for the Russian lunar program is 2031. As we approach this date, adjustments will be made to the astronaut training process, but so far the set of disciplines is standard.

You will also be imbued with space traditions: from the obligatory pre-flight viewing of the "White Sun of the Desert" (for good luck) to avoiding the names of stones in call signs (for example, the tragically deceased cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov had the call sign "Rubin"). However, in our time, call signs are an anachronism, and MCC employees quite often communicate with astronauts "by name".

The history of astronautics, unfortunately, is full of not only dizzying ups, but also terrible falls. Dead astronauts, rockets that did not take off or exploded, tragic accidents - all this is also our property, and to forget about it means to erase from history all those who consciously risked their lives for the sake of progress, science and a better future. It is about the fallen heroes of the cosmonautics of the USSR that we will talk in this article.

Cosmonautics in the USSR

Until the 20th century, space flights were considered something completely fantastic. But already in 1903, K. Tsiolkovsky put forward the idea of ​​flying into space on a rocket. From that moment, astronautics was born in the form in which we know it today.

In the USSR, the Jet Institute (RNII) was founded in 1933 to study jet propulsion. And in 1946, work began related to rocket science.

However, before a man for the first time overcame the gravity of the Earth and ended up in space, it took more years and years. Do not forget about the mistakes that cost the life of the testers. First of all, these are the dead. According to official figures, there are only five of them, including Yuri Gagarin, who, strictly speaking, did not die in space, but after returning to Earth. Nevertheless, the cosmonaut also died during the tests, being a military pilot, which allows us to include him in the list presented here.

Komarov

Soviet cosmonauts who died in space made an incomparable contribution to the development of their country. Such a person was Vladimir Mikhailovich Komarov, a pilot-cosmonaut and colonel engineer, who was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Born in Moscow on April 14, 1927. He was a member of the first crew of a spacecraft in the history of the world and was its commander. Been to space twice.

In 1943, the future cosmonaut graduated from the seven-year period, and then entered the special school of the Air Force, wanting to master it. He graduated from it in 1945, and then went to the cadets of the Sasov aviation school. And in the same year he was enrolled in the Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School.

After graduating in 1949, Komarov entered the military service in the Air Force, becoming a fighter pilot. His division was located in Grozny. Here he met Valentina, a school teacher who became his wife. Soon Vladimir Mikhailovich became a senior pilot, and in 1959 he graduated air force academy and received a distribution at the Air Force Research Institute. It was here that he was selected for the first detachment of astronauts.

Space flights

To answer the question of how many cosmonauts died, it is necessary first to highlight the very topic of flights.

So, the first flight of Komarov into space took place on the Voskhod spacecraft on October 12, 1964. It was the world's first multi-seat expedition: the crew also included a doctor and an engineer. The flight lasted 24 hours and ended with a successful landing.

The second and last flight of Komarov took place on the night of April 23-24, 1967. The astronaut died at the end of the flight: during the descent, the main parachute did not work, and the lines of the reserve twisted due to the strong rotation of the device. The ship collided with the ground and caught fire. So because of a fatal accident, Vladimir Komarov died. He is the first Soviet cosmonaut to die. A monument was erected in his honor in Nizhny Novgorod and a bronze bust in Moscow.

Gagarin

These were all the dead cosmonauts before Gagarin, according to official sources. That is, in fact, before Gagarin, only one cosmonaut died in the USSR. However, Gagarin is the most famous Soviet cosmonaut.

Yuri Alekseevich, Soviet pilot-cosmonaut, born March 9, 1934. His childhood passed in the village of Kashino. He went to school in 1941, but German troops invaded the village and his studies were interrupted. And in the house of the Gagarin family, the SS men set up a workshop, driving the owners out into the street. Only in 1943 the village was liberated, and Yuri's studies continued.

Then Gagarin enters the Saratov Technical School in 1951, where he begins to visit the flying club. In 1955, he was drafted into the army and sent to an aviation school. After graduating, he served in the Air Force and by 1959 had approximately 265 flight hours. He received the rank of military pilot of the third class and the rank of senior lieutenant.

First flight and death

The dead astronauts are people who were well aware of the risk they were taking, but nevertheless this did not stop them. So Gagarin, the first man in space, risked his life even before he became an astronaut.

However, he did not miss his chance to become the first. On April 12, 1961, Gagarin flew a Vostok rocket into space from the Baikonur airfield. The flight lasted 108 minutes and ended with a successful landing near the town of Engels (Saratov region). And it was this day that became Cosmonautics Day for the whole country, which is celebrated today.

For the whole world, the first flight was an incredible event, and the pilot who made it quickly became famous. Gagarin visited by invitation more than thirty countries. The years following the flight were marked for the cosmonaut by active social and political activity.

But soon Gagarin again returned to the helm of the aircraft. This decision turned out to be tragic for him. And in 1968, he died during a training flight in the cockpit of a MiG-15 UTI. The causes of the disaster are still unknown.

Nevertheless, the dead astronauts will never be forgotten by their country. On the day of Gagarin's death, mourning was declared in the country. And later in various countries erected a number of monuments to the first cosmonaut.

Volkov

The future cosmonaut graduated from Moscow School No. 201 in 1953, after which he entered the Moscow Aviation Institute and received the specialty of an electrical engineer dealing with rockets. He goes to work at the Korolyov Design Bureau and helps in the creation of space technology. At the same time, he begins attending pilot-athlete courses at the Kolomna Aeroclub.

In 1966, Volkov became a member of the cosmonaut corps, and three years later he made his first flight on the Soyuz-7 spacecraft as a flight engineer. The flight lasted 4 days, 22 hours and 40 minutes. In 1971, Volkov's second and last flight took place, in which he acted as an engineer. In addition to Vladislav Nikolayevich, the team included Patsaev and Dobrovolsky, whom we will discuss below. During the landing of the ship, depressurization occurred, and all participants in the flight died. The deceased cosmonauts of the USSR were cremated, and their ashes were placed in the Kremlin wall.

Dobrovolsky

Which we have already mentioned above, was born in Odessa in 1928, June 1. Pilot, cosmonaut and colonel of the Air Force, posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

During the war, he ended up in the territory occupied by the Romanian authorities and was arrested for possession of weapons. For the crime, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison, but the locals managed to ransom him. And after the end of the Second World War, Georgy Dobrovolsky enters the Odessa Air Force School. At that moment, he did not yet know what fate awaited him. However, astronauts who died in space, like pilots, prepare in advance for death.

In 1948, Dobrovolsky became a student at a military school in Chuguevsk, and two years later began serving in the USSR Air Force. During the service he managed to graduate from the Academy air force. And in 1963 he became a member of the cosmonaut corps.

His first and last flight began on June 6, 1971 on the Soyuz-11 spacecraft in the role of commander. The astronauts visited the Solyut-1 space station, where they conducted several scientific studies. But at the time of return to Earth, as mentioned above, depressurization occurred.

Marital status and awards

The dead cosmonauts are not only heroes of their country who gave their lives for it, but also someone's sons, husbands and fathers. After the death of Georgy Dobrovolsky, his two daughters Marina (b. 1960) and Natalya (b. 1967) were orphaned. One remained and the widow of the hero, Lyudmila Stebleva, teacher high school. And if eldest daughter managed to remember her father, the youngest, who was only 4 years old at the time of the capsule crash, does not know him at all.

In addition to the title of Hero of the USSR, Dobrovolsky was awarded the Order of Lenin (posthumously), the Gold Star, and the medal For Military Merit. In addition, the planet No. 1789, discovered in 1977, a lunar crater and a research ship were named after the astronaut.

Also to this day, since 1972, there has been a tradition to play the Dobrovolsky Cup, which is awarded for the best trampoline jump.

Patsaev

So, continuing to answer the question of how many astronauts died in space, we move on to the next Hero of the Secular Union. was born in Aktyubinsk (Kazakhstan) in 1933, on June 19. This man is known for being the first astronaut in the world to work outside the Earth's atmosphere. He died along with Dobrovolsky and Volkov, mentioned above.

Victor's father fell on the battlefield during the Second World War. And after the end of the war, the family was forced to move to the Kaliningrad region, where the future cosmonaut went to school for the first time. As his sister wrote in her memoirs, Victor became interested in space even then - he got hold of K. Tsiolkovsky's Journey to the Moon.

In 1950, Patsaev entered the Penza Industrial Institute, which he graduated from, and was sent to the Central Aerological Observatory. Here he takes part in the design of meteorological rockets.

And in 1958, Viktor Ivanovich was transferred to the Korolev Design Bureau, to the design department. This is where the dead met. Soviet cosmonauts(Volkov, Dobrovolsky and Patsaev). However, only after 10 years will a detachment of cosmonauts be formed, in whose ranks Patsaev will be. Its preparation will last three years. Unfortunately, the first flight of an astronaut will end in tragedy and the death of the entire crew.

How many astronauts have died in space?

This question cannot be answered unambiguously. The fact is that some of the information about space flights remains classified to this day. There are many assumptions and conjectures, but no one has concrete evidence yet.

As for official data, the number of dead cosmonauts and astronauts of all countries is approximately 170 people. The most famous of them, of course, are representatives of the Soviet Union and the United States. Among the latter, it is worth mentioning Francis Richard, Michael Smith, Judith Resnick (one of the first female astronauts), Ronald McNair.

Other dead

If you are interested in the dead, then at the moment they do not exist. Not once since the collapse of the USSR and the formation of Russia as separate state not a single case of a spacecraft crash and the death of its crew was reported.

Throughout the article, we talked about those who died directly in space, but we cannot ignore those astronauts who never had a chance to take off. Death overtook them on Earth.

Such was the one who was part of the group of the first astronauts and died during training. During his stay in the chamber, where the cosmonaut had to be alone for about 10 days, he made a mistake. I unfastened the vital signs from the body and wiped them with cotton soaked in alcohol, then threw it away. A cotton swab fell into a coil of a hot electric stove, which caused a fire. When the chamber was opened, the cosmonaut was still alive, but after 8 hours he died in the Botkin hospital. The dead cosmonauts before Gagarin, therefore, include one more person in their composition.

Nevertheless, Bondarenko will remain in the memory of posterity along with other dead cosmonauts.

There are many legends, tales, facts, curious stories connected with astronautics. Most of the information related to astronautics becomes available to the public decades later.

Traditionally, April 12 is considered Cosmonautics Day in Russia. This day is the most important in the history of cosmonautics not only in Russia, but throughout the world, because it was on April 12, 1961 that the first cosmonaut of the planet, Yuri Gagarin, went into space.

So, curious facts related to astronautics

What was the name of the ship on which Yuri Gagarin launched into space?

The Vostok spacecraft carrying Gagarin was launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome.

In fact, "Vostok" is the name of a whole series of Soviet spacecraft designed for manned flights over earth orbit.

They were created by the leading designer O. G. Ivanovsky under the leadership of the general designer of OKB-1 S. P. Korolev from 1958 to 1963.

The first manned Vostok, launched on April 12, 1961, became at the same time the first spacecraft in the world that allowed a man to fly into outer space.

If the first Vostok with Yu. A. Gagarin on board made only 1 revolution around the Earth, flying around the planet in 108 minutes, then the flight of the Vostok-5 spacecraft with V. F. Bykovsky lasted about 5 days. During this time, the ship circled the Earth 81 times.

The main scientific tasks solved on the Vostok spacecraft were the study of the effects of orbital flight conditions on the astronaut's condition and performance, the development of design and systems, and the verification of the basic principles of spacecraft construction.

Despite the completion of the main program, modifications to the basic design of the Vostok continued to be used further, and became the basis of a variety of Soviet and Russian satellites intended for military intelligence, cartography, the study of terrestrial resources and biological research.

From the history of the Cosmonautics Day holiday

In the Soviet Union, the holiday was established by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of April 9, 1962. Marked under the name Cosmonautics Day. This holiday was established at the suggestion of the second Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR German Titov, who addressed the Central Committee of the CPSU with a corresponding proposal on March 26, 1962.

On the same day is celebrated World Day of Aviation and Cosmonautics.

On April 7, 2011, at a special plenary session of the UN General Assembly, a resolution was adopted that officially proclaimed April 12 as the International Day of Human Space Flight. More than 60 states became co-sponsors of the resolution.

The tragic death of Valentin Bondarenko

Today, the tragic episode that occurred during the training of the first detachment of cosmonauts, formed in February - April 1960, is almost not remembered, or deliberately hushed up. Meanwhile, as we remember, in the process of a long selection of 3461 people, a group of 29 people continued to prepare for the first flight. Later there were 20 of them. The youngest was only 23 years old. He was a Kharkiv resident - Soviet fighter pilot Valentin Vasilyevich Bondarenko. He was enrolled in the preparatory group on April 28, 1960, was trained for space flight on the first manned spacecraft "Vostok". The training took place in the closed military town of Chkalovsky.

Once, at one of the training sessions, an accident occurred, which was hushed up until the 80s.

The first information about Bondarenko and his death appeared in the West only in 1980. For the first time in the Soviet Union, information about Bondarenko and his death appeared in an article by Yaroslav Golovanov in the Izvestia newspaper in 1986.

According to the training schedule, Valentin Bondarenko finished a ten-day stay in the depressurization chamber at the NII-7 Air Force (now the Institute of Aviation and Space Medicine) - like other cosmonauts, he was tested with loneliness and silence. At the end of one of the medical tests, he made a simple and irreparable mistake. He removed the sensors attached to the body, wiped the places of their fixation with a cotton swab dipped in alcohol and carelessly threw it away. Cotton wool fell on a spiral of a hot electric stove and instantly flared up. In an atmosphere of almost pure oxygen, the fire quickly spread throughout the chamber. A woolen training suit caught fire on him. It was impossible to quickly open the depressurization chamber due to the large pressure drop. When the cell was opened, Bondarenko was still alive. He was taken to the Botkin hospital, where doctors fought for his life for 8 hours. Bondarenko died of burn shock 19 days before the first space flight. A group of cosmonauts led by Yuri Gagarin spent several hours in the hospital.

Bondarenko was married and had a son, Alexander. After the death of Bondarenko, his wife Anna remained to work at the Cosmonaut Training Center, and his son Alexander became a military pilot. We thought it would be easier to live there. We gave away a two-room apartment here and received the same one in Kharkov. Did they help us? My mother paid about a hundred rubles a month for my father, until I turned sixteen. No one else mentioned us…”

Today, a large crater on the Moon is named after Valentin Bondarenko, next to the craters of Tsiolkovsky and Gagarin, and in July 2013, his name was given to school No. 93 in Kharkov, of which he was a graduate.

Why do astronauts watch before departure? White sun desert"?

It is known that Soviet and Russian cosmonauts have a tradition - to watch the film "White Sun of the Desert" before departure.

After the death of three Soyuz-11 cosmonauts, the Soyuz-12 crew was reduced to two people. Before the start, they watched the film "White Sun of the Desert", and after a successful mission, they said that Comrade Sukhov became an invisible third member of the crew and helped them in difficult times. Since then, viewing this tape has become a tradition for all Soviet and then Russian cosmonauts. The ritual was found practical use: using examples from the film, astronauts are taught how to work with the camera and build a shooting plan.

Are American astronauts required to learn Russian?

The American and Russian segments were originally planned for the International Space Station, but Russian language proficiency was not required for American and European astronauts. In 2003, the Columbia shuttle crashed, and since 2011, NASA completely stopped the operation of space shuttles, after which astronaut flights became possible only on Russian Soyuz spacecraft. In this regard, NASA and the European space agency included Russian language courses in candidate training programs. Successful surrender final test became one of the conditions for completing the training of astronauts, and those of them who are selected for a real flight to the ISS necessarily live for a long time in a Russian family.

Can astronauts cry?

Astronauts cannot cry in the same way as we do on earth - the tears that stand out do not flow down, but remain in front of our eyes in the form of small balls. In addition, they can cause an unpleasant burning sensation, and tears have to be brushed off manually. It turns out that crying as one of the types of psychological relief is inaccessible to a person in weightlessness.

What symbolic role did the Elbe River play in astronautics?

On July 17, 1975, the Soviet spacecraft Soyuz and the American Apollo docked. It was planned that at the moment of docking, the ships were supposed to fly over Moscow, but the calculations were not entirely correct, and the astronauts shook hands while flying over the Elbe River. It is symbolic that 30 years earlier, a meeting of Soviet and American soldiers, allies in World War II, took place on the Elbe.

Which of the inhabitants of our planet holds the record for time travel?

Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka spent in orbit total 878 days, which is a world record. At the same time, he can be considered the owner of another record - the longest time travel among the inhabitants of our planet. According to the theory of relativity, the greater the speed at which an object moves, the more time slows down for it. It is calculated that thanks to space flights, Krikalev is 1/45 of a second younger than if he had remained on Earth all the time. In other words, the astronaut returned from orbit to the time point 1/45 of a second later than expected at normal conditions values.

Black Volga Gagarin

After the flight into space, Gagarin was awarded a black "Volga" with numbers 12-04 YuAG (flight date and initials). Moreover, the letters were legally produced from the index of the Moscow region (where the Star City was located) - UA. The following cosmonauts retained the letters YUAG on nominal machines, and the date of the flight was also indicated by numbers.

PWhy is an astronaut in a spacesuit depicted on the carvings of a Spanish cathedral of the 12th century?

in carving cathedral city ​​of Salamanca (Spain), built in the 12th century, you can find the figure of an astronaut in a spacesuit. There is no mysticism here: the figure was added in 1992 during the restoration by one of the masters as a signature (he chose the astronaut as a symbol of the 20th century).

Hit is written in zero gravity by American and Russian cosmonauts?

According to a popular myth, NASA has invested several million dollars in the development of a pen that can write in space, while Russian cosmonauts used simple pencils. In fact, at first, Americans also wrote with pencils, only mechanical ones, or felt-tip pens. The disadvantage of using them was that if broken, the small parts of the pencil could cause harm to the astronauts. In the second half of the 1960s, inventor Paul Fisher designed a pen that could write in any conditions and offered it to NASA for $2 each. Subsequently, these pens were purchased by the Soviet (and then Russian) space agencies.

ToWhich animals were the first to orbit the moon?

The first animals to return to Earth after space flight were, as you know, dogs. But the championship in the flyby of the moon belongs to the turtles. It happened in 1968: Central Asian steppe tortoises were put into the Soviet spacecraft Zond-5. The choice was justified by the fact that they do not need large stock oxygen, they can eat nothing for a week and a half and long time to be as if in a lethargic dream.

Towow, they suggested that Soviet scientists send compassionate people into space instead of dogs american women?

The dog Laika was sent into space, knowing in advance that she would die. After that, a letter came to the UN from a group of women from Mississippi. They demanded to condemn the inhuman treatment of dogs in the USSR and put forward a proposal: if for the development of science it is necessary to send living creatures into space, in our city there are as many Negroes as you want for this.

Which spacecraft Newspapers called "upsnik"?

On December 6, 1957, two months after the launch of the first Soviet satellite in history, the Americans tried to launch their Vanguard TV3 apparatus. Two seconds after launch, the rocket exploded. This failure was heavily criticized by American newspapers, who invented many neologisms for the device based on the word "satellite", including "upsnik" and "kaputnik". A few days later, the Soviet representative at the UN sympathetically asked his American colleague if the United States needed humanitarian aid allocated by the USSR for undeveloped countries.

Space Pup Jacqueline Kennedy

One of the puppies of the Soviet space dog Strelka was named Pushinka and presented by Khrushchev to President's wife Jacqueline Kennedy. According to one version, or simply a journalistic tale, Pushinka had an affair with a dog of the Kennedy family named Charlie, and she gave birth to four puppies, whom John Kennedy called pupniks (crossing the words pup and sputnik).

In fact, it was a dog named Pushok in Moscow. Before flying to America, documents were issued for the baby, indicating his cosmic origin and it was indicated that this was a mongrel.

Spouse american president Jacqueline Kennedy herself raised a "space puppy".

Who came up with the idea of ​​using a countdown to launch space rockets?

The countdown that invariably accompanies the launch of space rockets was not invented by scientists or astronauts, but by filmmakers. The countdown was first shown in the 1929 German film Woman in the Moon to build tension. Subsequently, when launching real rockets, the designers simply adopted this technique.

What protection against Gagarin's insanity did the spacecraft engineers provide?

At the beginning of the era of astronautics, no one could imagine how being in space would affect human health, in particular, whether he would go crazy. Therefore, to transfer the ship from automatic to manual control mode, protection was provided with the input of a special digital code, which was in a sealed envelope. It was assumed that in a state of insanity, Gagarin would not be able to open the envelope and understand the code. True, just before the start of the flight, he was still told the code.

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Have humans ever had sex in space?

The other day, “news” about sex in space was launched in Runet. Allegedly on Monday, December 3, French writer Pierre Colaire held a presentation of his book “The Last Mission: The World, Journey of People,” in which he claims that as part of research programs for human survival in space, American and Russian cosmonauts had sex.

The book by Pierre Coler "The Last Mission: "Peace, the Journey of People" () really came out, but ... back in 2000.

Apparently, the confusion in the news arose after the site published a translation of an old article from a British newspaper (from 2000) on December 4, which talked about the release of a scandalous book. The news from the site Inopressa went for a walk on the Russian-language Internet, but as a result, a number of scientists' comments about sex in space appeared in the media.

What is the scandalous book about?

In his book, published in 2000, the Frenchman (well, of course, who else could write about unearthly love) claims that in 1996, sex between astronauts took place in zero gravity as part of a scientific experiment. As evidence, Kohler cites NASA document #12 571-3570, posted several years ago by an anonymous source on the Internet. Allegedly, before that, NASA experts analyzed twenty sexual positions using a computer. Ten positions were deemed unsuitable for weightlessness, but ten others were studied with prejudice. The code name for this project is “project STS-XX,” claims the writer (now a journalist and former astronomer).

The author went on to describe how ten selected postures were tested in practice by two astronauts in real conditions weightlessness. This experiment was even filmed on video, the Frenchman claims, however, NASA received only a censored version of the “docking in space” (either because of secrecy, or because of the similarity to pornography).

The researchers concluded, writes the Frenchman, that only four out of ten tested positions can make love without using outside help. For the other six positions, a special device was required - an inflatable tube resembling a sleeping bag, and elastic straps. As it turned out, the easiest missionary position for earthlings is not suitable for weightless conditions.

"One of the fundamental discoveries was that the classical, so-called "missionary" position, easily implemented in the conditions of terrestrial gravity, is simply impossible in space," writes Kohler in his book.

In general, the content of this book does not make a serious impression. Not because it is difficult to imagine NASA or the Moscow Mission Control Center doing such research (why not, actually?), but because even if something like this happened in the history of astronautics, a French journalist would hardly be the first to found out about it. Kohler refers to data from a confidential source, and this could still be believed if the journalist lived in America, closer to NASA.

“There is no truth in this book at all,” said Eileen Hawley, spokesperson space center Johnson, "seven men participated in the STS-75 mission, there were no women, and the identification number of the document does not meet agency standards," - reports

“We categorically deny the existence of such a document. It's a fairly well-known legend," commented Brian Welch, NASA's director of public affairs.

These are not taken as astronauts

Astronauts and astronauts have different attitudes towards sex in orbit. So, for example, astronaut Lisa Novak "does not accept any sexual games during the flight," writes

“The realization of the great feat that landing on Mars will be must be stronger than sexual temptations,” says Lisa Novak.

Another American astronaut Michael Foal, on the contrary, is ready to fly to Mars with his wife, a NASA employee. And many of his colleagues are not averse to living in space as human beings.

"When healthy men are in their thirties, the absence of a woman is always a problem! And not only in space, but also on earth. But purely scientific solution there is no such problem," the opinion of pilot-cosmonaut Alexei Leonov.

Soviet and Russian cosmonauts have been in orbit for a long time, some - almost as long as the next manned flight to Mars will last. It is known that our astronauts were sent from the earth the so-called "psychological support", writes

“All the time, some kind of pornography was sent to us into orbit with the mail, and poems by the stunned poet Barkov,” recalled cosmonaut Alexander Serebrov in an interview. - And it was called "psychological support." Some kind of stupidity, in FIG we need it ?!

Never in front of me was a naked woman hanging on the wall in an orbital station. There, things are already up to the throat, there is not enough day, even the expedition was extended for two months! And there were no erotic dreams. But I dreamed of nature, grass, house - everything earthly. There you get so tired, just to forget and fall asleep.

And on one of the expeditions, we couldn’t even sleep properly, because almost every night we were woken up by a new system for regenerating water from urine at that time. We put it on the machine, and if an air bubble got there, then the siren started yelling at night. So there was no time for dreams!”

"For a normal man, such work is normal and perceived. People have been in Antarctica for a year - and only love became stronger, feelings sharper and a meeting after separation more pleasant! We don't need bromine, or anything else. Maniacs and neurasthenics are not taken into space , so there are no problems here. There is time to focus on work, and there is time to have intimate relationships with your wife. But this is a deeply personal relationship, and I don’t understand the so-called “sex with a partner,” said cosmonaut Georgy Grechko , writes .

"I am a cosmonaut-researcher. I flew to study many problems, including psychophysiological ones. I can say that with good motivation and attitude to work," male loneliness "is not the main problem, - said doctor-cosmonaut Valery Polyakov. - Of course, in a free moment, you can dream about something like that, and something like that can be dreamed of ... normal people physiology manifests itself in the form of some kind of dreams or physiological endings. So what? No one has yet died from this, no one has opened the hatch and has not rushed into space. There were no crashes or breakdowns.

A person has a motive - heavy, dangerous job associated, among other things, with such difficulties as isolation. But this is part of the profession. Yes, and focus on space is not necessary. But what about business trips to the Arctic and Antarctic, the work of fishermen, submariners, etc.?

I can responsibly declare that there are no "specially soothing programs" for astronauts. Bromine, as in the army, no one adds to food. A long stay in space is no different from being on some other long expeditions. And when the end of work is approaching, you dream of hugging your beloved wife as soon as possible, well, and about everything else ... "

“When I flew with Yuri Romanenko, we suddenly found a cassette with a recording of the film “Greek Fig Tree” - I don’t know where. He started playing this film. Remember, there’s no sex there, just a girl walking around, “charms” to everyone shows, but it annoyed me. I told Yura: "Stop! I won't watch this movie!" And he turns everything around. Okay, I say, if so, then I’ll drink extra juice for each of your views. So we did: he watched, and I drank juice. Maybe he needed such a film then: Yura had already I was in orbit for a long time, I kissed my wife’s photo at night, and I flew in with a visiting expedition, ”said pilot-cosmonaut Alexander Alexandrov.

“I don’t know, maybe I flew a little earlier,” said cosmonaut Georgy Grechko, “but from the“ erotica ”we had only one video cassette on the ship with a recording of Simon’s Africa song, where four girls danced behind him. And we have nothing else like that I didn't see any "Greek Fig Tree" during my three flights."

“The pioneers of the Mir station, cosmonauts Solovyov and Kizim, were transporting some of the “psychological support” from Salyut,” said cosmonaut Valery Polyakov, “books, films on video cassettes. I remember we had Dog Barbos, Prisoner of the Caucasus "And, of course," The Greek Fig Tree ". All the crews watched it with great pleasure! Erotica - it is eroticism, it is always perceived normally by men. We did not hide from this; there was an even greater desire to finish the work with dignity and return to the family. "

Any experiments related to sex by domestic astronauts have never been carried out, all the astronauts say. In the entire history of Russian cosmonautics, only fruit flies had sex.

woman on the ship

Rumors about sex in orbit appeared after the first flights of women.

Cosmonaut Musa Manarov, who spent a total of one and a half years at the Mir station, compared the presence of a woman in the crew with a pistol under the pillow, which, when fatal circumstances can lead to tragedy.

What is it - discrimination against women or a real problem? As soon as the first female cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya appeared in the mixed crew, these conversations began with half hints. In the USSR, only three women flew into space - Valentina Tereshkova (alone), Svetlana Savitskaya (in a mixed crew) and Elena Kondakova (in a mixed crew).

Only three women - and so much speculation! What can we say about America, where more than 40 women and even a married couple have already participated in space shuttle flights. In September 1992, astronaut spouses Mark Lee and Jan Davis flew into space aboard the STS-47 shuttle. However, they claim that they did not have sex in space. And they refer to the fact that they always worked in different shifts.

“I think that in fact they are very serious about this issue and believe that in space it is not necessary to do this, even as a husband and wife. After all, it is not known how this will then affect the child. Although if it were a Russian husband and wife, then maybe they would have decided everything differently ... ”- cosmonaut Georgy Grechko shared his opinion.

By the way, a few years later, astronauts Mark Lee and Jan Davis divorced.

The first woman in a mixed crew was Svetlana Savitskaya (she is also the first woman to go into outer space). In her memoirs, Savitskaya recalls that male cosmonauts met her at the hatch with an apron in their hands. She tossed him aside, and that started a working relationship.

“In the city of Leninsk, not far from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Savitskaya and I secretly, yards and lanes, went shopping. She couldn’t go out then, there was already pre-launch isolation. But we chose light fabric for a blouse, blue chiffon,” said cosmonaut Alexei Leonov , writes - Then we cut this jacket together with her, and sewed pieces of lead on the ends of the wide sleeves so that in weightlessness there was an effect of wings.I really wanted her to surprise our peasants.

And now in orbit, when all the astronauts sat down at the table, she says: "Wait a minute, I'll be right back." From a secluded place, she took out a package with a blouse, put it on and swam.

Yes, it was a very beautiful picture, when Savitskaya, being a boring woman, suddenly, with wings made of chiffon, like a fairy, flew into the salon, where the peasants were absolutely dumbfounded by the womanlessness. They were absolutely delighted!"

Svetlana Savitskaya, who became pregnant almost immediately after returning to earth, was suspected of participating in the "Soviet experiment to conceive the first space child." But since Savitskaya's son was born 13 months after the flight of his space mother, we have to admit that this is not so.

However, Savitskaya's hasty pregnancy could well have been part of the experiment. Perhaps Savitskaya was tasked with getting pregnant immediately after the flight? Even if this is a coincidence, the birth of a child by a woman who has just been in space is an important event for space medicine.

Elena Kondakova spent 169 days in orbit on the Mir orbital station in 1994-1995 in the company of two male cosmonauts Viktorenko and Polyakov.

Viktor Polyakov was the first cosmonaut to be suspected of sexual contacts in orbit (with Elena Kondakova). However, both cosmonauts strongly denied these accusations, writes

“Yes, the absence of a woman is an aggravating factor, but it can be much harder and more stressful when a woman is present. True, when Elena Kondakova flew to our station, this circumstance really brightened up existence. The situation became warmer, and a certain charm appeared. Yes, and we became neater, tried to be clean, shaven and gentlemanly polite, even tried to help Lena in some way, although she herself is a very independent girl.-said cosmonaut Valery Polyakov,-Our relations during the flight were exclusively brother-sister. if, as they say, "the devil comes in an image," then you want to or not, chase him away. You can't - and that's it! Kondakova's husband - ed..) often called his wife, sent greetings to us, and we ourselves exchanged some phrases with him. That is, the situation was such that a person trusted his friends and colleagues. Like, take care of her, guys!

Men, of course, think about these things. But such thoughts worry less and less over time. Of course, there are periods of tension, but the male body, in the end, solves the problem involuntarily. Then the tension builds up again, and we are forced to suppress it. As a result, before returning to Earth, you have to revive your normal desires again. Technical support sent us color films known content. This is nothing to be ashamed of, we all have wives ... "

Is it possible to have a baby on the moon?

Books about sex in zero gravity have already been published, the French journalist is not the first author in this field. For example, in America, the book "Sex in Space" by the researcher Laura Woodmansi was published, writes

NASA criticized this book, but Woodmansy's previous books, Women Astronauts and Women in Space, did not fall into disgrace.

"Perhaps the title 'Sex in Space' is too colorful," explained Laura Woodmansy, "I should probably have called my book 'The Possibilities of Human Reproduction Beyond Earth', but then the general public wouldn't have picked it up."

“Sex in zero gravity is not only a good idea, but also a condition for survival,” says Laura Woodmansee in her book, in which she tells about all the stages of birth in space, from conception to the birth of a baby.

Scientists, however, argue that it is unrealistic to give birth to a healthy child in orbit or, for example, on the moon. The ability to carry a child in space is zero, since from the 26th week of pregnancy one of the main stages begins - the formation of the fetal skeleton, and for this stage the presence of Earth's gravity is critical. This could be an insurmountable obstacle to future colonization the solar system and the birth of children on space stations or other planets.

Scientists propose to create on space settlements special compartments for pregnant women with artificial gravity, which theoretically can solve this problem.

For a while, it was even rumored that flying into space could lead to infertility (due to radiation and other factors). In orbit, corresponding experiments were repeatedly carried out with the participation of animals that bred under weightless conditions. Seriously speaking, the problem of reproduction in space is the key to understanding how well living organisms can adapt to the conditions of space travel.

According to NASA medic Jim Logan, Russian weightlessness experiments with pregnant rats showed a 13 percent delay in the development of almost all parts of the skeleton. In the case of human embryos, the formation of the nervous and immune systems, reports

Honeymoon in orbit

And if official scientists are still against sex in zero gravity, the situation is different with businessmen. The development of independent space tourism will make research in this area very important.

Anyone can support the project and take part in the launch of the second Genesis II model by placing their portrait in the interior of the bedroom for $300.

If the project is implemented, the hotel will receive its first guests in about ten years. And space tourists will not miss the opportunity to conduct a variety of experiments in weightlessness. Especially if some millionaire goes to a space hotel with a sweetheart for their honeymoon. Why not, the rich have their quirks. Why wouldn't the oligarch Mikhail Prokhorov, who won fame as a playboy, fly into space with his beloved woman? Yes, and Bill Gates has been going to space for a long time, maybe he will take his lawful wife with him?

Experts, however, believe that space tourists, who are not accustomed to overloads and non-standard physical sensations, will not be in love in space. This is blamed on seasickness, which suffers more in space than at sea. Nausea and dizziness, characteristic of seasickness, will only worsen from the acrobatic somersaults of lovers.

It is known that during the first days in orbit, 40–60% of astronauts develop seasickness, back and head pain. Blood in weightlessness is distributed differently than on Earth. Cosmonaut Georgy Beregovoy described the sensations during the flight as follows: “You feel about the same as after a good drink!”

And yet, how "it" would be in space

Experts have already analyzed and described how space sex will differ from earthly sex, the magazine writes with reference to.

Sex in space will be hotter and sweatier, since in zero gravity, convection processes in the air do not occur (in other words, the air does not cool the body). Scientists have long noticed that astronauts sweat much more in low gravity than on earth. And since full-fledged sex intensifies this process, numerous droplets of sweat and other secretions of the human body will soon drift around lovers.

According to the astronauts, any activity in zero gravity is best done in slow motion (whether it's moving around the station or eating). That means sex better go in slow motion.

“The biggest trouble: the size of a man’s dignity in space will be noticeably smaller compared to normal terrestrial conditions due to more low level blood pressure is one of the side effects of Earth's lack of gravity," NASA medic Jim Logan told reporters during the New Space 2006 conference in Las Vegas, sponsored by the Space Frontier Foundation.

Even kissing a partner in zero gravity will not be easy. Participants in the experiments to create artificial weightlessness they said that when they kissed, they scattered into different sides, and we had to take special care to ensure that if we fly away, then together! The smartest thing to do would be to attach yourself to a wall or even to a partner. There are already suits specially designed for this purpose.

The costume for kissing in space was proposed by the American writer Vanna Bonta, author of the book Flight ("Flight"). These are two very light bodysuits that allow for more physical contact.

Vanna Bonta and her husband flew in a plane that simulates weightlessness, and came to the conclusion about the "more complex mechanics of sex" in space, reports

“In fact, you have to struggle to connect and stay in that position,” said the writer, who had difficulty just trying to kiss her husband.

The model of the "2suit" overalls, proposed by the writer, can be used for kissing and closer communication of astronauts with each other, it the main task- to prevent astronauts from flying apart from each other in zero gravity. With zippers and Velcro in the right places, lovers can simply buckle up to each other for a romantic evening, or maybe even a night out.

"When you think about sex, don't forget that space is a pretty dirty place. environment. Sex in zero gravity would be nice to put in the hands of a skilled and talented cinematographer with appropriate lighting and music. I'm not kidding, sex in space should be more or less staged. Otherwise, there will be a wild mess, - says Jim Logan, a physician from NASA, - Fantasy can exceed reality, but despite the fact that it is inconvenient to have sex in space, it, like other species biological activity in space could be very important for humanity."

Scientists' opinion

The other day, our scientists commented on the news about space sex, reports

“I have not heard of any sex in orbit. In our country, there were no such experiments and there were no episodes indicating that during any expedition the cosmonauts had sex, - Valery Bogomolov, deputy head of the Institute of Biomedical Problems, told reporters, commenting on the publication in The Guardian newspaper. - Cosmonauts are also living people, but in the whole history space flights this issue has never been a problem."

Recently, at the Institute of Biomedical Problems, a short experiment was held to simulate a flight to Mars - six participants (among them one woman) lived in an isolated space for two weeks. None of them complained about the lack of sex. This, however, is understandable. Two weeks is not a long time.

Valery Bogomolov said that in the Mars-500 experiment (the test will last 520 days), as well as in the preliminary 105-day experiment, the participation of women and couples not provided. However, it will not be easy for those men who will participate in the experiment for 520 days.

“The composition of the study participants has not yet been determined, but our position is that women should not be included in it, since they are not able to withstand the same loads as men,” Bogomolov explained.

NASA prefers not to comment on the topic of sex in space. But once the journalists still found out the official position of NASA on this issue. It turned out that NASA does not formally prohibit sex between crew members.

“We depend on and rely on the professionalism and sober mind of our astronauts. There are no formal bans on sex in space,” Ed Campion, NASA spokesman, told reporters.

The European Space Agency (ESA) is the only space organization that pays attention to sexual issues. Back in 1998, the ESA published the results of a study showing that spaceflight causes testosterone levels to drop in male astronauts.

Is it necessary to study sex in space? Indeed, in the near future, controlled flights to other planets will take years. No kidding, such flights are a reality of the near future. You and I will witness crewed flights to Mars and the Moon. NASA plans to send astronauts to the moon by 2018. The launch of the NASA space mission to Mars is scheduled for February 2031, writes

Theoretically, in 2014-2020, the Russians could fly to the red planet - technically it will be possible, experts say, it's just a matter of funding, reports

Prolonged physical abstinence is harmless, however, the psychological component long stay several people of different sexes in a confined space will certainly play a role in future flights. Especially if bold plans to send a mission to Jupiter are realized in the distant future (such a flight will take 3-4 years one way). Most likely, astronauts who have been living in close company and in the confined space of a space station for years will begin to fall in love with each other, as people usually do when isolated from the rest of the world. office romances in flight are inevitable. Unless, of course, the driest scientific “crackers” with reduced libido are not specially selected for the space crew.

Everyone is arguing about the future flight to Mars

According to various estimates, the flight to Mars will last from 8 to 30 months.

Sexual liaisons among astronauts could make life difficult for a crew going to Mars, so the possibility of such contacts should be explored by NASA. This call was made by the US National Academy of Sciences represented by Lawrence Palinkas of the University of Southern California.

"With the prospect of a very long-term mission, it's hard to ignore the issue of sexuality," said Palinkas, who estimates that a flight of 6-8 people to Mars will last about 30 months, that is, two and a half years.

Palinkas notes that NASA, taking care of the safety and health of astronauts, does not mention sexual problems in space flight. Meanwhile, in 2000, during an 8-month simulation of a space station on Earth, a Russian twice tried to kiss a Canadian female researcher. After two other Russians got into a heated argument, locks were cut between the Russian compartment and the compartments of the other teams," writes the magazine.

"If you ban two men in a 5 by 6 meter cabin and leave them together for two months, then you will create all the conditions necessary for the murder," one Russian cosmonaut once remarked.

"People are very primitive in expressing emotions around partnership and sex," says psychologist Carol Ellison, who also believes that NASA is about to study how couples interact on long missions.

The psychologist suggests taking into account the level of libido when selecting crew members for a mission to Mars.

"You could take people who have less desire for sex, or at least do not use sex as a form of self-affirmation," advises Carol Ellison.

Sex can also benefit missions by creating "a sense of stability and normality," Ellison said.

"Sex can help, sex can hurt - depending on how many people are in the crew, what their relationship is like and what sex means to them. There is no immunity in space privacy Astronauts have their heart rate and temperature taken all the time. How will astronauts have sex in zero gravity? I don’t know how all this will be resolved," the psychologist shared with reporters.

"I think the most a big problem- not sex in essence, but the presence of emotionally immature people in the team. Those who are younger are more affected by hormones. Such people are perhaps a little more impulsive," says Dr. Joanna Wood of Baylor College of Medicine, who studies the psychology of researchers who perform in isolation. scientific missions in Antarctica. - Environments like the pole or space are weird, exciting and maybe a little scary. And so you end up there and you can't get out for, say, eight months. And what would normally be a fleeting flirtation or moderate interest, in such an environment for two people can develop into a much more intense relationship.

Joanna Wood says NASA "must understand that there will always be affection between team members."

"A long flight does not make a man impotent. I read somewhere that impotence is not a physical disease, but an emotional one. I think that a person in space grows emotionally, gets stronger and begins to understand a lot of things, and weightlessness and overload, in my opinion, these questions are not affected, - cosmonaut Georgy Grechko is sure, writes - A person himself acts when he thinks too much, worries and is nervous. And this does not depend on the profession. "

Cosmonaut Valery Polyakov, on the contrary, fears for the reproductive function of young cosmonauts who will fly to Mars, and believes that experienced cosmonauts aged 60 and older should be sent there, reports

"Young selfless people, even with great experience space flights, to send to Mars is irrational and, perhaps, even cruel," said doctor-cosmonaut Valery Polyakov.

Cosmonaut Polyakov spent 438 days in orbit. His achievement is listed in the Guinness Book of Records and has not yet been beaten by anyone.

“I agree to fly to Mars. I am now 62 years old, my wife will let me go, she says it’s useless to hold you back. I asked the American astronaut John Glenn, who made a space flight at the age of 77 and is still full of strength and health, would he fly to Mars , to which Glenn replied: "With you - even now," Polyakov said.