How many famous people do you know who spend their holidays not in Mallorca, Cyprus or Thailand, but with us? Oleg NOVITSKY, who recently returned from the orbit of the Earth, together with his two daughters has been visiting his mother Valentina Eduardovna in Cherven for a week now. We met with the Roskosmos cosmonaut and found out what new hobby he has got on Earth, about his planned flight plans and why he will never write a book about his flights.
- Oleg Viktorovich, I cannot but ask whether Minsk and Cherven have changed after long months of space travel? How were you received at home?
The last time I was here was last July before flying to the USA, where I underwent part of the preparation before the flight to the ISS. Comparing that year and this year, I can't say that everything has changed a lot - the main changes for the better have passed a long time ago. Both cities, as always, are well-groomed, pleasing to the eye. They met me, as after the first flight, very sincerely. A large table was brought into the courtyard of the parental home, a loaf was baked, all the nearest neighbors were present. There were those in whose eyes I grew up. Mom, who, of course, was the most worried about me, at first was cheerful, all in guest worries, and then she burst into tears. I understand her. We care about our children, she cares about us.
- You came to us on vacation with your wife Julia and two daughters. The elder Yana has already been here many times, and the younger Rita for the first time. Did you enjoy visiting your grandmother? How do you spend your days? I know you pay a lot of attention to journalists...
After a flight into space, a person recovers approximately as much as he flew.
Yes, indeed, I see your colleagues more often. At home in Cherven I help my mother, sometimes I meet with friends. The day always starts early. At half past seven in the morning I was already running around the city stadium for four or five kilometers. I try to keep myself in shape. Now I weigh somewhere around 87-88 kilograms. But training and proper nutrition are absolutely not obligatory for me. Holidays: I have every right to do nothing, wallow, eat, rest, but I’m used to leading a different lifestyle.
Mom tries to feed for slaughter, but I have limits. Yes, you can eat everything, but then you will roll a ball, and not walk. I can gain weight within reason.
We really relax at home with children. It can be seen how the youngest daughter has grown stronger during her holidays. Moves a lot, studies everything. She has already determined which berry bushes she likes. In the morning everyone is dragged to blueberries. In general, fresh air, peace of mind is good for everyone. Although our city of Stars, where we live, is very green. Multi-storey houses right in the forest. In Soviet times, even cars did not enter the territory of the town so as not to pollute the air. The place was the most environmentally friendly.
In the morning, an astronaut runs past the city stadium, in the afternoon he goes to the store ... Cherventsy take autographs, ask to take a selfie? Do you consider yourself a public figure at all?
No, they don’t ask you to sign, but sometimes you can take a picture. Let's just say: I would not want to be public and famous. Recently in Cherven I drove up to the store. The heat was on - I was in shorts, a T-shirt, sunglasses. Anyway, they somehow identified me, asked to be photographed on the porch of the store. I don’t really like this look for a photo ... I try to leave faster in such situations. Of course, I understand that there is nowhere to go. Those who ask to be photographed say that they observe my work, love, respect, and I am pleased. There are other people too. Smile in the face, but I just feel insincerity. I know a lot of people think that astronauts are bums. Of course, when people watch someone sweeping the streets, working at the machine, they understand that they all work. And cosmonauts are seen mainly at various meetings and events, where they are praised, told how good they are. No one knows that they have been going to this success and triumph for several decades, making great efforts, hard work and training. I have long been accustomed to such an unpleasant attitude.
Oleg Viktorovich, how did you end up in the cosmonaut corps? Can everyone with good health and nerves of steel fly there - to the stars?
It so happened that the selection for the cosmonaut corps was carried out precisely from among the students of the Air Force Academy - for many years, this was a tradition from the first recruitment. I decided to take the chance. Then, during the selection, they looked at the medical book, in general, the state of health was scrupulously checked - they passed a lot of tests. The commission said: everyone is happy, but ... we need to lose weight. Throw off 4-5 kilograms. And do it not abruptly, but wisely. Otherwise, everything will affect the analysis. Well, there were familiar guys in the detachment who suggested how to lose weight correctly, and explained that the legs need to be prepared for heavy loads so that there are good cardiogram parameters. In 2007, he was selected for the detachment, and flew into space for the first time in 2012. Everyone has the same training, but I know guys from the detachment who have been preparing for a flight for many years, but never fly. Much is connected with the element of luck, good luck - on whom the eye of the leadership of the Flight Center fell. Health is also important, both physical and mental. Basically, military pilots and engineers of the rocket and space industry always flew - in general, there was a closed recruitment for astronauts. Now the situation has changed - the selection is open, the military, doctors, engineers and representatives of other professions are being trained for the flight. Almost anyone can become an astronaut. All requirements are publicly available on the Internet. But doctors and psychologists believe, and I agree with them, that flight crews should be sent first. Alas, time and resources are wasted answering applications for those who cannot become astronauts. This is irrational.
Cosmonaut: “Most of all in space I liked the experiment “Movement of liquids” - how the liquid is redistributed during a long flight and how it is related to intracranial pressure.”
- While working at the station, you did a lot of experiments. What do you remember?
There were more than fifty in all. I liked the "Moving Fluids" experiment. Part of it was carried out before the flight, then in space, and again after the flight. It was studied how fluid is redistributed, moves during a long flight and how this is related to eye pressure and intracranial pressure. After the flight, I already went on a business trip on this occasion, and in December, six months after landing, we will complete another part of the experiment. We still have a lot of work to do.
- When you went to the ISS for the second time, your youngest daughter was not even a year old. Was it difficult without a family?
Do you think it was necessary to cancel the flight? This is my job. Julia supported me, every day she sent photos and videos from home. And even though my photo hung over Rita's bed, she did not recognize me immediately upon arrival. Photo, video and a real person are completely different things for a child. Perhaps only now, on vacation, when I am always there, she has gained confidence in me.
- And after all this, you want to go back into space - for the third time?!
Yes! I think I will express the opinion of all the guys who flew into space: no matter how much you are there, you want to go there again. I've already gone through rehab. The medical examination was carried out five days after landing, two weeks, a month and two months - the doctors were satisfied. In December-January - six months after landing - they will check me again.
Oleg NOVITSKY has flown into the Earth's orbit twice already. Will it fly to the third? We'll find out in December/January.
- Oleg Viktorovich, if not astronautics, what would you do?
If my profession is not related to astronautics, then ... I don’t know. And if you don't have your newspaper, your profession?
- Hmm, I don't know... I don't see myself in another.
That's how it is with me. So we will address issues as they come up. If not space flights, then I, as a normal healthy man, will find many more activities so that I can prove myself. Will I sit at home, in the garden, when I retire? Well, I will have a couple of "snack" beds. I would definitely not go fishing - I don't like it. But I love to hunt. I recently added one hobby to myself - before the flight I bought a 1997 Honda motorcycle. A bit old, but it suits me. I will improve my driving skills. The main goal is not speed. It was enough for me in flights on airplanes, rockets. Bike is a ride for the soul. Unfortunately, the summer has passed, and I have not ridden.
- Now you are 45 years old, and when can you retire?
I could have retired even before the cosmonaut corps, when I was a military pilot. As for astronautics, you can retire, like all people, or six months after the flight. Another option: if you did not fly to the ISS, 10 years after training in the detachment. Then you can get a space pension. How much? She's not bad. Everyone is interested in this for some reason. Do you know what it is like for civil aviation pilots? Astronauts have less.
This wish was left by cosmonaut Oleg NOVITSKY to "R" and its readers.
- Oleg Viktorovich, thanks to your wife Yulia, who wrote the blog “Diary of a Cosmonaut's Wife” both on the first and on the second flight, a lot could be learned about your work in orbit virtually online. After the first flight, the book “Voice of the Heart. Diary of an astronaut's wife”, and when can we expect the second part - the story of the second flight? By the way, maybe you yourself are going to write, say, the memoirs of an astronaut?
The first blog in the book was published in 2014 with the support of the Ministry of Information of Belarus. As for the second blog, the issue of release is still open. I wouldn't write my memoirs myself. There is no desire, hunting, and skill. I think that those who write about themselves after some act, situation, are trying to lift themselves up, to designate their self in front of everyone. I do not need it.
Photo by Vitaliy PIVOVARCHIK and from the archive of the hero
"There's a landing!" - such an inscription appeared on the screen of all monitors in the Mission Control Center (MCC) after Russian cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky and European astronaut Tom Peske returned to Earth on June 2. Their descent vehicle of the Soyuz MS-03 spacecraft successfully landed in the Kazakh steppes. They went into orbit on November 17, 2016.
As a rule, personal communication with journalists after the flight, doctors try to strictly limit or even prohibit. The cosmonauts are undergoing an acute rehabilitation period (about 21 days) under close medical supervision, plus a number of scientific and medical experiments are being carried out with the body, which began in space and are completed already on Earth. But for the TASS agency, the Cosmonaut Training Center (CTC) named after Yu.A. Gagarina made an exception, and already on the sixth day after returning, Oleg Viktorovich managed to find time for personal communication in a busy "clinical schedule".
Good health
For Oleg Novitsky, this was already the second flight: he first went into orbit in 2012 and was there for 144 days. This time the flight lasted 197 days. It would seem that what to do in weightlessness for so long, but in fact, almost every day of the astronauts is scheduled, says Novitsky. In each flight, an average of 40 to 50 different experiments are performed. At the same time, there are those that experts develop for a specific expedition, and some have been going on for decades. The results of the experiments are transmitted to Earth, where they become the subject of study by scientists.
Work on the ISS lays the foundation for future interplanetary flights, so many experiments in orbit are related to the influence of space on the human body, aimed, for example, at preventing the effects of radiation. An unprepared person (and even more so with poor health) is not able to withstand this.
Of course, there is an increased background radiation, whatever one may say. When operating in orbit, we are not protected by the atmosphere that protects our Earth. Therefore, in each flight there is a very strict daily account of the accumulation of radiation. Of course, there are restrictions, but, as far as I know, no one has yet gone beyond them even for several flights. And if a person’s data already approaches the maximum allowable mark, then he will no longer be allowed on the next flight. There are cosmonauts who have completed 5-6 flights, and nothing
Oleg Novitsky
The wife is a blogger, and the husband is there too
All 197 days that Oleg was in orbit, his wife Yulia Novitskaya kept a blog on the official website of Roscosmos, in which she told how "space" families live, gave interesting facts about her husband and about the life of the entire crew of the ISS-50/51. In particular, she wrote that throughout the flight, every day of her husband in orbit was scheduled by the minute, but even after landing, "nothing has changed."
On June 6, his working day began with a medical examination with an active orthotic test at 7:30 am. Then hygienic procedures, a clinical blood test, an electrocardiogram, and only then breakfast. By the way, it only takes 15 minutes. Then, for an hour, Oleg is examined by clinical specialists, and then - experiments (with a break for lunch and a short afternoon rest). They are allocated from 15 to 45 minutes. Rehabilitation takes two hours before dinner, which includes swimming, massage, gym. At 18:30 dinner and ... hooray! Then it belongs to us!
from Yulia Novitskaya's blog
Oleg does not lag behind his wife - he has Instagram, which he led both while in orbit and after returning to Earth. For example, "veloergometry is carried out to assess the state of the cardiovascular system and the effectiveness of rehabilitation measures," he writes. And his wife Yulia blogs about her "favorite" experiment called "Algometry" and at the same time specifies that "there can be no injuries and burns, since restrictions are set on the device."
Its goal is to study the threshold of pain sensitivity of an astronaut in a long-term space flight. First, the piston presses on the finger (it turns out how strong the impact and how long you can withstand), and then the heating element is pressed on the forearm (high temperature test)
from Yulia Novitskaya's blog
Novitsky says that after the flight, being in the CPC dispensary under the supervision of doctors and medical staff, the work and rest regime must be observed accordingly. Rehabilitation activities are constantly carried out: massage, swimming pool and sauna. "Everything is aimed at bringing the body to the maximum level faster," he clarifies.
The first day after planting is the hardest for the body. The first hours - still such euphoria after landing, and then the earth's gravity begins to do its job. And then every day it gets better and better. I felt good on the third day.
Oleg Novitsky
pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia
Schoolchildren often ask cosmonauts about medicine and physical education in orbit during educational programs and communication with them. True, says Novitsky, basically what we do is this: the guys see us, but we don’t see them. “They heard something somewhere and want to get an answer from the source. Well, we tell them and show them what we can. But usually questions are sent in advance, as there may be communication interruptions,” he says.
The most curious situations in orbit, when something disappears due to weightlessness. I lost my spoon last time. It literally hung, flew away, and was never found later
Oleg Novitsky
pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia
Favorite potato after a flight
Novitsky was born and raised in Belarus (the city of Cherven), where he graduated from high school. "The first culinary landing order" for his wife Oleg Viktorovich made back in April, while on the ISS. She did not even doubt the choice of the dish: "What Belarusian does not like fried potatoes?"
Everyone loves her, and not only Belarusians. There is a potato at the station, it is in the form of freeze-dried mashed potatoes. But I want something harmful (fried. - Approx. TASS). This is a normal desire. After the flight, I think all products can be
Oleg Novitsky
pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia
At this moment, the astronaut looks at the crew doctor and smiles. He clarifies: "You can ... within reasonable limits." “You see, that’s all. I ordered potatoes and potato pancakes for my wife upon arrival. And the meat was fried,” continues Novitsky. “In principle, there are no restrictions, there should be a normal balanced healthy diet. And even Coca-Cola is possible, but I don’t like it. I like Morsik,” he laughs.
An "orbital" festive table is organized when a "truck" arrives from Earth. "Fresh vegetables and fruits are always a holiday. And, of course, we try to save them, especially for some significant date," says Novitsky.
The food ration at the station is scheduled in order: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Of course, sometimes astronauts change something depending on the taste preferences of everyone.
All food is checked, plus we keep a balance, dry food, for example, no one eats. There are first courses, tea / coffee, there is even milk, dry, of course.
Oleg Novitsky
pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia
At first, Oleg Viktorovich speaks about alcohol in orbit seriously, and then a little ironically: "There is no question, since it is prohibited. Probably, the most alcoholic thing that can be on the station is alcohol wipes."
In her blog, Julia writes that in addition to the usual 16-day food ration, astronauts have "bonus containers" on board. What exactly is included there, they decide on Earth. The choice of a husband seemed to her very diverse.
Dried venison and fried cashews without salt, raw-smoked mini-sausages and Caucasian adjika, assorted freeze-dried berries and kefir, yogurt and fruitomouss from apples and blueberries, vegetable hodgepodge from fresh cabbage and soup-puree in assortment, gingerbread and dumplings with beef...
from Yulia Novitskaya's blog
“Although, whatever one may say, all this will not replace the usual fried potatoes,” she sums up.
Space debris and "polluted" Europe
Cosmonauts are specialists in all areas, they use all the equipment in orbit in full. A lot of work related to the observation of the Earth's surface.
In spring - floods and floods, in summer - fires, various phenomena. This is what we are trying to track. We have Nikon D4 in orbit, now D5 has appeared. The lens up to 1200 mm worked. For example, we calmly examined the car from him. Again, first you take a picture, zoom in and then you can consider it
Oleg Novitsky
pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia
Novitsky enjoys taking pictures, especially sunrises and sunsets. "Red, blue, yellow colors and at the same time black space. I really liked that Minsk turned out like a 3D picture in the rays of the setting sun," he rejoices.
The astronaut also talks about the problem of space debris in orbit. In his flight, there was only one time when it was necessary to correct the orbit. But the astronauts are warned about this in advance from the Earth. But if in the future the object can enter the dangerous boundaries of approach to the station, says Novitsky, then the engines of the Russian segment turn on and the orbit rises a little. This can be done by the ISS crew itself, but this is mainly done from the MCC.
There are fragments of a satellite, rockets, now a lot of countries are launching their devices. But basically the constellation of satellites hangs higher. And they are so small on a planet scale. Moreover, many people think that we see the Earth from space as some kind of ball, but this is absolutely not the case. This is a huge hemisphere, that is, you do not see it, being inside the station, like a ball, and against its background, the satellites are not visible at all. I myself expected to see the ball ...
Oleg Novitsky
pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia
The station's orbit passes approximately along the central strip of Russia - from Moscow to Chelyabinsk. Therefore, when people from the Earth are asked to send photographs of St. Petersburg or Kaliningrad - they are already farther north and far - a clear and beautiful picture is no longer obtained.
One of the tasks of the ISS crew is to predict ground-based natural and man-made disasters. And during the Ekon experiment, Russian cosmonauts collect information for an ecological survey of various objects on Earth.
Here we shot the whole south well: the mountains, and the cities, and our seas. We have a lot of tasks going on under the Ekon experiment (with the help of optical instruments, astronauts monitor the planet's ecology. - Note TASS). Basically, we are looking for pollution, some kind of harmful emissions, fires help to detect
Oleg Novitsky
pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia
Speaking about the environmental situation in the United States and European countries, Novitsky clarifies that “I wouldn’t say about the cleanliness of Europe ... it is very densely populated, and therefore everything is also visible well. Not everything is as bad as they say.”
Rest according to schedule
Rise at the station at 6 am, after that hygienic procedures and breakfast. "Then the conference (with TsUP.-Note. TASS). The work execution program arrives the night before, we verify it. We also check ballistic information for an emergency descent, "says the cosmonaut. From 7:30, work and tasks begin, each of which is given a certain amount of time, as planned. Physical education and meals are all scheduled for the whole day. And at the end of the day, the results are summed up , a conference with the Mission Control Center, where the astronauts report on the work they have completed.Further - dinner and time to prepare for the next working day or a little rest. Lights out at 21:30.
There is a day off, of course. But without work, being at the station is rather dreary. And on Saturday we officially have "cleaning day". On the eve of the Earth tells us where and what we clean this Saturday. Vacuum cleaner in hand - and before lunch ...
Oleg Novitsky
pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, Hero of Russia
In their free time, astronauts watch films and communicate with their loved ones by phone (IP-telephony). True, you can only make calls from orbit to Earth, and not vice versa. Novitsky called his wife almost every day, and she could only send him photos and small videos by e-mail. Video communication was once a week for 30-50 minutes.
More than 500 people have been sent into space. Three of them are Belarusians Oleg Novitsky, Vladimir Kovalyonok and Piotr Klimuk. These names are familiar to every inhabitant of the neighboring republic of the Russian Federation. In this article, you will be provided with information about the Belarusian cosmonauts. So let's get started.
The beginning of the story
In 2015, humanity celebrated the 58th anniversary of Everything began on October 5, 1957, when Soviet scientists launched Sputnik-1 into orbit. For all the inhabitants of the planet, this was the discovery of the era of stars, galaxies and new worlds.
Soon, brilliant engineering minds prepared everything for the next stage of the development of the black abyss. And in 1961 a breakthrough was made. Yuri Gagarin was the first person to fly into space. And this first attempt to conquer extraterrestrial space became a landmark event in the history of the planet.
Over the next 50 years, astronautics developed at a fairly active pace. Dozens of orbital stations and hundreds of satellites were launched. Many technological and scientific experiments have been carried out. And, of course, Belarusian cosmonauts made a very significant contribution to this matter. We will describe the most famous of them below.
Petr Klimuk
This man needs no introduction. And for those who do not know, Piotr Klimuk is the first Belarusian cosmonaut, scientist, colonel general, doctor of technical sciences. In 1965, he was enrolled in a squad of conquerors of the starry sky. Later he became a colleague of Gagarin. Peter was then only 23 years old. The young man completed the astronaut training course. This allowed him not only to fly confidently on ships like the Soyuz, but also to work perfectly on orbital stations like the Salyut. As a commander, he made 3 space trips.
The first flight
Held in 1973. Klimuk headed the Soyuz-13 spacecraft. The flight duration was a little over a week. In 1975, Pyotr Ilyich was enrolled in the Soyuz-17 reserve crew. In the same year, Klimuk became the understudy of the Soyuz-18-1 commander, which, unfortunately, had an unsuccessful start.
Second flight
It happened in May 1975 and lasted for 62 days. Pyotr Ilyich was assisted by flight engineer Sevastyanov. Soon their Soyuz-18-2 spacecraft successfully docked with the Salyut-4 orbital station. After returning to Earth, Klimuk began training under the Intercosmos program.
Third flight
During the third flight in June 1978, Pyotr Ilyich led the international crew along with the Polish cosmonaut Germashevsky. The Soyuz-30 operated by them successfully docked with the Salyut-6 station, on board of which were Ivanchenkov and Kovalenok. This time Klimuk stayed in space for seven days. His total flight experience is 78 days and 18 hours.
Out of space
Immediately after the third flight, Pyotr Ilyich was appointed head of the political department at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (TsPK). Then Klimuk became deputy head. In 1983 he received additional education at the Military-Political Academy of Lenin (in absentia). And in 1987 he defended his PhD thesis. For several years (from 1979 to 1984) he was a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
Orders
Piotr Klimuk, like other Belarusian cosmonauts, has several awards. He is a laureate of the State Prize of the USSR and the Russian Federation. Pyotr Ilyich was also awarded three Orders of Lenin, the Order of Merit for the Motherland, the Order of Friendship of Peoples and the Tsiolkovsky gold medal. Streets in such cities as Kletsk and Rogachev, as well as in the villages of Rubel, Nizhny Terebezhov and Motol, bear the name of Klimuk. In Brest, a bronze bust was erected to Peter Ilyich.
Vladimir Kovalenok
Any biography of Belarusian cosmonauts is remarkable, but the life story of this conqueror of the starry sky is perhaps the most interesting. Let's start with the fact that Kovalenok got into aviation at a very "green" age. But, as it turned out, 22 years is not an indicator. Vladimir became the main "cog" of the Soyuz-type spacecraft. On them, he conquered stellar space three times.
Service start
Like all Belarusian cosmonauts, Kovalenok received good training at the military aviation school. After graduating in 1963, he went to work in transport aviation. Vladimir flew the An-24 as a co-pilot. Over time, the young man was promoted to commander. In 1965, Kovalenok became a candidate for the cosmonaut corps. However, he was not credited, but left in reserve. The young man began training for space flight two years later.
First flight
In October 1977, Vladimir Vasilyevich made his first flight on Soyuz-25. Kovalyonok was the commander of the ship. The crew also included Vladimir Ryumin. According to the flight program, the Soyuz was supposed to dock with the Salyut-6 station. But this did not happen due to the switching of the rendezvous system to an emergency mode. The flight was canceled ahead of schedule. The total time spent in space was 2 days.
Second flight
It happened in 1978 and took much longer than the first. Kovalyonok was again the commander of the ship. This time he led the Soyuz-29 crew. The planned docking with the Salyut-6 station was very successful. During his stay on it, the crew of Vladimir Vasilyevich accepted two international expeditions: the German-Soviet (Jen, Bykovsky) and the Polish-Soviet (Germashevsky, Klimuk). On July 29, Kovalenok, together with Ivanchenko, made an exit into starry space. Outside the ship they were two and a half hours. On November 2, Vladimir Vasilyevich returned home on Soyuz-31. The total duration of the second journey was almost one hundred and forty days.
Third flight
This time, Kovalyonok headed the Soyuz T-4 spacecraft. The notorious flew with him. And again they successfully docked with Salyut-6. Like last time, the cosmonauts accepted two international expeditions: the Romanian-Soviet (Prunariu, Popov) and the Mongolian-Soviet (Gurragchi, Dzhanibekov). The duration of this flight was almost seventy-five days.
Subsequent service
In 1984, Vladimir Vasilyevich successfully graduated from the Military Academy under the General Staff of the Armed Forces. After that, he received the position of deputy head of the 1st department of the Gagarin CTC, which was engaged in the training of astronauts. In connection with this appointment, he no longer took part in flights.
From 1989 to 1992 he worked as a people's deputy. In 1991 he headed the Belarusian Federation of Cosmonautics. In 1993, Vladimir Vasilievich was awarded the rank of Colonel General of Aviation. In 2001 he headed the Federation of Cosmonautics of Russia. He retired for age in June 2002.
Awards
We will finish the story about the Belarusian cosmonaut Kovalenka by listing the orders he has. Vladimir Vasilievich has three Orders of Lenin, several Orders of Merit for the Motherland, and the Tsiolkovsky gold medal. In the city of Krupki (Minsk region), a bronze bust was erected to Kovalenko.
Oleg Novitsky
This name is not inferior in popularity to the two listed above. Oleg Novitsky is a Belarusian cosmonaut who headed the Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft. The launch took place in October 2012. This event has become a reason for pride for all Belarusians. In 2007, Novitsky underwent general space training, receiving the highest score. Thus, he put forward his own candidacy for the next flight into stellar space.
Oleg Novitsky is a Belarusian cosmonaut whose biography is known to every inhabitant of his country. He went to conquer the dark abyss right after celebrating his 41st birthday. People who know Oleg Viktorovich personally note his resemblance to Yuri Gagarin. Novitsky became the third Belarusian who saw the planet from the other side. In the near future, the fourth conqueror of the black abyss will surely appear.
Underflight
Belarusian cosmonauts Klimuk, Kovalyonok and Novitsky were able to fulfill their dream and visit the starry sky. But there were also those who failed to do so.
Boris Belousov
Born in Khotimsk in 1930. He graduated from the Air Force in Leningrad. In 1965 he began to prepare for a flight into stellar space. Soon he was made a senior cosmonaut corps. After successfully passing the state exam, Belousov was appointed to the crew of the Soyuz. There was very little left before the flight into space. The cherished dream was about to become a reality. But suddenly Belousov was expelled from the detachment. Boris was transferred to one of the military research institutes. The reason was that the credentials committee found a "dark spot" in his father-in-law's biography.
Anatoly Dedkov
He was born in the village of Luchin (Gomel region) in 1944. Graduated from the Kharkov Military Aviation School. After that, he was assigned to the cosmonaut corps. Having successfully passed the state exam, he was preparing to fly on the Salyut orbital station and on the Soyuz spacecraft. In 1977, Dedkov was appointed commander of the 2nd crew on Salyut-6 and Soyuz-26. All plans were crossed out by the unsuccessful docking of the 1st crew, which included such Belarusian cosmonauts as Ryumin and Kovalyonok. An order came from above: one crew member must have flight experience. This decision pushed Dedkov to the end of the queue, which was replenished annually with younger applicants.
tester
For the next 6 years, Anatoly Ivanovich was engaged in testing space technology in extreme conditions. He tested aircraft in the ocean and deserted areas (taiga, jungle, desert). Dedkov also practiced spacewalks in the Orlan spacesuit and tested the Sokol spacesuit. He has performed more than 50 spacecraft landings with a parachute of various levels of difficulty. But the number of experiments (sometimes dangerous to health) did not help Anatoly Ivanovich go into space. As a result, he was taken to the position of chief operator. Colonel Dedkov never managed to become the third Belarusian to conquer the dark abyss.
Alexander Schukin
He was born in 1946, in the city of Vienna (Wienn), Austria, in the family of a military man. Shchukin graduated from the school of test pilots, and after - the Moscow Institute of Aviation. Alexander read a lot about Belarusian cosmonauts and dreamed of conquering starry space. As a result, Shchukin was sent to train in the Buran program, which was headed by Igor Volk. But Alexander's dream was never destined to come true. He crashed on a Su-26M aircraft during preparations for the holiday in Zhukovsky. On the indicated aircraft, Shchukin made a training flight in order to test it for a spin. Unfortunately, Alexander could not get the plane out of this critical mode, and it all ended in tragedy.
Novitsky Oleg Viktorovich- test cosmonaut of the cosmonaut corps of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Research Test Cosmonaut Training Center named after Yu. A. Gagarin.
Born on October 12, 1971 in the village of Cherven, Minsk Region, Byelorussian SSR. In 1988, he graduated from secondary school No. 2 in this city.
In the Soviet Army since August 1989. Entered the Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School named after V.P. Chkalov, then transferred and in 1994 graduated from the Kachinsk Higher Military Aviation School named after A.F. Myasnikov. In 1994, he was an instructor pilot of the fighter aviation regiment of the Borisoglebsk Aviation Training Center named after V.P. Chkalov. From November 1995 he served in the assault aviation regiment of the 4th air army of the North Caucasian Military District: pilot, senior pilot, deputy commander of an assault aviation squadron. In June 2006 he graduated from the command faculty of the Yu.A. Gagarin. Since 2006, he has been commander of an assault aviation squadron in the same regiment. Participant in hostilities in the Chechen Republic.
In August 2007, he was enlisted as a candidate for the cosmonaut corps for general space training. After its completion and passing state exams in August 2009, he was enrolled in the cosmonaut corps with the qualification of "test cosmonaut". In January-October 2010, he was on a business trip to the United States, being the CPC representative at the Lyndon Johnson Space Center. In May 2012, during the launch of the Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft, he was the understudy of the crew commander. Since May 2012, he has been training as a member of the main crew of the permanent expedition to the ISS-33/34.
In 2012, Colonel O.V. Novitsky was transferred to the reserve of the Armed Forces in connection with the reorganization of the CTC into a civilian institution.
The first flight
Launched on October 23, 2012 as Soyuz TMA-06M spacecraft commander and ISS 34th prime crew flight engineer together with Evgeny Tarelkin and Kevin Ford. Callsign: "Kazbek-1".
The crew of the spacecraft "Soyuz TMA-06M"
K. Ford (USA), O. Novitsky (Russia) and E. Tarelkin (Russia)
At 12:29:34 UTC (16:29:34 Moscow time), the Soyuz TMA-06M TPK docked with the Poisk Research Module (MIM-2) of the International Space Station.
On March 15, 2013 at 23:43 UTC (March 16 at 03:43 Moscow time), the Soyuz TMA-06M TPK undocked from the International Space Station. On March 16, 2013 at 03:06 UTC (07:06 Moscow time), the Soyuz TMA-06M descent vehicle landed northeast of the city of Arkalyk.
The flight duration was 143 days. 16 h 15 min 02 s.
Cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky in weightlessness
Oleg Novitsky became the 529th cosmonaut of the world and the 114th cosmonaut of Russia (USSR).
For courage and heroism shown during a long-term space flight on the International Space Station, by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 374 of May 28, 2014, Oleg Viktorovich Novitsky was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.
Shortly after landing on March 16, 2013, together with Evgeny Tarelkin, he took part in an experiment to develop a manual controlled descent from orbit to the surface of Mars using a TsF-18 centrifuge, which simulated overload during descent in a real space flight mode. The test confirmed the ability of astronauts to descend to the surface of Mars after a long space flight.
On December 16, 2014, the meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission for the selection of cosmonauts and their appointment to the crews of manned spacecraft and stations approved his appointment to the backup crew of the long-term expedition ISS-48/49 and the prime crew of the long-term expedition ISS 50/51.
On August 6, 2015, his assignment to the ISS Expedition 50/51 crew was confirmed by NASA press release 15-161.
On February 11, 2016, as part of the crew, together with Tom Peske and Peggy Whitson, he underwent training in the event of an emergency landing in a wooded and swampy area in winter. The crew members successfully coped with all the tasks: they built two types of shelters (a shed hut and a wigwam), marked their location for the search and rescue forces with the help of a light-signal cartridge and a fire, and provided medical assistance to the “wounded” colleague at the stage of transition to the meeting place with rescuers.
On May 11, 2016, at a meeting of the State Medical Commission (GMK) at the Cosmonaut Training Center (CTC) named after Yu. A. Gagarin, he was declared fit for space flight for health reasons.
On May 26, 2016, at the Cosmonaut Training Center, together with Tom Peske and Peggy Whitson, he passed the exam training on the Soyuz MS spacecraft simulator. On May 27, 2016, the crew passed the pre-flight examination training on the ISS Russian Segment.
July 6, 2016. At a meeting of the State Commission for conducting flight tests of manned space systems at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, he was approved as the commander of the backup crew of the Soyuz MS spacecraft.
He continues to work in the cosmonaut corps of the Yu. A. Gagarin Scientific Research Institute of the CTC.
Family status:
Wife- Novitskaya (Andreeva) Yulia Vladislavovna.
Daughter- Yana Olegovna Novitskaya (b. 1996).
Daughter- Margarita Olegovna Novitskaya (born 2016).
Honorary titles and awards:
Hero of the Russian Federation (Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 374 of 05/28/2014).
Pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation (Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 374 dated May 28, 2014).
He was awarded the Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Russian Federation (Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 374 of 05/28/2014), medals of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation "For participation in hostilities", "For military valor" II degree, "For distinction in military service" I , II and III degrees, "For Service in the Air Force", as well as the watch "For Personal Courage". He has the title of "Veteran of Combat Actions".
Used sources:
1. Novitsky Oleg Viktorovich [Electronic resource].- 2016 - Access mode: http://ru.wikipedia.org
2. Novitsky Oleg Viktorovich [Electronic resource]. - 2016 - Access mode: http://astronaut.ru
3. Novitsky Oleg Viktorovich [Electronic resource]. - 2016 - Access mode:
Belarus does not have its own space program. And the so-called "comic power" our country has become relatively recently. Largely due to the launch of the first own artificial satellite. At the same time, the fact that Belarus has not yet sent its cosmonauts does not mean that there are none. One of the most famous (currently active) cosmonauts born in Belarus is Oleg Viktorovich Novitsky, a native of the city of Cherven, Minsk region. The Russian citizenship of a cosmonaut is rather a formal property, which is mandatory for a specialist who has received training in the Russian space sector and travels at the expense of this state. At the same time, this does not detract from the significance of the achievements of the test cosmonaut. Twice Novitsky visited the ISS, and the total total time in space is an impressive 340 days.
The future cosmonaut was born on October 12, 1971. As he himself admitted since childhood, he had a special sympathy for aircraft and spacecraft. He knew for sure that someday he would become an astronaut and go into an unknown and alluring space. Oleg Viktorovich received his primary education at the local Cherven school. At that moment, my favorite subjects were military training and physical education. Even after many years, the accomplished cosmonaut came to Cherven more than once and visited local schools to meet with local children. Perhaps it was just such a meeting that he lacked at one time, during which he could talk with a person who had been “there!”. And in school number 2 there is a specialized museum of astronautics. Oleg Novitsky handed over some of the exhibits here: his own clothes that were worn in space, space food and many other items.
The mood for the future profession sent him to enter in 1988 the Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School. So, Novitsky became a military pilot, and then switched to space specialization at the Yeisk Higher Military Aviation Institute in the Krasnodar Territory of the then unified country (USSR). Having received the specialty of a pilot-engineer, he continued to improve his skills and knowledge. Purposefully interested in space training. He held various positions: from a pilot to deputy commander of an aviation squadron of an assault aviation regiment. From 2004 to 2006 he studied at the Gagarin Air Force Academy. In the same year, after graduating from an educational institution, Novitsky successfully passed a special and rather complicated medical examination, according to the results of which he was enrolled in the team of candidates for the cosmonaut corps.
In the subsequent time, remaining only in the status of a candidate, Novitsky underwent training, improved his skills and knowledge, and trained a lot. From 2007 to 2009 he underwent additional training. Passed all the tests with excellent marks. There was much to do but wait. And he had to wait a long time - as much as 5 years - before he ended up on the International Space Station. It was decided that in 2012 Novitsky, in the status of a backup crew commander, would go to the ISS (together with a Russian cosmonaut and an American astronaut). After 4 years, the already experienced cosmonaut was re-elected commander of the backup crew (together with a French cosmonaut and an American woman astronaut).
Oleg Novitsky is married and has two daughters. He always speaks well of his family and his original homeland. He does not miss the opportunity to communicate with Belarusians directly from space and take memorable photographs. So, his pictures of Belarusian cities at night and other shots became famous. Perhaps in the near future, Novitsky will go into space for the third time, becoming the most experienced Belarusian cosmonaut, whose record it will be difficult for fellow citizens to beat in the coming years.
