She was twice recognized as a Hero of the Soviet Union, awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports and was never deprived of attention - her appearance in public always aroused delight, as if she had some kind of special attraction. And she herself was always attracted by the sky - so beautiful, dear and boundless. Svetlana Savitskaya appears before us as the first woman-cosmonaut in the history of space exploration after Tereshkova, who made an exit into open space. The astronaut was in outer space during her second flight.
Childhood and youth
Svetlana was born on August 8, 1948 in the capital, in the family of a military commander, air marshal Evgeny Yakovlevich Savitsky. Discipline and order reigned in the family. Svetlana's mother, Lydia Pavlovna, served with her husband during the war years. And such circumstances somewhat predetermined the future hobbies of their daughter.
Savitskaya Svetlana Evgenievna received a certificate in 1966. After that, she was enrolled in the Moscow Institute of Aviation. Having successfully defended her diploma (in 1972), she received the speci alty of a flight engineer. She combined her studies at the institute with the Kaluga Aviation Flight Technical School, where she later received the qualification of an instructor pilot.
Still beingAs a high school student, she began to practice aerobatic sports and became a member of the current national team. Svetlana Savitskaya quickly gained experience and already in 1970 in England she won the championship in the world championship in aerobatics on piston aircraft. She also managed to make three record-breaking parachute jumps from the stratosphere and make eighteen aviation flights on jet-powered aircraft. And in 1970, she was already destined for the title of Master of Sports of the USSR.
Work as a pilot
After receiving her diploma, Svetlana Savitskaya worked for some time as an instructor pilot, while receiving additional qualifications as a test pilot. In 1976, she began working at the Research and Production Association "Rise". And a little later, already having considerable experience, he became a test pilot at the Speed machine building plant in Moscow. In August 1980, Svetlana was delegated to the ranks of cosmonaut pilots, and a little later she was appointed as a research cosmonaut from Speed.
Space Road
On July 17, 1984, the Soyuz T-12 took off from the Baikonur station, the crew members of which were three experienced cosmonauts, among them Svetlana Savitskaya. The photo taken shortly before takeoff is still kept in the archives of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. In orbit, for the first time, such a large group of highly qualified pioneer testers was noticed, the purpose of which was to conduct the necessary experiments in various fields.scientific activity.
The "Space Squad", which included Savitskaya, was supposed to conduct a series of events to monitor human he alth, well-being and the state of the body as a whole in the space environment, to obtain more reliable information about the adaptation of a person to weightlessness. During the flight, the researchers carried out appropriate experiments that helped to identify various kinds of deviations in the functioning of the organs of hearing, vision, the cardiovascular system, to determine the degree of endurance of a person in the space environment and his susceptibility to excessive weakness, lethargy in working conditions in space. Savitskaya Svetlana Evgenievna also observed the impact of the open space environment on materials used in the construction of various kinds of technical structures.
The main task of the team, however, was to go into outer space. And on July 25, 1984, together with Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Stavitskaya left the Salyut-7 station and carried out a spacewalk. They also conducted a unique experiment, which consisted in the use of a wide-purpose hand tool designed to work in space conditions. This device was equipped with an electronic power supply, four tablets, a control panel that included switches for possible operating modes. Ultimately, the flight engineer of the Soyuz T-12 spacecraft carried out the following operations - cutting, soldering, spraying and welding.
Return to Earth
The stay in flight of the "space team" lasted for twelve days. On July 29, 1984, they returned safely to Earth. The specialists of the lead crew decided to continue their usual work in orbit, preparing for the next spacewalk. Svetlana Savitskaya, meanwhile, demonstrated the success of the implementation in outer space of those "terrestrial" works that were usually carried out in the usual factory shop. It was only necessary to show appropriate skill and be ready for any situation.
Political activities of Savitskaya
In politics, Savitskaya became a prominent figure in the late 1980s and then, in 1989, became a people's deputy of the USSR, as well as a member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. She was a member of the Communist Party. In 1993, she nominated her person in the elections to the State Duma of the 1st convocation, but failed. At the end of December 1995, Svetlana Savitskaya was elected a deputy of the 3rd convocation and again became a member of the Communist Party faction. In 2003, 2007 and 2011 she was again elected as an acting deputy of the State Duma from the Communist Party. She is currently Vice Chair of the Parliamentary Assembly Commission on Security, Defense and Crime Control.
In conclusion
The second female cosmonaut after Valentina Tereshkova was Svetlana Savitskaya. Her biography is full of significant events. She ended her career in 1993 (with the rankMajor) in connection with a well-deserved retirement. Svetlana Evgenievna has been awarded many titles and awards, behind her shoulders - spacewalks, a large number of observations and experiments, teaching.
