Viktor Savinykh is a Soviet cosmonaut, 50th in the list of those who were able to fly into space in the USSR. In his entire life, he had three sorties, during one of which he was able to visit outer space. The total time of all flights is more than 252 days.
Biography
Viktor Savinykh is a cosmonaut whose biography was once known to many Soviet citizens, because the whole country looked at people like him, was proud of them, and looked up to them.
The future cosmonaut was born in the small village of Berezkiny, located in the Orichesk district of the Kirov region. His birthday is March 7, 1940. Early childhood fell on the war years, shortly after the Victory, Viktor Savinykh went to school. He graduated from it, like many other Soviet schoolchildren, at the age of 17. Having received a secondary education, Viktor entered the Perm College of Railway Transport, the diploma of completion of which included the qualification "traveler-technician".
On the achieved young V. P. Savinykh did not stop and in 1969 he graduated from the institute, having received the qualification of "mechanical engineer optics". However, even this seemed to him not enough, so he remained ingraduate school of the same educational institution - the Moscow Institute of Engineers of Geodesy, Aerial Photography and Cartography. After graduation, he defended his Ph. D. thesis on the topic “Issues of spacecraft orientation in near-Earth orbit.”
After 5 years, a doctoral thesis was defended, which revealed a topic related to the environmental difficulties of the atmosphere. After that, he decided to start a career as a diplomat, for which he needed to receive a diploma from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Space
Viktor Savinykh started his career back in 1960, working as a foreman on the Sverdlovsk railway. In 60-63 he served in the ranks of the SA, in the railway troops.
He came to the Korolyov Design Bureau in 1969. He started his career in this place as an engineer, after 20 years he resigned as the head of the complex.
In 1975, Viktor Savinykh received a permit from the Main Medical Commission, on the basis of which three years later - in December 1978 - recommendations were received to enroll a beginner in the detachment. For events of this level, it all happened incredibly quickly. Savinykh himself explains this by the fact that he knew the aircraft thoroughly, tuned it from the moment of its creation. He came to the Design Bureau even when this project was only on paper, so Viktor Petrovich accompanied him almost from the moment of "conception". Appointment to the post of test cosmonaut signed on December 8, 1978.
Together with the group that the Salyut-6 station was waiting for, he participated in pre-flight training until May 1980.
October 1978 - spring 1980 - busy preparing for a test flight on the Soyuz T-2. He successfully passed the exams, but almost before the start, a message appeared that the ship for the flight was two-seater, so he was taken out of the program.
Quite unexpectedly, he was transferred to another project, so in October-November 1980 he was preparing for another project. After its successful completion, the cosmonaut received the position of flight engineer for the second crew intended for the Soyuz T-3 test flight.
In December 1980, the final preparations for the launch on Salyut-6 began, ending in February 1981. On the fifth main expedition, Viktor Savinykh became an onboard engineer for the reserve crew. However, after the exam, the commission decided to transfer him, along with V. Kovalenko, to the main crew, while Andreev and Zudov moved to the backup team.
First flight
Viktor Savinykh, the cosmonaut, looked forward to his very first flight with particular impatience. The launch was made on March 12, 1981. His position for 74 days 17 hours and 37 minutes and 23 seconds that this flight lasted was flight engineer. His call sign during this period was Photon-2. The difference between this flight and most others is that the launch took place in the evening. After takeoff, the astronauts had a lot of work to do, so they were forced to reorganize their schedule in advance. They went to bed in the morning, waking up when the rest of the Muscovites were already getting ready for bed. After the decision to fly was finally made, it was reported that Victorbecomes the fiftieth Soviet cosmonaut and No. 100 in international qualifications.
Before the flight, the doctors treated the departing with alcohol as a disinfection. Savinykh recalled how the doctor joked that now they are completely invulnerable to microbes. On this day, Victor wrote letters to his wife and parents. In the envelope, he put a photo in which he is depicted in a spacesuit. The family did not see him in this uniform and could not even think that at that moment he was going to the rocket, that his flight would be announced very soon.
After returning to Earth, Savinykh recalled that his colleagues tried very hard to make him laugh, to distract him from excitement. One of them quite seriously assured that he had put skis in the cargo compartment, on which one could run along the space track. These assurances were so serious and detailed that Savinykh could not help smiling.
When correspondents asked before the launch what they would miss in space, Savinykh replied that he did not know, but at the moment he lacks space.
The purpose of the mission was to reactivate the Salyut-6 station, with which communication was lost some time ago. It was inside the “dead” station that Savinykh first tried to fly in zero gravity. Not immediately, but rather quickly, he learned that it was necessary to make a decision on the direction of movement near the plane - at the time of the flight it makes no sense to twitch. Until you reach any surface, nothing can be changed.
Returning from the first flight, the astronaut enthusiastically talked about how beautiful oura planet that from the surface it is impossible to appreciate it so much. Watching endless sunrises (one can see them 16 times a day in space), Viktor Petrovich recalled life in the Urals, early mornings with their clean, fresh smell. How could he then imagine that he would look at his planet from space? Of course, even in my wildest dreams, this never occurred to me.
With astonishment, Savinykh also told about the splendor of flowers that opens from space. The aurora borealis made an indelible impression on him, especially since the astronauts managed to visit the very center of this phenomenon. No film, according to observers, is able to reproduce the richness of colors that they managed to observe from space.
Second flight
It was the longest flight of those that fell to the lot of the Savins. The expedition to Salyut-7 lasted about 4 months. The first stage consisted of restoring all functions of the station. Joint work with Dzhanibekov gave an excellent result: the station was restored to working capacity. As part of this assignment, Savinykh went into outer space. Work outside the ship took 5 hours.
The work plan for the second stage included Vasyutin and Volkov, but due to Vasyutin's illness, the flight had to be completed ahead of schedule. Savinykh was appointed to the position of crew commander.
This flight lasted a total of 168 days 3 hours 51 minutes 8 seconds.
After returning to Earth, our hero, as an onboard engineer, was trained at the Mir OK, then toflight to OS Mir. In the first case, his crew was backup, in the second - the main one.
Third flight
Viktor Savinykh, cosmonaut number 50 in the country, made his last flight in his career in 88. As a flight engineer, from June 7 to 17, he participated in the mission to the Soyuz TM-5 spacecraft.
Two days after the launch, the spacecraft docked with the orbital station where the main fourth expedition worked. The Mir station made a favorable impression on the arrivals. Having completed the tasks of the joint flight, the crew returned to Earth. This expedition was unusual in that, together with Soviet cosmonauts, the Mir station received specialists from Bulgaria.
This flight lasted 9 days 20 hours 9 minutes 19 seconds.
Private life
With a girl who later became a wife, Victor met while studying at a technical school in Perm. The first thing he noticed was how easy and free Lily danced. She herself decided that he would go to see her home, which made the future cosmonaut very amused. The girl loved sports, was involved in athletics and was an excellent skier, which made her accustomed to attention and thirsty for it. Viktor Savinykh's wife was born on February 23, 1941, her maiden name is Menshikova. Lilia Alekseevna worked as a teacher at the Department of Physical Education of the Moscow Forestry Engineering Institute.
Viktor Savinykh, whose family in childhood consisted of his parents, himself and his younger brother, raised one daughter, who was born on August 12, 1968. Valentine, alllife, proud of her father, did not follow in his footsteps. She became a biologist.
Life after
In 1988, Viktor Petrovich accepted the offer to receive the post of rector. He began to lead the university, where he studied himself years ago - MIIGAiK. A year later, the cosmonaut's career was officially ended, after which, until 1992, Savinykh was a people's deputy of the Soviet Union. Viktor Petrovich has been a Doctor of Technical Sciences since 1990.
Today, the former cosmonaut holds the position of editor-in-chief of the Russian Space magazine. He is an honorary citizen of the city of Kirov, where a monument was erected in his honor. In addition, the name of this astronaut was assigned to one of the minor planets.
Awards
For his long career and thanks to his research, Savinykh received many awards and titles. He several times became the laureate of various state awards, the Order of Lenin, "For Merit to the Fatherland", the Gold Star medals, was awarded the medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" and many others. In addition, he repeatedly received the title of hero.
Became a Hero of the Soviet Union twice. He was awarded titles in 1981 and 1985.
In 1981 he received the title of Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic, seven years later - the same in the Bulgarian Republic.
Since 1981 - Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR.
Not only in our country the activities of the Savins were appreciated, in Paris he is a member of the InternationalAcademy of Astronautics. In addition, he is a member of the International Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Informatics. Since 2006 he has been a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Community activities
Viktor Savinykh has always led a very active social life. He was a deputy of the USSR, a member of the committee on ecology, he ran for the Duma of the Russian Federation twice, but both times he did not become the chosen one of the people. He is the president of the Swimming Federation, a member of the Presidium of the Society of Philatelists, is a full member of a large number of diverse societies. In 2010, he entered the top three in the list of the Kirov branch of United Russia in the elections to the state assembly. In 2011 he was elected as a deputy.
Hobbies
Even during his studies, Savinykh became addicted to skiing, then he became interested in fishing, hunting, tennis and addicted to mountain skiing. Now, despite the busy work schedule, Viktor Petrovich tries to devote as much time as possible to sports and hobbies so as not to lose physical shape.
Although the former cosmonaut lives in Moscow today, he tries to come to his native Vyatka every year to go to the forest, go fishing on the banks of the river familiar from childhood.
Publications
Viktor Petrovich is the author of the books The Earth Waits and Hopes, written in 1983, Notes from a Dead Station, completed in 1999, Geography from Space, created in 2000, and Vyatka. Baikonur. Space”, which the astronaut was engaged in in 2002 and 2010.
He is also the co-author of numerous space and environmental publications.
