Translated material
First detachment
May 1961: chief designer Sergei Pavlovich Korolev (in the photo sits to the right of Gagarin) with his wife Nina Ivanovna came to Star. Next to her, on the right, is the first head of the Cosmonauts training center Evgeny Karpov. The first detachment is almost in full training: from left to right sit: P. Popovich, V. Gorbatko, E. Khrunov, Yu. Gagarin (everyone flew to orbit). The middle row: A. Leonov, A. Nikolaev (both later flew), M. Rafikov, D. Zaikin (did not fly; this is a photo from the Zaikin archive), B. Volynov (“Soyuz-5”), Titov (astronaut No. 2, understudy of Gagarin), the city of Nelubov (second understudy of Gagarin, was expected from the detachment in 1963). Upper Row: V. FILANIEV, I. Anikeev (both did not fly), P. Belyaev (together with Leonov in 1965, he flew at Voskhod-2
First detachment. Yuri Gagarin became the hero of the world on April 12, 1961. He fulfilled the dream of all previous generations - to see the planet from space. And this is true. However, everything around, including the preparation of the first detachment of astronauts, and the death of one of the pilots, and the flight itself, and Gagarin’s descent to the ground was shrouded in a dense cocoon of myths and lies. Journalist Yaroslav Golovanov unwound this ball for 30 years. On the 50th anniversary of the long-dead first astronaut, he wrote the story “Cosmonaut No. 1”-it was banned by all the censors of the country. In the 86th, in the spring, a miracle (more about that on page 12), the story was published in the newspaper Izvestia. And then, supplemented, she entered the 800-page book by Golovanov “Korolev”*, which was published with a meager circulation. This happened after when the country that sent Gagarin into space did not become. The New Times publishes excerpts
* Yaroslav Golovanov, “Korolev: Facts and Myths”, M., “Science”, 1994
“On November 12, in the crack of atmospheric discharges there was a disturbing voice of the astronaut Belokonev:“ I do not hear you! I do not hear you! Batteries do not work! It's dark inside. Devices no longer signal. Oxygen! Comrades! For God's sake, can I do anything? What? Oh damn! I can't. Do you understand? Do you understand? " “The ship left the estimated orbit. The cosmonaut’s speech turned into slurred muttering and in the end completely disappeared. And how many were like him? Was Yuri Gagarin really the first person who visited space? ”
Cosmos phantoms
This text resembles an excerpt from an illiterate science fiction story. But this is not a story, but an almost verbatim statement of the “radio interception” from space, published in the 1970s in the American weekly Whikend. And there were not two such white -cones, “flying into space” to Gagarin: in various Western magazines it was stated that in the period 1957-1961, four Soviet astronauts were killed in the space: Dolgov, Grachev, Zavadovsky, Lodovsky. What kind of people? There were no such cosmonauts in the detachment and there were no similar surnames.
Dolgova I “calculated” quite quickly. It was implied, obviously, Peter Ivanovich Dolgov, a well -known Soviet paratrooper. Frank Edwards in the magazine "Faith" claimed that Dolgov was flying into space and died. According to the journalist, the Dolgov ship was spotted by tracking stations in Turkey, Sweden, England, Italy and Japan. However, no station in these countries confirmed this message. Moreover, the largest English radio-Astroone Sir Bernard Lavell, working at one of the world's largest radio-resistance, Jodrell Bank, directly stated: “We have no reason to believe that there was some unsuccessful launch of a spacecraft.” Petr Ivanovich Dolgov really died during a parachute jump from a height of 24,500 meters. After they, together with another famous recruitist-record holder Evgeny Andreev, left the Gondol of the stratostat "Volga", Dolgov had a schedule of the spacesuit and he sank to the ground already dead. And this did not happen to the flight of Gagarin, but after November 1, 1962.
Grachev? The closest thing I found was Andrei Dmitrievich Grachev, an outstanding designer of liquid missile engines. The crater on the moon is named after him. But he was born in 1900, not to mention the fact that Gagarin could not die before the flight, since he died three years after this flight. Zavadovsky? Lodovsky? There is no one associated with the cosmos with such surnames. Later, the list of “Fantoms of Cosmos” was replenished with the surname of Kachura, as well as Rostislav Bogdashevsky, Yuri Vavkin, Ivan Korneev, Voronov, Vinogradov, etc. Another “duck” concerned the famous test pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Sergeyevich Ilyushin. On June 8, 1960, when Ilyushin was driving by car for testing flights, a oncoming car with a drunken company hit him, as they say, “forehead in the forehead”. The injury was very severe. Soon the version went for a walk: “The hero, the son of the famous aircraft designer with broken legs. Everything is clear: I got into a catastrophe during landing. ” Even the date of the start of Ilyushin was called on the Rossiya spacecraft: April 7, 1960. James Oberg from Houston in the magazine Space Flyta wrote: "I suspect that eight astronauts died during training." The Italian newspaper "Corriere Della Sera" convinced its readers: there were fourteen dead.
In fact, not a single Soviet astronaut before the flight of Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961 in suborbital flights participated, did not try to start into space, did not fly in space, and therefore could not die there. But the astronauts died in the first detachment. Valentin Vasilievich Bondarenko died. Not in space died on Earth.
Death to the start
This happened on March 23, 1961. Valentine was the youngest in the first detachment of astronauts (he was 24 years old). After graduating from a school in Kharkov in 1954, he went to the army, entered the Military Aviation School, dreamed of becoming a military pilot and became him. Then he was taken to a detachment of astronauts and from the end of April 1960 he began classes. According to the training schedule that day, Bondarenko finished a ten -day stay in a surduer - like other astronauts, he was experienced by loneliness and silence. The pressure in the bureau was reduced, which was compensated by the excessive oxygen content. Having removed the sensors after medical samples, Valentine wiped the place for their fastening with a cotton wool moistened in alcohol, and, without looking, threw this cotton wool that fell onto the spiral of the electric stove turned on. In an oxygen atmosphere, the flame instantly covered the small space of the ramp -barcamer. A woolen training costume caught fire on Valentine, but he did not immediately raise the alarm to the remote control, tried to knock down the flame. The doctor on duty opened the hermetic door without leaving the pressure outside and inside, could not - this required extra seconds. And they were not. When Valentine was pulled out of the gap -banking, he was still conscious, he repeated all the time: “I myself am to blame, do not blame anyone” ... For eight hours, doctors fought for his life, but Bondarenko could not be saved: he died from burn shock. He was buried in his homeland, in Kharkov, where his parents lived. And the wife of Anya and five -year -old son Sashka remained in the star town. In the Air Force archive, I read an extract from the order: “Provide the family of senior lieutenant Bondarenko with everything necessary, as the family of the astronaut. 15.4.61. Malinovsky. "
Selection
In the spring of 1956, Korolev at one of the meetings in his KB suddenly proposed to think about organizing a person’s flight on a geophysical rocket. This was a complete surprise, everyone was worried, and young doctors Alexander Seryapin, Abram Genin and Evgeny Yuganov even wrote a request to send them to the stratosphere. For some time, Korolev was thinking about whether to organize a person’s flight on a new rocket on a ballistic curve (as the Americans did in the early summer of 1961), but soon this option seemed to him flawed, half -hearted, and already in May 1958 he was considering the proposal of the project department of Mikhail Klavdievich Tikhonravov, a longtime and faithful of his comrade -in -arms, about a heavy companion for a heavy companion. Human flight into space. In June, Korolev, along with Tikhonravov, made a note in the government on promising work. It began with a phrase, the tone of which is not characteristic of documents of this kind: "The periolnic space should be mastered and, to the necessary extent, it is populated by humanity." In November of the same year, the Council of Chief Designers decides to begin the development of a satellite for a person. In early 1959, chaired by M.V. Keldysh took place a meeting at which the question of the flight of a person was discussed quite specifically, up to, "and who to fly?"
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“For such a thing,” said Korolev then, “the pilots are best prepared. And first of all, fighter aviation pilots. ”
It was decided to entrust the selection of candidates for astronauts to aviation doctors and medical and flying commissions of the Air Force. Wishes of missiles: age for about 30 years, height of not more than 170 cm, weight up to 70 kg. “And most importantly,” said Korolev, “even if they are not crazy!” “How many people do you need?” - the doctors asked. “A lot,” answered Korolev. “But the Americans selected 7 people ...” - “The Americans took the seven, but I need a lot!” - snapped Korolev.
/ .../ Americans in 1957 began to select candidates for the flight in the Mercury spacecraft. The craving of the Atlas-D launch vehicle limited the weight of the ship with two tons. There were no weight reserves for automation and duplicated systems. In other words, the American astronaut needed to work more than the Soviet cosmonaut, since the weight of the East is more than doubled by the weight of Mercury, which allowed the equipment to unload a person, to free him from the performing many operations during the flight. American selection of candidates was more tough than Soviet. More work, which means there should be more experience. Experience gives years, and the age ceiling of the Americans was pushed back to forty years. Only a qualified test pilot with a bachelor of science and with a raid of at least 1,500 hours could become an astronaut. For comparison: the raid of Gagarin was about 230 hours, Titova - 240, Leonova - 250.
/ .../ In short, in 1959, doctors selected about 200 candidates in parts of the Air Force. In the Central Hospital of the Air Force in Sokolniki, where they were examined, in batches of 20 people. I almost changed my mind to the astronauts Alexei Leonov. He immediately agreed to fly on the "new technique." But between the two medical commissions, Alexei married, lived in great tightness, and then he found out that he was transferred to the GDR - there he would look good conditions and Germany, but here the prospects are foggy. Yes, and they can completely reject. He arrived to refuse. “What are you! Stay! After all, it is interesting, ” - Popovich, Gorbatko, Gagarin persuaded him. 
Leonov’s fears were not at all groundless. There were cases when a thorough medical examination revealed some previously viewed (or hidden) flaws, which not only excluded from among the candidates for astronauts, but imposed a ban on their previous flight work. This was learned by those who were waiting for another call. And, having received such a challenge, many did not go to Moscow, guided by a popular saying that the tit in their hands is better than a crane in the sky. In addition to all kinds of tests and inspections, candidates were subjected to so -called load samples - they were withstood in a baroacer, twisted on a centrifuge: they checked the body's stability to hypoxia and overload. A day by day, a group of candidates contracted as shagren skin.
By the end of 1959, the commission “on the topic No. 6” was to go through - this was formulated in official documents - 20 candidates managed. In a few years, in all articles and books they will be called the Gagarin detachment. But who could guess such a name then?!
Race for the leader
On January 11, the Main Headquarters of the Air Force issued a special directive on the formation of part of the cosmonaut pilots. Now the candidates needed to be prepared for flight. But in what this preparation was supposed to be - no one knew. On February 24, the Commander -in -Chief of the Air Force was appointed Evgeny Anatolyevich Karpov, a specialist in the field of aviation medicine, the head of the Cosmonauts training center (CPC), the head of what this chief was to be created. For the future center, a place was found near the district center Shchelkovo, 40 km from Moscow. /.../
However, when a tranier ship and involved by Korolev, a test pilot Mark Lazarevich Gallai, was created at the flight research institute, it began to classes with astronauts, it became clear that it was uncomfortable to train all the twenty, and it is too slowly. After conferring, they decided to highlight a small group - six people - for accelerated preparation for the first flight.
When selecting a six, the results of the load trials, successes in theoretical classes, and physical training were primarily taken into account. The "dimensions" were also taken into account: Popovich was among the six tallest - 170 centimeters, and Shonin - 175 - is already high. Komarov, of course, was the leader in mathematics and other exact sciences, but he didn’t go very well on the centrifuge, and then the doctor Adil Radgatovna Kotovskaya found an extrasystole - a violation of the heart rhythm - completely sad affairs. The results of psychological tests were taken into account, the character, temperament, sociability, attitude towards comrades, behavior in everyday life - in short, played the role of everything that was accounting. In the end, the six were formed in the following composition (according to the alphabet): Varlamov, Gagarin, Kartashov, Nikolaev, Popovich, Titov. But after the first training on a centrifuge with 8-fold overload, the doctors found microscopic hemorrhages on the back of Anatoly Kartashov. The verdict of doctors was inexorable: Anatoly Kartashov was expelled. An absurd accident was knocked out of six and Valentin Varlamov. Not far from the Star Town in the forest are beautiful cubs of lakes. Once the astronauts went there to stretch, swim and swear. Varlamov suggested jumping into the water right from the shore. Bykovsky was the first to jump, struck his nose on the sand, emerged, warned: “It's fine, guys ...” Shonin jumped and poked his hands into the bottom. Varlamov - behind him. He got out of the shore is gloomy: his neck was very painful - he hit his head on the sand. Diagnosis: displacement of the cervical vertebra. Instead of Kartashov, Grigory Nelyubov was introduced into the four. Instead of Varlamov - Valery Bykovsky.
The tragic figure is Gregory of Nelubov. He was the second (after German Titov) Dubler Gagarin, although he was not officially called. Before flying at the spaceport, the three of them were photographed on Red Square. To the very first start, he rode in the same bus as Gagarin, and escorted it to the rocket itself. In the general opinion, he could be in the first five of our astronauts. But it happened differently.
Once (after the flight of Titov) non -iluses, Ivan Anikeev and Valentin Filafev went to drink a beer. There was a skirmish with a military patrol. The commandant’s office threatened the command with a report, but the leadership of the CPC persuaded the duty officer not to send a report. He reluctantly agreed - if the non -ilves apologize. But he refused to apologize to the non -ilves. All three in April 1963 were expelled from the detachment. On February 18, 1966, Nelyubov was killed by a passing train. *** In the report that Yaroslav Golovanov read, it was written: “In a drunken state, he was killed by a passing train,” but there is another version: Grigory Nelyubov himself rushed under the train. - The New Time
Cosmonaut No. 1 *
When it became clear that Yuri Gagarin would be the first spacecraft commander? Strictly speaking, only after it was approved at a meeting of the State Commission on April 8, 1961. Did the results of the exams affect this decision? Influenced. But they are unlikely to be crucial for the choice. Physical health also equalized all candidates. The leaders inside the detachment were determined: Gagarin and Titov. But which of them will be the first? The personal affairs of the two pilots began to disassemble a special mandate commission. Such a consideration is a purely Soviet phenomenon. The course of thoughts and the logic of assessments of the mandate commission are sometimes very bizarre, and the depth of the analysis is so great that sometimes I want to exclaim: “Lord! Have mercy! What does all this matter?! "
Both astronauts were Russian. But Gagarin from Gzhatsk, from Smolensk - the original Russian land, and Titov - from Altai. Altai, of course, is not Nicaragua, but still there are no in him those historical roots that are in the Smolensk region. And why does the first astronaut, Russian man, are not Russian name: German? Did Father loved Pushkin and named his son in honor of the hero of the “peak lady”? The fact that Pushkin loved is good, but you won’t explain to everyone who Herman was, and if a person did not read a “peak lady” at all? Yuri is better. Clearly. Both boys are rustic. But the fact that Gagarin studied at a craft school on a molding molder and graduated from the school of working youth, as if introduced him to the working class. Gagarin personified the union of a sickle and hammer. Even the fact that Yura had two daughters, and the little son of Herman died shortly after birth and then he had no children, was also noted by the mandate commission. Explaining the choice of Yuri Gagarin, Herman Titov correctly writes: “There is something symbolic in the life path and biography of Gagarin. Это частичка биографии нашей страны. Сын крестьянина, переживший страшные дни фашистской оккупации. Ученик ремесленного училища. Worker. Student. Курсант аэроклуба. Pilot. Этой дорогой прошли тысячи и тысячи сверстников Юрия. Это дорога нашего поколения…»
Фотографии Юры и Германа Евгений Анатольевич Карпов возил в оборонный отдел ЦК. Все молча и очень серьезно разглядывали портреты, переводя глаза с фотографии военной на фотографию цивильную и обратно: кандидаты были сняты в двух вариантах. Потом показали Фролу Романовичу Козлову, секретарю ЦК, тогда второму человеку в государстве. Потом Фрол Романович понес их Никите Сергеевичу Хрущеву. Тот посмотрел и сказал: «Оба парни отличные! Пусть сами выбирают!» Теперь можно было сказать, что «вопрос согласован на высшем уровне».
В Звездном состоялось партийное собрание. На повестке дня — один вопрос: «Как я готов выполнить приказ Родины». Слово взял Гагарин.
Публикацию подготовила Евгения Альбац