Cosmonaut Anatoly Filipchenko, who led two docking flight tests, dies at 94



Both the Soyuz 7 and the Soyuz 16 were commanded by Filipchenko.

Anatoly Filipchenko, a cosmonaut from the Soviet period who participated in two docking tests—the first for a potential Russian lunar landing and the second for the first mission in which the United States participated—died at the age of 94.

The Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, outside of Moscow, and Roscosmos, the government space enterprise of Russia, both confirmed Filipchenko's passing on Sunday (opens in new tab) (Aug. 7).

"Anatoly Vasilievich was a goal-oriented, exacting, industrious, and fair individual who was constantly willing to assist others. His life's work included faithfully serving the Motherland, being innovative, and being committed to the cause of his choice "Officials from the training center released a statement (opens in new tab). "The center's management and personnel, [as well as] the cosmonaut team] offer their genuine deepest sympathies to everyone Anatoly Vasilyevich's family and friends."

The statement from the institution said, "The shining memory of Anatoly Vasilyevich Filipchenko will always be in our hearts."

Filipchenko joined the corps alongside 14 other trainees after being selected as a cosmonaut in the second batch of Soviet Air Force pilots in 1963. He made two space flights: first in 1969 as the captain of Soyuz 7 and once in 1985 as the commander of Soyuz 16.

Filipchenko's first flight was the first time three different spacecraft traveled together, together with his fellow crew members Vladislav Volkov and Viktor Gorbatko(opens in new tab). Launched on October 12, 1969, Soyuz 7's crew launched with Soyuz 6's (manned by Georgy Shonin and Valery Kubasov) on the same day, and was followed into Earth orbit by Soyuz 8 two days later (Vladimir Shatalov and Aleksei Yeliseyev).

To replicate the feat initially accomplished by Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 in January 1969, Filipchenko and his Soyuz 7 crewmates were charged with docking their spacecraft with Soyuz 8, while the Soyuz 6 crew recorded the link-up from a nearby location. Equipment malfunctions stopped Soyuz 7 and Soyuz 8 from connecting. The docking was intended to test the procedures and hardware required for a Soviet moon landing, which had already been completed by the U.S. in July of the same year.

On October 17, 1969, Filipchenko, Volkov, and Gorbatko returned to Earth, ending their nation's effort at a crewed lunar program.

On December 2, 1974, Filipchenko, operating as Soyuz 16's captain, returned to space. Assigned to a different kind of docking trial while in the air with Nikolai Rukavishnikov(opens in new tab), the two pilots tested the hardware for the July 1975 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP).

Filipchenko and Rukavishnikov tested the androgynous docking mechanism that would be utilized to join the Soyuz with the American Apollo spacecraft during the six-day Soyuz 16 mission (opens in new tab). They practiced extending and retracting a mock docking ring and evaluated backup plans in case the capturing latches jammed during the global mission.

Filipchenko and Rukavishnikov tested a new radar docking system and an altered environmental system before landing to finish the Apollo-Soyuz practice run.

On his two flights, Filipchenko logged a total of 10 days, 21 hours, and 3 minutes.

On February 26, 1928, Anatoly Vasilyevich Filipchenko was born in the Russian city of Davydovka, which is a part of the Liskinsky District in the Voronezh Oblast. He received his military pilot license in 1950 after completing the Chuguev aviation program in Kharkiv, Ukraine. From 1957 to 1961, Filipchenko attended the Air Force Military Academy in Monino, Russia.

Filipchenko served in the 161st Fighter Aviation Regiment from 1951 to 1960 as a pilot, senior pilot, flight commander, squadron navigator-pilot-operator, and deputy squadron commander (based in the Leningrad Military District, then in Romania and the Odessa Military District). Over the course of this time, he logged more than 1,500 hours flying a variety of different types of aircraft, including the UT-2, La-9, MiG-15, MiG-21, Su-7, Su-9, Su-11, Yak-11, Yak-18, Yak-25 (with modifications), and Yak-28.

When he was enrolled in the cosmonaut training facility by the Soviet Air Force's supreme commander, he was working as a senior instructor-pilot in the 48th Air Army's aviation division in the Odessa Military District.

Along with his personal space missions, Filipchenko was the backup commander for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project in 1975, Soyuz 5, and Soyuz 9 in 1969, 1970, and 1974, respectively.

Filipchenko founded the Federation of Cosmonautics of the USSR and presided over it as its first president from 1978 to 1980, following the completion of his second and last mission. In order to become the department director at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, he left the cosmonaut corps in 1982.

Filipchenko successfully defended his dissertation on military navigation in 1987 and was awarded a PhD in military sciences. After being released from active duty a year later, he was appointed head of the Kharkov Experimental Design Bureau's Moscow office. 1993 saw his retirement.

Filipchenko was twice recognized as a Hero of the Soviet Union and received several decorations for his contributions to the Soviet space program, including two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, and many more. Additionally, he received the honorary titles of "Honorary Citizen" of the towns of Kaluga, Chita, Lipetsk, Ostrogozhsk, Davydovka, Karaganda, Arkalyk, Sumy, and Houston, Texas. He was also named the winner of the State Prize of the USSR.

Before marrying Vera P. Kienko-Lobanova, Filipchenko initially wed Yelitsaveta A. Kuzhalskaya, with whom he had two sons, Alexander and Igor.

On the northeastern outskirts of Moscow, at the Mytishchinsky Federal Military Memorial Cemetery, a burial service is being prepared for a later time.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Nuclear War Could Starve Billions, But One Country May Be Safer Than The Rest

Image
It all begins with a lone mushroom-shaped cloud that everyone had prayed would never appear again. Tit-for-tat attacks are sparked by retaliation, each of which aims to put an end to this most recent War of All Wars, until, around a week later, Earth starts to tremble under a veil of smoke and dust. Scenarios that map and estimate the destruction caused by a nuclear winter have existed since the Cold War dominated the evening news. Years later, we have a far better understanding of the more subtle consequences of airborne particles on our crops. And the numbers are still depressing. Six scenarios have been put up by a group of scientists from across the world using the most recent information on crop yields and fishery resources to approximate what food supplies may look like following a quickly intensifying nuclear battle between warring states. The death rate from a caloric scarcity problem alone might exterminate the majority of the world's population, leaving aside the immediat...
Read more

Plants Have Been Keeping a Secret From Us About How Thirsty They Actually Are

Image
Have you ever wondered why plants require water or how much water they actually need to grow? Plants require up to 300 grams of water to produce every gram of dry plant matter because they lose a lot of water when they absorb carbon dioxide from the environment. However, things don't have to be that way. In a recent research published in Nature Plants, we describe a natural trick that, in the long run, may be exploited to encourage plant growth while utilizing less water. a component that is necessary for plant development About 80% of the weight of plants is composed of water. Therefore, it stands to reason that plants would require around four grams of water for every gram of dry mass in order to hydrate themselves to their optimal levels. It might be the case, however they require much more water to flourish. A plant requires around 300 grams of water to create one gram of new dry mass. Why is there such a big discrepancy between how much water is needed for development and how ...
Read more

It Really Is in Your Head: Thinking Hard and Long Can Cause Brain Drain

Image
Wallace D. Wattles, an American author from the 19th century, reportedly remarked that "Thinking is the toughest and most demanding of all labor." On the surface, it would seem like a problematic comparison, but according to a recent research, thinking too hard or for too long can actually exhaust your brain, just like working out can. Hard physical work is undoubtedly exhausting, but a person's perspiration or trembling muscles reveal nothing about how hard they may be thinking. We just have to take people at their word when they claim they're psychologically worn out. As a result, researchers are still puzzled as to why sustained contemplation leads to cognitive weariness. It isn't really a feeling of being sleepy; rather, it is the impression that tasks are becoming more difficult to finish or to concentrate on. The brain's most prevalent excitatory neurotransmitter, according to some studies, may be to responsible for this lack of mental stamina. Despite b...
Read more