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Zholobov Vitaly Mikhailovich (1937- gg.)
Short biography:
USSR cosmonaut:№35;
Astronaut of the world:№78;
Number of flights: 1;
Duration: 9 days 06 hours 23 minutes 32 seconds;
Vitaly Zholobov- The 35th Soviet cosmonaut and hero of the USSR: biography with photo, space, personal life, significant dates, first flight, Union, work with Volynov.
He was born on June 18, 1937 in the small village of Staraya Zburyevka in the Kherson region (then the USSR). After many years of overwork, the man will become the 35th cosmonaut of the Soviet Union and 78th in the world. Vitaly Mikhailovich will be in open space only once and stay there for 49 days. But that's later....
After graduating from 10 classes of the Azerbaijani school No. 164 in the city of Baku, in 1954 the young guy entered the Institute of Oil and Chemistry named after Azizbayov, which was awarded the Azerbaijan Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
After 5 years, in 1959, he received a diploma in electrical engineering.
In 1974, a man receives another diploma, this time - an officer with higher education military-political direction.
Space
Vitaly Zholobov passed the medical commission in 1962 and in the same year received official permission to fly. On January 8, 1963, by decision of the credentials committee, Vitaly Mikhailovich was enrolled in the ranks of the cosmonauts.
For five whole years from 1966 to 1971, the man trained in the Almaz detachment.
For the next couple of years, the man worked for the good of the Motherland with Boris Volynov, he underwent an internship on the OPS-101-2 aircraft with the rank of flight engineer of the second (backup) crew of the 1st expedition.
Over the next year, Vitaly Zholobov was preparing to fly on OPS-103, already being a flight engineer for the main crew under the Expedition 1 program. He was the understudy of the flight engineer of the Soyuz-14 spacecraft on July 3, 1974, during its launch.
From the beginning of July to the end of August 1976, Vitaly Zholobov worked as a flight engineer on the Soyuz-21 spacecraft hand in hand with Boris Volynov. In space, the man had the call sign "Baikal-2".
The man spent a little more than 49 days in outer space, their expedition was prematurely terminated due to problems at the station.
Personal life
Zholobov Mikhail Gavrilovich - father, captain of the Baku steamer "Kaspar", died in 1993.
Zholobova Anastasia Vasilievna - mother, housewife, died in 1998.
Zholobova (nee Tuchkova) Lilia Ivanovna - the first wife, the astronaut divorced her. The woman was an employee of TsNII-30, now retired. A daughter was born in marriage.
Zholobova Elena Vitalievna - daughter from her first marriage, born in 1962. Now the woman is married to British astronaut Timothy Mays.
Zholobova (nee Andriets) Tatyana Ilyinichna is the second wife, in marriage with her the man also has a daughter. She was an employee of Kholmogorneft, which is located in the Tyumen region.
Zholobova Anastasia Vitalievna - daughter from her second marriage, born in 1982.
Enthusiasm
The retired cosmonaut likes to spend his leisure time in a variety of ways. The circle of his hobbies is very wide: fishing and music, cars and aviation. But hunting game takes first place among all his favorite activities.
The USSR pilot-cosmonaut Vitaly Zholobov moved to Kyiv in 1982: he had a single suitcase with him with a uniform, copies of flight documents and awards. I also wanted to take the watch donated by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Azerbaijan, and the ex-wife, with whom Vitaly Mikhailovich broke up after 19 years life together didn't give...
In those years, divorce in Star City was equated with crime, but the astronaut met his unearthly love, for which he dared to start from scratch. In vain dissuaded his friends: "Where are you without the army?". He, the first graduate of a civilian university who had been in near-Earth orbit, knew the only correct answer to this question.
Decisiveness and courage never betrayed this man. And would he have risked playing Russian roulette with the cosmos otherwise? Let me note: the crew, consisting of commander Volynov and flight engineer Zholobov, went into orbit on the Soyuz-21 spacecraft - practically on the same ship, their predecessors Dobrovolsky, Volkov and Patsaev died due to depressurization. "Baikals" (these are the call signs of Volynov and Zholobov) and there were, in fact, two because the place of the third was taken by the installation of additional air regeneration ... In addition, they had to practice manual docking with the Salyut-5 orbital station. Unlike the crew that flew before them, Volynov and Zholobov succeeded, however, then the guys poured two liters of sweat out of their spacesuits ...
Then it seemed to Zholobov: there is nothing more difficult in life and cannot be. How wrong he was! In 1993, the people of Kherson turned to him: they invited an illustrious countryman (he was born in the village of Staraya Zburyevka, Golopristansky district) to run for governor. Vitaly Mikhailovich got four times more votes than the then head of the region, but two years later he voluntarily wrote a letter of resignation. What do they mean - fire, water and copper pipes through which he had to pass for 68 years of his life - in comparison with the test of power?
"Even while preparing, we lost friends"
- Vitaly Mikhailovich, astronautics is a dangerous business. Did you have any doubts when you went to the cosmonaut corps?
To be honest, I'm still worried, looking through chronicles of Gagarin's start. When I had to do this work myself... Of course, there was a sense of danger and tension, but you can't call it fear. Rather, it was excitement before unusual work, an extremely heightened desire not to make a mistake ... Over the years of preparation, we were taught to be very attentive, and if, evaluating the results, we found errors, naturally, this was a minus for the crew. Therefore, in flight there was maximum composure.
- I'm trying to understand your psychology ... Entering the detachment, did you understand that you could die?
Certainly!
And what motivated you: patriotism, the desire to fly into space, the desire for something unknown, the temptation to become famous?
You see, Gagarin's flight was indeed something unusual, although it so happened that I already knew that this was about to happen. The fact is that at the Kapustin Yar training ground, where I served, an exhibition of rocket technology was organized, and among other samples, the Vostok ship was also demonstrated. I was in charge of this section, naturally, I looked inside, and the employees of the Korolev Design Bureau told me that people who would fly into space had already been prepared. However, April 12 took me by surprise. However, this is characteristic of everyone - when a person becomes an eyewitness to such a grandiose event, he involuntarily puts himself in the place of a hero ...
At the same time, keep in mind: my profession is not flying. He worked as a rocket test engineer, so he immediately said to himself: "Calm down, you won't be able to fly." Well, when I already entered the cosmonaut corps (it so happened that engineers were needed there) and got acquainted with the profession, there was no time for excitement.
Yes, astronautics - especially at first! - was associated with a very high risk, even during the preparation we lost instructors and colleagues. You can’t get used to the fact that friends leave, but you reassure yourself that this may not happen to you. Of course, there is a sense of danger, but ... Adventurism is inherent in every person, and when I had the opportunity to pass the selection committee, I decided to try my luck.
- What was it? Overcoming yourself?
Rather, a challenge to fate! By the way, this courage remained in me for the rest of my life.
Dozens of flight candidates went through many years of training, but they never got to fly into space. For various reasons: for psychological reasons, for health ... You have been waiting in the wings for 13 years. During this time, hundreds, thousands of trainings took place - often in terrible conditions, at the cost of inhuman efforts. Which of them do you remember with a shudder even today?
With a shudder? Hard to say. There are situations for which a person cannot be prepared at all ...
- For example?
Well, let's say, a heat chamber ... A centrifuge - that recreates the conditions (for example, overload during takeoff and landing) that occasionally occur during a flight, and the test in a heat chamber assumed - this is the main idea! - heating of the descent vehicle. It can happen only when the device is uncontrollable or the thermal control system fails, but this is an emergency - why train yourself here? Therefore, I treated the heat chamber ...
-...as a necessary evil?
Critically.
- What did it look like? Did you heat up the intended apparatus?
Imagine that you are in a steam room. The temperature is rising, and you are sitting in this cell, plastered with sensors, with a thermometer in your mouth...
- In a spacesuit?
No, in a flight suit, in overalls. The test takes place until the body temperature rises by two degrees. Doctors look at how much you can stand, fix everything with devices and then analyze ...
Then the heat chamber was canceled as unnecessary, just like the rotor. There was such training with rotation in all planes.
- Nightmare, huh?
It's okay, it's just... Faced with something like this for the first time, of course, you are a little worried, you vibrate. Still, you want to look good, so that everything, so to speak, goes off without a hitch.
"The guy in the sound chamber, in all seriousness, said that THEY are arriving, THEY are surrounding"
- I know that in order to test the psychological strength of astronaut candidates, they left them for a while in some kind of closed space and watched what they would do ...
We were placed in a sound chamber - a closed room two and a half meters by three.
- And for how many days could they get stuck there?
Depending on how you behave. Doctors noticed everything: what you are doing, whether you react adequately, how you calculate tables or comment on some situations ...
In all this and your reports, mental disorders were recorded. By the way, there were people who could not stand it.And what were their reactions?
Well, for example, in Kadenyuk's group there was a guy who began to hallucinate. Pointing to the lamp, he said in all seriousness that They arrive, They surround...
-...but we don't give up?
- (Laughs). normal person it was not clear who was flying in, what ... The doctors, of course, drew conclusions and this candidate was written off. In general, they usually spend 10 to 15 days in the isolation chamber...
- Not going out?
Absolutely. They see you, they watch you around the clock, even when you sleep ... Only when you fulfill physiological needs, hidden from prying eyes.
- Life behind glass?
Yes! Almost all the time in sight, and from the outside there is not a single sound. You don’t know how the people who conduct research react to your actions, you don’t have any specific task. It is only allowed to read the charter, study the instructions and do needlework. For example, in the isolation chamber I remembered youthful hobbies - I drew a self-portrait. Well, given that I have a special love for the sea (my father is a sailor), I cut out a sailing boat from a chock, which I took with me. Then, when they opened me, the head of the psychological laboratory grabbed him first. He himself is from the naval medics, so he was inspired ... "This will end up in our museum," he said. By the way, later photographs of my crafts were published.
We, people who have never been in space and are unlikely to go there, find it hard to imagine what weightlessness is...
It is very difficult, almost impossible to describe it, because there are no analogues on Earth. What does this remind you of? The state when a person is immersed in water, and neither sinks nor rises to the surface - such a stable balance. On the other hand, there is a certain resistance in the water, the opposite, or something, reaction - by moving your hand, you can turn around. In space, no matter how hard you twitch, you won't budge. You will hang out until you touch some kind of support with your hand or foot.
At first, when, after a two-hour preparation at the start and launch into orbit in a spacesuit tightened with straps, you find yourself in weightlessness, it’s even nice that you are freed from all this, a feeling of lightness arises. True, during the first five to six hours it is recommended not to actively move - this is a load on the vestibular apparatus!
Then weightlessness manifests itself in the form of a headache. Some get something like seasickness, and Boris and I had a feeling of a strong rush of blood. This is natural, since there is a redistribution of blood in the body - from the legs it flows through the so-called small circle into the upper half of the body.
I remember we already unfastened, changed clothes, did something. I looked at Boris, and he was bloated, his face turned blue. "You're not very photogenic," he said.
- They also joked...
He replied: "Look at yourself." I looked in the mirror - indeed ... Somewhere during the week there was an adaptation.
"The only thing that flashed through my head:" How will mine stay on Earth?
- The crew of Boris Volynov and Vitaly Zholobov surfed the open spaces in 1976, but still, as far as I know, conflicting rumors circulate around him. I understand that this information is probably classified, but nevertheless... They say that your flight ended prematurely due to a conflict that arose on board. Allegedly, one of the astronauts even grabbed his service weapon to shoot another. This is true?
- (smiling). Well, firstly, the service weapon is in the NAZ (this is an emergency supply), which, in turn, is located in the lowered vehicle. We, being in the station, had no access to it. (Although no, once they got there, because they did not find analgin tablets and something else that was planned for the flight). No, there was no service weapon, no conflict - there was only a certain situation.
Each flight opens up something new in this regard. One crew, for example, suffers from a lack of information, the other wants to watch a movie, listen to music, read. Although we spent 49 days in orbit, we had very little free time, so we didn’t really want anything like that. At the same time, being in a closed space without getting out, we simply starved for ... earthly smells. This, if you like, was a feature of our crew. I really wanted to smell something native - garlic, cucumber ... Do you know what helped out? The flight suits in which we were at the station had Aeroflot wipes soaked in a pleasant lotion ... Take it, smell it, and it becomes a little easier.
About this problem - the lack of normal terrestrial smells - we reported to the Mission Control Center constantly. As for the premature termination of the program... When all the work had already been practically completed - all that remained was to send a capsule of special information with the spent film and materials to Earth - the management decided that this was not necessary. It was decided that during its launch, the crew could be in danger. So we were told: "Enough!" - and ordered to turn around.
- So, there was no psychological incompatibility?
No, absolutely.
I was also told that during the flight you had an emergency situation when you were already on the verge of death ...
There was an emergency situation, and not just one, but now what can you guess how it could end?
The station was constantly flying in an oriented state, and suddenly, together with the docked spacecraft, it lost control... It happened through no fault of ours - because of the Earth's mistake. The most serious consequences were not ruled out, up to the point that the whole structure could go haywire... After all, it is rather flimsy, soft, and reacts to every movement.
Well, how flimsy? When you train on Earth, a huge station, a ship - everything is stable, you walk - and there is a hard surface under you. In space, at the slightest movement, you feel how the engines begin to work hard - any change in the center of gravity immediately affects stabilization ...
They say: running on a treadmill. In fact, it resembles cat movements, because when you run on the ground, there is a shock load on the ground and on the body, and then, as soon as you make a few sudden movements, the solar panels begin to flap their "wings" ... Well, there, three millimeters - the maximum thickness of the skin ...
- Was there a moment when it seemed to you that you were already dying?
It was and I remember it very well. You know, it's not fear that comes, but ... absolute indifference. The only thing that flashed through my head: "How will mine stay on earth?".
- What kind of situation arose?
The Earth also made a mistake ... When the command was given to undock, the ship went back - and suddenly such a blow! Shaking began... The fact is that the Earth forgot to "unfasten" the latches on the docking rod and the pin that goes into the socket of the docking device got stuck. "Well, now hold on!" - Think.
Landing in such a "linked" state is very difficult. It is possible, for example, to descend together with the station, but when the ship goes to land in the normal mode, at an altitude of 100 kilometers it also separates. The crew remains only in the capsule of the return vehicle, and it is difficult to predict what will happen next.
- When the shaking started, did you think: "That's it!"?
Such an unpleasant feeling arose, but then quietly calmed down.
"During a soft landing, Boris Volynov's four teeth flew out"
- If I'm not mistaken, the Earth lost contact with you at that moment?
No, we got in touch, reported what happened. We were not told anything, we were only given the command to be in the descent vehicle. We made one more turn, repeated the undocking - and okay, we moved away from the station after all.
According to rumors, during the first flight, Boris Volynov had a terrible descent and landing. You have a situation with him, as far as I know, repeated. Is it true that astronauts lose their teeth at the moment of landing due to wild overloads, some of them experience paralysis of the legs?
I have already said that somewhere at an altitude of 100 kilometers the transport ship separates: the orbital and instrument compartments fly off, and you remain in the capsule. In Boris's first flight, the orbital compartment moved away, but the instrument compartment did not. So, in the docked position, he went down, and after all, the descent vehicle is docked to the instrument compartment by the part that takes all the loads, and first of all fire ones - there is a special thermal coating. On the opposite side there is a hatch through which we enter the descent vehicle. It is not adapted to withstand the loads during the descent, and Boris went, so to speak, with the hatch down.
This is the first. Second. Although the landing is said to be soft, many crews have experienced this "softness" (chuckles) on myself. Boris, for example, had four teeth knocked out during his first landing...
- And you?
It turned out that the ship was swinging on the parachute lines, and the powder engines of soft landing, designed to extinguish the descent speed, worked at the maximum amplitude, when the ship was deflected to the maximum ... That is, they did not extinguish the speed, but vice versa. How we were thrown forward! They flew, I remember, about eight meters - a blow! Then a jump, another three meters, another meter! ..
The blow was so powerful that the logbook that I was holding in my hands flew out of its binding (only the first and last sheets remained of it), Boris's headset cord burst. What do you say? We looked at each other ... He asks: "Alive?". I say "alive". We sat. Nobody meets us, nobody opens the hatch...
- No red carpet for you, no orchestra, no members of the Politburo ...
Nothing! "Well, shall we get out?" And here we already felt how the Earth takes in its arms. It's hard ... In addition, the ship lies on its side - try to get out of it again. Boris had a chair right under the hatch - he opened it, and I was below, as a center of gravity ...
- Is it a small ship, in general?
The volume is two and a half cubic meters, despite the fact that there is equipment, chairs. From the face to the dashboard, the distance is 30 centimeters. Of course, you won’t hit your forehead - it’s tied, but it’s still unpleasant.
And just imagine: Boris crawled out of the ship. Now I have to move to his chair, and the helmet on the suit is already open, and while I was moving, its glass was stuck between the chair and the lamp shade. There is a distance of two centimeters, and it was necessary to manage so well! And I'm tied - I can't even move.
- And I don't have the strength...
Yes (smiles), not very strong. "Boris, please, help me." I hear the answer: "Now!". I sit and sit and start to twitch: "Boris, help me!". - "Now". I see him sprawled on the ground exhausted. Lying, looking up at the sky...
- What, arms and legs do not obey?
Hands obey, but it is impossible to stand on your feet. Finally, I nevertheless freed myself, crawled out and lay down next to him. We look at the sky, helicopters are flying somewhere ... The end of summer, August, we landed near Kokchetav right on a wheat field - harvesting was just going on.
Lie down, and then you need to identify yourself. According to the instructions, I'm supposed to do this. How? Get NAZ, unpack missiles. There everything is fixed with a safety wire, but there are no wire cutters, nothing - well, at least tear with your teeth.
- And the fingers are probably someone else's ...
Weakness is such that you can barely crawl. At the same time, the impression is that you are being thrown with an amplitude of one meter. First, I took out a large rocket that descends on a parachute, but when I opened it, a ring with a cord fell out along with the lid - there was nothing to pull. I had to climb a second time.
The next thing I got was the combined beacon. This is an ordinary flare: during the day, let's say, you designate yourself with smoke, and at night - with fire. When we pulled him, he began to spray sheaves of sparks, and then wheat. Mother dear - they were afraid that we could set fire to the field.
Let's dig the ground - finally extinguished. The last option is a pistol made in the form of a fountain pen (I still keep it). There are little flares going in there. I took them out and started shooting. Somewhere from the fourth rocket, I saw that the helicopter had noticed us, turned around, and immediately all the helicopters went towards us.
As soon as they landed, the first thing we did was drink God knows how much water. Too much dehydration ... Our crew doctor jumped: "Alive?". - "Everything is fine!". It turns out that they couldn't find us for 40 minutes. Helicopters circled over the combine, they saw him, but we were not.
"As a rule, the pilot fights to the last"
- I remember how Dobrovolsky, Volkov and Patsaev died, how Komarov burned down. They say that the astronauts were shown his remains: they say, look, this is a dangerous profession ...
- (Sighs). In general, we ourselves understood how dangerous it was. First, Komarov died on the first Soyuz ship. Upon impact with the ground, the soft landing engines, which I have already mentioned, worked almost inside the ship. It was simply fried, baked, it was such a tragedy ... And Dobrovolsky, Volkov and Patsaev died when the ship was divided into compartments. The membrane of the respiratory ventilation valve, which was supposed to work at an altitude of four and a half kilometers (already when you are hanging on a parachute), opened at an altitude of 100 kilometers. Almost the entire atmosphere was blown out, there was a boil of blood. They landed still warm, not mutilated in any way - there were no blows, no hemorrhages.
Yes, the remains of Komarov were shown to the astronauts.
- For what?
As a rule, when an aviation or space tragedy occurs, professionals need to know what it is connected with. If misfortune befalls a pilot, a group immediately sets out to search and rescue... When, for example, Yura Gagarin died, we were part of a special group and knew that only pieces remained of the crew.
- Is Gagarin's death, in your opinion, an unfortunate accident, sabotage, or is the human factor to blame?
Probably, after all, the human factor. Personally, I am inclined to believe the version proposed by Nikolai Fedorovich Kuznetsov, at that time the head of the Cosmonaut Training Center. I even saved the article where it is described. He believed that Seregin had psychological problems.
- But Seregin is such a practitioner, he flew almost every day ...
Yes, he was a test pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union, but he was about to leave the troops, it seems that everything happened on the basis of these experiences ...
Yura was already on the plane, while Seregin was still on the phone with Moscow. Apparently, these troubles were reflected in him and right in the air his heart was seized. If Seregin unfastened, then it is possible that he simply fell on the handle, and since he was sitting in the rear cabin, this led to fatal consequences ... In the spark, the rear cabin is an instructor's cabin, that is, it has a preemptive right to drive. Yura sat in front and no matter how much he pulled the handle, it had no effect.
Why didn't Gagarin eject?
I think, out of solidarity... As a rule, a pilot fights to the last, hoping to fix something.
- Is it true that you and Gagarin saw each other the day before?
Yes. We didn't fly that day. Usually, when some fly, others go about their business. We were on a charge, and when Yura walked from home to the service area to the dining room in order to go from there to the airfield, we exchanged a few phrases with him. Suddenly I look - it comes back. Let's goad him on: they say, you're going early, you quickly flew off. He replied: "Yes, I forgot my pass."
Did he need a pass?
He thought so - despite the fact that every soldier knew him. This, by the way, speaks of the discipline of a person, organization. Yes, he quite sincerely believed that he was obliged to show a pass, because he was heading to a secure facility.
"I really loved Yura Gagarin, I could not imagine that he was no more"
- Remember your reaction when you found out that Gagarin died ...
- (Sighs). You know, we hoped to the end that this did not happen. That day we had classes, and suddenly Beregovoy was called in - Georgy Timofeevich was the commander of the detachment. After a while, he returns and asks: "Who has how many skydives, who is ready to jump?". We already had a hundred jumps, and several people quickly ran to change into flying clothes. We jumped on the bus - and to the airfield.
- Were you told the reasons?
Beregovoy said that Yura was supposed to land, but he had been gone for an hour. Not understanding what happened, but hoping that there was some kind of emergency landing or ejection, we took off in a helicopter. They searched for a parachute or other traces along the entire Yuri route, and when we almost flew up to Kirzhach ... As soon as we landed, they reported on the radio that a specific area was cordoned off, a special group and authorities were working. We were told: "Come back", which meant: the plane crashed, the crew crashed ...
- Your reaction?
I really loved Yuri. He is an amazing person, we had a very good relationship. I won’t say that we were friends, but we played volleyball together, I received from him ... well, not penalties - comments. There was, I remember, an episode when I spoke out against Tereshkova and her group ...
- And what is Tereshkova's group?
The girls who were preparing under Valya's command ... I said to one of them: "What are you all complaining about? Instead of whining, you need to study, work." She was offended, Tereshkova reported. Valya spoke at the meeting, Yura supported her, but then they figured it out ... No, there were practically no excesses. I was the captain of the volleyball and basketball teams, so I could shout, but Yura never, never pulled me back ...
We were just starting to communicate, as they say now, informally, and I said: “Yuri Alekseevich, you can’t do without subordination during official hours, but it’s somehow inconvenient when we play in shorts and T-shirts to call: “Comrade Commander!”. He to me: “Vitaly, you yourself understand that everyone is equal here.” True, I never somehow used this to go with him to you.
When I found out that Yura was dead, it hurt so much ... I seemed to loved one lost. Very close! I could not imagine that Yura was no more. In the same way, it did not fit in my head that Dobrovolsky, Volkov, Patsaev died. After all, Zhora Dobrovolsky and Vitya Patsaev and I were sitting at the same table in the flight canteen. Zhora was from Odessa, a cheerful guy, well, I like to joke. When something was celebrated, especially New Year(we always met him with our team of cosmonauts), invited famous people, they themselves were responsible for amateur performances, prepared numbers, joked ... In addition, Dobrovolsky lived above me. Before leaving for the cosmodrome, he invited me and my wife, we sat for a while. Zhora didn't drink at all, but here, the only time in my memory, he slammed a glass of cognac. The reason was twofold - his birthday and the eve of the start.
When both Zhora and Vitya died (we were closer with Dobrovolsky - Patsaev appeared in the detachment later) ... What can I tell you ... I came to the dining room, I look - the bouquets were in their places. Turned around and left. I couldn't eat or drink for three days...
I remember a wonderful song by Pakhmutova and Dobronravov about Yuri Gagarin: "Do you know what kind of guy he was?" What kind of guy was Yuri Alekseevich?
We met on the day of our first visit to the Cosmonaut Training Center with a group of guys. There was a mutual introduction: we talked about ourselves, Evgeny Anatolyevich Karpov (at that time he was the head of the Center) - about the cosmonauts of the first detachment. But Yura was not there, he was summoned to Moscow.
After the solemn part there was an evening, dancing and everything else. Well, like recruits, we are standing at the wall, people are dancing ... Then Yura comes up. He shook hands with everyone, said something, joked about my mustache (by the way, I am the first mustachioed cosmonaut). He created such an atmosphere of goodwill that it seemed as if I had known him for many years.
- Managed to remain a normal, simple person?
Yes, and at the same time - I was surprised at this - he, like a sponge, absorbed a lot into himself. In communication, Yura was very sociable, never showed disdain for someone and did not stick out himself. Great guy...
"Gera Titov had a hidden sadness because he was not the first"
What do you think the future would have been like if he hadn't died? Could Gagarin, with his boundless popularity, become, let's say, the leader of the country?
I think Yura would not agree to this. He was a deputy, and that was enough. Here he could manage cosmonautics, the Cosmonaut Training Center, serve, for example, in the place of Kamanin, directly subordinate to the Air Force Commander-in-Chief, and this, I think, attracted him more ... People often ask: why did he fly?
- And really, why?
Yes, because he is a born pilot and chose this profession for himself. Cosmonautics is already, as it were, another stage, but a pilot must fly - even on a broomstick! The administrative activity in which he was engaged as deputy head of the Center obliged him to fly, and he himself strove for the same. We already had a group that went through the test pilot school, headed by German Titov. Now imagine: there are two pilots who came to aviation together and chose this profession for themselves. One says: "I have already mastered the MiG-21 and Su-7," and the other flies the MiG-15 or the Il-29. It's annoying, you know. Yura really wanted to fly, he was serious about flying. All visitors who come to Star City and enter his office are shown a calendar like a museum exhibit, where it is written in his hand: "Flights, flights, flights" ...
I remember when Bykovsky and Tereshkova returned, we were invited to a reception. For the first time we found ourselves in this situation: we saw the Reception House with its abundance, unprecedented dishes on the table ... Naturally, some lads joined this business, but then Yura came out. "Who, - asks, - preliminary training?" (preliminary - this is a few days before the flights). One, another, a third responded, including myself. He says: "On the bus - and to the base." He had a serious, reverent attitude to work.
I heard that German Titov, who was an ambitious man, suffered greatly all his life because he was not the first cosmonaut on the planet. It weighed him down, undermined, did not give rest ...
Probably a little different... Yes, Herman had this hidden sadness, but it only spurred him on. He did not sit idly by, did not revel in glory. He was the first cosmonaut to graduate from the Academy of the General Staff, then he became a very big leader, Colonel General of the Rocket Forces. Gera was very intelligent, active, we were friends with his families. Yes, he could say something sharply, besiege, was less tactful than Yura. Gagarin did not allow strong expressions.
Vitaly Mikhailovich, in orbit, cosmonauts are engaged in very different things, including, as far as we know, reconnaissance activities. What kind of tasks did you have to do? Have you photographed any secret objects from space, watched the military bases of the alleged enemy?
As such, intelligence did not yet exist. Our flight was connected with the approbation and testing of reconnaissance equipment, which made it possible to observe almost any objects on the ground ...
- Tell me, is it good to see from above? If you look through the window, the Earth is in full view?
Well, for comparison... Let's say you're flying on a plane and you see a city with some kind of airfield. So, from a height of about 300 kilometers, the airfield seems the size of a match head. During daylight hours, the city cannot really be seen, but at night, well-lit, it is clearly visible. The land itself is a little brownish, and even the Siberian forests do not seem green, but a brownish hue, as if powdered with roadside dust. Mountains, water surfaces, coastline are clearly visible. This is when viewed with the naked eye.
"As long as I don't believe in aliens"
- And again I will quote Pakhmutova's song. Remember: "And you, you fly, and the stars give you their tenderness"? There is, in my opinion, cosmic loneliness. Imagine: 300 kilometers to the Earth, not a single living soul around, except for a comrade in misfortune or happiness ... A person, obviously, feels like some kind of grain of sand in this endless space ...
In my opinion, it is worth talking not about emotions, but about a different feeling from the flight. No, we didn't feel either alone or heroic in what we did. This was our work.
Somehow we were sent a telegram with the following content: "One half of the world is sleeping, the other is working, and only you two are in orbit. Don't you feel lonely?" Only then it dawned on consciousness: indeed, the Earth is working, resting, falling in love, breaking records, and only two eccentrics are spinning in the sky. There was not a sense of pride - rather, an understanding that we have a rare profession and few people manage to see and experience all this.
Did we feel like a particle in this space? When studying mathematics, everyone operated with the concept of "infinity", but I managed to feel it physically. I remember that an astrophysical experiment was planned - shooting one constellation, and there were two stars that had to be found in certain time to photograph. When I found them, I saw another asterisk behind one of the stars, barely noticeable, and the first thing that came to mind was: "But it takes thousands of years to fly to it." It was then that I literally realized to the point of trembling: what we see is only a small part of the universe, further - the abyss.
You begin to realize that the Earth is just a grain of sand in the ocean of space, and we who live on it are meager creatures, insects, although, thank God, endowed with intelligence. You think: how do people quarrel and fight if life is so short? Why is this home planet crippled by wars? Those who start all this, in my opinion, should be put in one ship and sent into space without returning home.
You can probably look at the Earth on such a large scale only from space. In the 70s of the last century, I remember, Professor Azhazhi's lectures and articles on unidentified flying objects were very popular. In particular, the professor referred to Soviet cosmonauts and American astronauts. Tell me, please, have you seen a UFO in person? Have you heard about them from colleagues? Do UFOs even exist? In your opinion, are earthlings alone in the Universe, or are there brothers in mind somewhere?
Intellectually, I admit that somewhere far away the existence of other civilizations is quite possible, but I always say that organizing a message in the form of some kind of radio or light signal or receiving it from a possible civilization is much easier than seeing a structure created by intelligent beings.
But do you believe that aliens send aircraft to Earth, land their representatives, contactees?
Until I believe it.
- What about your colleagues?
None of the astronauts I know said they saw a UFO. Remember, once such evidence was attributed to Grechko? He was so tired of these conversations that on the second flight, when he flew with Lesha Gubarev, Zhora conducted such an experiment with his partner. Pieces of torn skin sometimes fly around the station or ship. If you see one of them through the window, it may seem like some kind of unidentified flying object that is very far away. It's like the distance on the water - it's deceiving, because there are no landmarks, but if you change the angle of view and look, say, at the wing of the solar battery, you will see that this particle flies at a distance of a meter. In general, Grechko called Lesha and said: "Look, UFO." He gasped, "Yes!" And George with a smile: "Now look like this."
You see, education, erudition and upbringing lead to the idea that somewhere far away, in an atmosphere close to that existing on Earth, human-like creatures must probably live, but so far, I repeat, it’s hard for me to believe this. Perhaps there is just a different habitat, not suitable for us ...
In the 60s they sang that "apple trees will bloom on Mars." Today, do you believe that people can easily live on Mars, on the Moon, on other planets?
- (Smiling). It's too early to talk about it, too early.
"After drinking in space, you feel the same as on Earth ... Just don't stagger"
- From the little men who can sometimes be seen from drunken eyes, let's go directly to drinking. Cosmonauts are living people, and I'm sure they, too, sometimes want to warm up, relieve tension, just feel some kind of change ... Do the crews allow themselves to make ostograms at the stations?
Flight flight is different. Some are associated, for example, with great tension, have a tight work schedule, others are aimed at duration, at records. For example, we had such a load under which, well, there was no time for drinking at all.
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Nevertheless, the guys tried, drank ... But this was when the system for providing transport ships had already been established.
- How did they transport alcohol into orbit?
Yep, you can always cheat. (laughs)- there would be a desire. They sent cognac. If you have to meet with cosmonaut Volodya Lyakhov, he can tell...
- And what are your impressions? Earthly?
The same, but not shaky (laughs).
A burning topic is space and sex. I wonder when women and men fly, does science challenge them to try sex in outer space? Do they not have a purely human desire, given the length of the journey and the isolation from home?
You see, the women who flew... For example, I am well acquainted with everyone who was in Tereshkova's group, but this is already, I will say this, work colleagues, employees. They have a different attitude...
- And yet, in your opinion, is sex possible in space?
Why not?
- That is, everything works as expected and weightlessness does not affect potency?
Absolutely, but I think... or rather, I know that experiments of this kind have not been carried out yet.
Are you sure about this? Americans fly in mixed crews, and for quite a long time and for a long time. Wouldn't it occur to science to conduct such an experiment on board?
I think that over time it can be planned. In any case, on Earth, training in this area continues. (laughs).
- Tell me, are there any changes in the potency of astronauts or not?
I didn't notice it myself. By the way, many cosmonauts - the same Yura Gagarin, Gera Titov - had children born after the flight ... Of course, immediately after landing, this is not the case, because you can hardly walk at all. Recovery is going quite intensively, but still for a long time, we are constantly under the supervision of doctors. It takes about a month before they start letting you go home to a normal household environment.
"Managing an area is more difficult than flying into space"
- Previously, 30-40 years ago, the country closely followed every step of the cosmonauts ... When they flew, Pravda, Izvestia and other central newspapers published daily detailed reports on what the crew did in orbit, then the cosmonauts were solemnly welcomed, awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal, they were received by Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev ...
The motherland rendered the astronauts all possible honors. How generously did the state pay for their work? How much, for example, did you get for your flight - remember?
I remember very well: seven and a half thousand rubles and a car.
- Surely "Volga"?
Certainly. You have touched on a topic that I cannot help but continue ... Something makes me say this. All of us already - I mean veteran cosmonauts - are aged people, but if in Russia there is a regulation on cosmonauts and the government Russian Federation Since legislative acts have been adopted on their material maintenance and pensions, in Ukraine, unfortunately, there is nothing similar. It seems to me that this is unfair, wrong.
I love Ukraine very much, I dreamed of returning to my homeland and I am happy that I returned, but ...
Nevertheless, you are not only the only Soviet cosmonaut who lives outside of Russia today, not only for a long time the only one in the detachment who wore a luxurious mustache. As far as I know, you were the only cosmonaut who held the post of governor and led the Kherson regional administration for several years. How did you get into power?
In short, thank God it's over (laughs).
- And what was more difficult? Fly into space or lead the region?
Of course, to lead the region. Why? The cosmonaut knows better than two and two his task, clearly worked out in training ...
- Plus, the Mission Control Center is on the alert ...
Yes, everything is scheduled in seconds, almost everything related to your work is known. Here, faced with a huge number of problems,
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Unfortunately, our people are not very educated in legal terms, they do not know Ukrainian legislation. Yes, it is difficult even for specialists to keep track of it - some amendments are constantly being adopted, some norms are being canceled altogether. But the basic laws state structure, our fellow citizens are obliged to know, they must understand what, for example, the governor can, and what the mayor ...
They came to me as the first secretary of the regional committee, who could resolve issues at the touch of a button or a phone call, but the governor did not have such opportunities ... This resonated painfully in me, I was very worried that I could not, for example, help a well-deserved person or enterprise , which is falling apart before our eyes, without receiving subsidies ...
Starting some kind of restructuring, you need to clearly understand the goal, calculate in advance what will happen ...
-... and predict the result...
Undoubtedly. Law automatic control states: the circuit must have feedback.
Ordinal number 78 - (35)
Number of flights - 1
Flight duration - 49 days 06 hours 23 minutes 32 seconds.
Status - pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR, 2nd Air Force recruitment
Date and place of birth:
Born on June 18, 1937 in the village of Staraya Zburyevka, Golopristansky district, Kherson region, Ukrainian SSR.
Education and scientific titles:
In 1954 he graduated from 10 classes high school No. 164 of the city of Baku.
In 1959 he graduated from the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Department of Automation and Telemechanics of the Azerbaijan Order of the Red Banner of Labor of the Institute of Oil and Chemistry named after Azizbayov. He received a diploma in the specialty "Automatic, telemechanical and electrical measuring instruments and devices" and the qualification of "electrical engineer".
July 29, 1974 graduated correspondence department Military-political orders of Lenin and the October Revolution of the Red Banner Academy named after V.I. Lenin, specializing in Military-Political Aviation. Received the qualification "officer with a higher military-political education."
Professional activity:
From April 1, 1983 to February 1987, he worked as an assistant CEO NPO "Mayak" in Kyiv for civil defense, head of the civil defense headquarters of the Research Institute of Electromechanical Devices. In 1986, for two months, he was engaged in the evacuation of people and equipment from the city of Pripyat. The liquidator of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant (NPP).
In February 1987, he was transferred to the Noyabrsk Integrated Research Department as the head of the oblique drilling laboratory of the integrated research department to ensure work in the Noyabrskneftegaz association in the city of Noyabrsk, Tyumen Region, and on February 21, 1987, he was transferred to the Zapsibneftegeofizika Department. On August 21, 1987, he was appointed head of the November Aerospace Geological Party organized by him to search for minerals.
From 1990 to January 1991 he worked as head of the department of aerospace geology and geodesy, and from January 2, 1991 - head of the department of geodesy and cartography of aerospace geological research at the branch of the Institute for Advanced Studies (IPK) of the USSR Ministry of Geology in Kiev. On January 1, 1992, the IPK branch was transformed into the Institute of Management, Business and Retraining of Personnel of the State Committee of Ukraine for Geology and Subsoil Use. On December 31, 1992, he was fired of his own free will.
From January 2 to November 1, 1993, he worked as chairman of the sports committee in the Mirage innovative association.
From June 12, 1996 to February 4, 1997, he worked as Deputy General Director of the National Space Agency of Ukraine (NSAU).
From August 1, 1997 to July 31, 1998, he worked as Deputy Director of LLC Tavria-Impex LTD.
From November 1, 1998, he worked as Deputy General Director of Kalita LLP.
Since April 11, 2002 he has been the President of the Aerospace Association of Ukraine.
Military service:
On July 1, 1959, he was called up for active military service and placed at the disposal of the head of military unit 15644 (at the Kapustin Yar training ground).
Since August 15, 1959, he served as the head of the machine of the department of the ore department of the engineering test team of military unit 31935 (at the Kapustin Yar training ground)
From January 11, 1960 he served as a test engineer of the 3rd department of military unit 15646 (at the Kapustin Yar training ground)
On January 7, 1981, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, he was dismissed from the Armed Forces for health reasons.
Military rank:
Lieutenant engineer (05/05/1959).
Senior Lieutenant Engineer (06/14/1962).
Captain Engineer (09/15/1964).
Major engineer (04/11/1967).
Engineer-lieutenant colonel (01.12.1969), from 03.12.1971 - lieutenant-colonel-engineer.
Colonel-engineer (08/29/1976), from 01/07/1981 - colonel of the reserve.
Service in the cosmonaut corps and CTC:
On January 23, 1965, he was appointed to the post of cosmonaut of the 2nd detachment (military space programs).
On April 30, 1969 he was appointed cosmonaut of the 2nd department of the 1st department of the 1st Research Institute of the CTC.
On March 30, 1976, he was appointed astronaut of the special-purpose spacecraft group.
On January 25, 1978, he was appointed instructor-cosmonaut, commander of a group of students-cosmonauts.
On January 7, 1981, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, he was dismissed from the Armed Forces and expelled from the cosmonaut corps for health reasons. Excluded from the lists of the unit on January 31, 1981.
Space training:
In 1962, he underwent a medical examination at the Central Military Research Aviation Hospital (TsVNIAG) and in November received permission from the Central Medical Flight Commission (TsVLK). January 8, 1963 At a meeting of the credentials committee, he was recommended for enrollment in the cosmonaut corps. By order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force No. 14 dated January 10, 1963 was enrolled in the CTC as a student-cosmonaut.
From January 1963 to January 1965 he passed general space training (OKP). On January 13, 1965, after passing the OKP exams, he received the qualification of "Air Force cosmonaut". On January 23, 1965, he was appointed to the post of cosmonaut of the 2nd detachment (military space programs).
From September 1966 to 1971 he was trained under the Almaz program as part of a group of cosmonauts.
From November 1971 to April 1972 he was trained in a conditional crew along with Viktor Gorbatko.
From September 11, 1972 to February 1973, he was trained to fly on OPS-101 "Almaz" ("Salyut-2") as a flight engineer for the second (backup) crew under the program of the 1st expedition, together with Boris Volynov. The flight was canceled due to depressurization of the OPS Almaz in orbit in April 1973.
From August 13, 1973 to June 1974, he was trained for the flight OPS-101-2 "Almaz" ("Salyut-3") as a flight engineer for the second (backup) crew of the 1st expedition, together with Boris Volynov. During the launch of the Soyuz-14 spacecraft on July 3, 1974, he was the understudy of the ship's flight engineer.
From January 1975 to June 1976, he was trained to fly on OPS-103 "Almaz" ("Salyut-5") as a flight engineer for the main crew under the program of the 1st expedition, together with Boris Volynov.
First flight
From July 6 to August 24, 1976 as a flight engineer of the Soyuz-21 spacecraft and the 1st main expedition (EO-1) to the Almaz OPS (Salyut-5), together with B.Volynov.
Due to problems at the station, the flight was terminated ahead of schedule.
Callsign: "Baikal-2".
The flight duration was 49 days 06 hours 23 minutes 32 seconds.
Social and political activities:
In 1993, he was the initiator of the creation and became chairman of the Kherson Fund "Cosmonaut Gagarin" for the social protection of the disabled, the poor, Afghan soldiers and victims of the Chernobyl accident.
From July 12, 1994 to June 7, 1996 he worked as the head (head) of the Kherson Regional Rada of People's Deputies.
From July 11, 1995, he was the head of the Kherson Regional State Administration.
He is the president of the All-Ukrainian Association "Glory", created under the patronage of the State Committee for Communications and Information (unites Heroes of the Soviet Union, Heroes socialist labor, full cavaliers of the Orders of Glory and members of their families).
Academic degrees:
Since April 22, 1994 he has been an academician of the Transport Academy of Ukraine.
Honorary titles:
Hero of the Soviet Union (Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of September 1, 1976).
Pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR (09/01/1976).
Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (09/17/1976).
Statesman 1st rank (Ukraine, 10/05/1994).
Classiness:
Airborne training instructor (PDP) (01/18/1966).
Cosmonaut 3rd class (08/31/1976).
Awards:
He was awarded the medal "Gold Star" of the Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin (09/01/1976), the medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands" (1976), the medal "For Distinction in the Protection state border"(1977) and 8th anniversary medals.
He was awarded the medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 436 of April 12, 2011).
Awarded with the Order of Merit III class. (Decree of the President of Ukraine No. 322/2008 of April 11, 2008).
Family status
Father - Zholobov Mikhail Gavrilovich, (1905 - 08/25/1993), captain of the KASPAR shipping company in Baku.
Mother - Zholobova Anastasia Vasilievna, (1908 - 09/10/1998), housewife.
Brother - Zholobov Valentin Mikhailovich, born in 1935, engineer of the SK plant in Sumgayit, retired.
Wife (former) - Zholobova (Tuchkova) Lilia Ivanovna, born in 1936, worked as an engineer at TsNII-30.
Daughter - Zholobova Elena Vitalievna, born in 1962, was married to cosmonaut Timothy Mays (Great Britain).
Wife - Zholobova (Andriets) Tatyana Ilyinichna, b. 03/28/1952, worked as a sociologist at the Kholmogorneft oil and gas production department in the city of Noyabrsk, Tyumen Region.
Daughter - Zholobova Anastasia Vitalievna, b. May 13, 1982.
Hobbies
Fishing, hunting, music, books, car, aviation.
, Golopristansky District, Kherson Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
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Vitaly Mikhailovich Zholobov(ukr. Vitaly Mikhailovich Zholobov; genus. June 18) - Soviet cosmonaut and Ukrainian politician, Hero of the Soviet Union.
Member of the International Space Flight Association, the International Aviation Federation, the International Police Association.
Biography
space flights
- .
- . Video encyclopedia "Cosmonauts". Television studio of Roscosmos.
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(born 06/18/1937) - USSR pilot-cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union (1976), colonel-engineer. He served as a test engineer in aviation units. In 1963 he was enlisted in the cosmonaut corps. In the summer of 1976, together with B. V. Volynov, he flew on the Soyuz-21 spacecraft and the Salyut-5 orbital station. In 1976-1981. worked as an instructor-cosmonaut at the Cosmonaut Training Center. Yu. A. Gagarin. In the 90s he was the head of the administration of the Kherson region (Ukraine).
Zholobov, Vitaly Mikhailovich
Pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR, Hero of the Soviet Union; born June 18, 1937 in the village. Zburyevka, Golopristansky district, Kherson region, Ukrainian SSR; graduated from the Azerbaijan Institute of Oil and Gas in 1959, the Military-Political Academy named after V. I. Lenin in 1974; worked as an engineer, served in Soviet army test engineer in the aviation unit; in 1963 he was enlisted in the detachment; passed full course general space training and preparation for flights on Soyuz spacecraft and Almaz military orbital station; July 6 - August 24, 1976 he flew into space as a flight engineer of the Soyuz-21 spacecraft and the Salyut-5 orbital station, during which reconnaissance work was carried out; later he was the commander of a group of students-cosmonauts, an instructor-cosmonaut of the Cosmonaut Training Center named after. Yu. A. Gagarin; in 1981 he left the cosmonaut corps and retired; after the collapse of the USSR, he worked for some time as the head of the administration of the Kherson region (Ukraine); awarded the Order of Lenin and medals; Honorary citizen of the cities of Kaluga, Prokopievsk (Russia), Tselinograd (Kazakhstan), Kherson (Ukraine).
