Alexey Arkhipovich Leonov, whose death occurred on October 11, 2019, is the first cosmonaut in the world to have been in outer space. He has earned a huge number of prizes and awards.
On May 30, 1934, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov was born in the village of Listvyanka. His father was a miner in the Donbass, but because he moved to Siberia he had to become a peasant. Mom worked as a teacher. The Leonov family was very large. The future cosmonaut was the ninth child. During the Stalinist repressions, the family moved to Kemerovo, then to Kaliningrad, where Alexey Leonov lived for some time.
Alexey went to school at the age of 9. At an early age he fell in love with art. After finishing 11th grade, Leonov had already studied the structure of aircraft engines. His brother studied to become an aircraft technician, and Alexey enthusiastically studied his notes, gaining knowledge about the theory of flight and aircraft. In the same year, the future cosmonaut decided on his choice of profession. He was choosing between art direction and aviation. I applied to the art academy, but due to problems with the dormitory, which was provided only in the 3rd year, I left the first year of study.
After this, Alexey entered the aviation school in the city of Kremechug. When he completed his studies, he entered the Chuguev Aviation School. Here Alexey received a diploma as a qualified fighter pilot. After graduating from school, Leonov went to serve in the 10th aviation division of Kremenchug. In the late sixties, he served in Germany in the USSR troops.
Family
Svetlana is the wife of Alexei Arkhipovich, whom he met in 1957. After 3 days of dating, they got married because they never wanted to separate. Two girls were born in the family. The eldest daughter Victoria worked in the main department of the navy and died of a serious illness in the nineties. The second daughter Oksana works as a translator and gave the Leonovs two grandchildren.
Alexey Leonov: personal life
Leonov’s wife, Svetlana Leonova (née Datsenko), met him on the street. They met in 1957.
According to Leonov, after celebrating his birthday, he was walking with friends and “came across a girl Sveta with big sad eyes.”
Alexey rushed to get acquainted “as expected” the very next day - in full parade, that is, in flight uniform. Less than three days had passed since they got married: Leonov had to go to practice in Germany, so there was no time to think.
The couple had two daughters in their marriage.
Alexey Leonov and wife Svetlana / Stuff and Stuff
Unexpected news
On October 11, 2020, Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov died at the age of 86. The notification that Alexey Leonov had died was received from the Cosmonauts Center named after. Gagarin. The farewell took place on October 15 in Mytishchi at the federal military cemetery, where the world-famous cosmonaut was buried.
Alexei Leonov was unlucky to become the first person to set foot on the Moon; American cosmonauts were ahead of him. However, he became the first to confidently walk into outer space on the memorable day of March 18, 1965.
The legendary cosmonaut Alexei Leonov has passed away. Biography
https://www.znak.com/2019-10-11/ushel_iz_zhizni_legendarnyy_kosmonavt_aleksey_leonov_biografiya 2019.10.11
United Russia website
The first cosmonaut in history to walk into outer space, Alexei Leonov, died at the age of 86. Interfax writes about this with reference to an informed source.
Reportedly, the cosmonaut will be buried on October 15 at the memorial cemetery in Mytishchi.
Alexey Leonov was born on May 30, 1934 in the village of Listvyanka, Tisulsky district, Kemerovo region, into the family of a miner.
In 1953 he graduated from high school and entered the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots.
After graduating from college, he served in the aviation units of the USSR Air Force.
In March 1960, he was enlisted in the Soviet cosmonaut corps (1960 Air Force Group No. 1). He completed a full course of training for flights on ships of the Vostok type, and then of the Voskhod type.
He made his first space flight on March 18–19, 1965 as the co-pilot of the Voskhod 2 spacecraft.
On March 18, 1965, he was the first in the world to perform a spacewalk.
After completing the space flight, he continued training in the cosmonaut corps. In 1967, he was preparing as part of a group for flights to the Moon. He was first appointed commander of the first crew to fly around the Moon, and then commander of the first crew for the lunar landing program.
After the closure of the lunar program, the USSR continued preparations for space flights under the DOS (long-term orbital station) program.
In 1968 he graduated from the Air Force Engineering Academy named after N. E. Zhukovsky.
He was the commander of the backup crew during the flight of the Soyuz-10 spacecraft in April 1971.
In 1974, he was appointed commander of the first crew during the Soviet-American space flight under the APAS (Apollo-Soyuz Experimental Flight) program. Completed a full flight training course. He made his second space flight on July 15–21, 1975 as commander of the Soyuz-19 spacecraft.
Since 1971, he was deputy head of the Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and commander of the cosmonaut corps.
In 1981 he defended his dissertation and received the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences.
Since 1992 - director, co-chairman of the International Association of Space Flight Participants. Full member of the International Academy of Astronautics.
Twice Hero of the Soviet Union. He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Star, the Order “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR,” and medals. Laureate of the USSR State Prize (1981).
Winner of the Lenin Komsomol Prize in the field of literature and art. Awarded the gold medal named after K. E. Tsiolkovsky of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Author of the book “Peculiarities of psychological activity of astronauts.”
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Lucky
Alexey Arkhipovich was born in a shirt, death could have overtaken him three times. When the astronaut found himself in the open space of space, the special clothing began to inflate, which prevented passage into the ship's hatch. Alexey let out the excess air and made his way to the middle, but head first, although this was prohibited according to the instructions.
On January 22, 1969, the political bureau organized a meeting with the cosmonauts in the Kremlin. Junior Lieutenant Ilyin opened fire on the ZIL, in which G. Beregovoi, A. Leonov, and A. Nikolaev were located. He attempted to assassinate Brezhnev, but mixed up the cars. Two cosmonauts were injured, the driver was killed, and Leonov did not receive a scratch.
In the summer of 1971, Alexey was supposed to go as commander to the 1st orbital station Salyut-1 around the globe. The medical commission did not allow one of the crew, V. Kubasov, to fly, so the entire crew was replaced. When they were returning, Soyuz-11 depressurized and the entire crew died.
Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man in outer space, has died. He was 85 years old.
Alexey Leonov died on October 10 after a long illness at Moscow Clinical Hospital No. 68. He spent his last days in the clinic.
“Alexey Arkhipovich died in the Burdenko hospital after a long illness.”
He writes referring to the cosmonaut's assistant Natalya Filimonova
March 18, 1965 - the first manned spacewalk. It was carried out by pilot-cosmonaut Alexei Leonov on board the Voskhod-2 spacecraft, piloted by Pavel Belyaev.
In July 1975, Leonov participated in the first-ever joint space flight of the Soviet Soyuz-19 and the American Apollo, with the docking of the ships and the transfer of cosmonauts and astronauts to neighboring ships.
The astronaut’s wife did not comment on the information, saying that “now is not the time.”
Alexey Leonov died
Farewell to cosmonaut Alexei Leonov and funeral will take place at the memorial cemetery in Mytishchi, the press service of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (CPC) reported.
This cemetery is managed by the Ministry of Defense. There, in accordance with the relevant presidential decree, those who died defending Russia or had special services to the country are buried.
At the moment, 116 people are buried there, including cosmonauts Viktor Gorbatko and Alexey Gubarev and 48 people killed in the Tu-154 plane crash near Sochi, which occurred in 2020.
Reference
Leonov was born on May 30, 1934 in the Kemerovo region. He was enrolled in the cosmonaut corps in 1960. In 1965, he flew into space as a co-pilot on the Voskhod 2 spacecraft, during which he made the first human spacewalk in history. The spacewalk took 12 minutes, the total duration of the flight in space was one day and two hours.
Alexey Leonov is twice Hero of the Soviet Union, major general of reserve aviation. In 1936, his father was repressed, and in 1939, he was rehabilitated.
In 1938, he and his mother moved to Kemerovo, in 1948 - to Kaliningrad, to his father’s place of work. Leonov graduated from the 10th Military Aviation School of Initial Training in the city of Kremenchug in 1955, and from the Chuguev Military Aviation School of Pilots in 1957.
In 1968, Leonov graduated from the Air Force Engineering Academy (VVIA) named after. Zhukovsky with a degree in “Design and operation of aerospace vehicles and engines for them” (qualification “pilot-cosmonaut-engineer”), and in 1978 (according to other sources, in 1981) he completed his education in the postgraduate course of the All-Russian Military Aviation Institute. Also in 1978 he graduated from the school of test pilots (helicopters).
Since 1974, Leonov has been deputy of the Central Training Commission named after. Gagarin and the commander of the cosmonaut corps. In 1975, he made his second space flight as commander of Soyuz 19 in the Soyuz-Apollo program. During this mission, a docking was carried out with the American Apollo spacecraft and a joint flight for two days.
From 1982 to 1991, Leonov was the first deputy head of the Center for Flight and Space Training; in 1992, he retired with the rank of Major General of Aviation.
From 1992 to 1993 he was director of space programs, from 1992 to 2000 - president of the Alfa Capital investment fund, since 2000 - vice president of Alfa Bank.
In the late 1960s, Leonov was preparing to fly around the Moon and land on its surface. If the USSR had won the “moon race”, he would have become the first man on the moon.
67906 02/01/1965 Pilot-cosmonauts Yuri Gagarin (left) and Alexei Leonov (right). RIA Novosti / RIA Novosti
Awarded two Gold Star medals of the Hero of the Soviet Union (in 1965 and 1975), two Orders of Lenin (1965, 1975), the Order of the Red Star (1961), the Order “For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR” III degree (1975), Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree and III degree (2000, 2014), State Prize of the USSR (1981), Gold Star medal of the Hero of the People's Republic of Belarus (1965).
In 2020, Leonov addressed the people of Kazakhstan.
“I want to say thank you for your land. Because all the main events took place there. It was there on March 18, on a snowy morning, that we started. I have never seen the Kazakh steppe snow-white, but here I saw it. “I then returned to Kazakhstan to say thank you to the people and the land for what we did.”
Interesting facts about Leonov’s life:
- A spaceship in the novel by science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke bore his name.
- Immediately after docking with Apollo, he dragged American astronaut Thomas Stafford into the Soyuz - so as not to say hello across the threshold
- He said that in space he was most impressed by the sunrise 16 times a day
- After his first ever spacewalk, the term “extravehicular activity” appeared.
- He was the author of the design of the Soyuz-Apollo cigarette pack.
Joker
M. Keldysh recalls that Alexei Leonov was chosen as commander for the skirmish with Apollo not only for his experience and resourcefulness, but also for his temperament. He was outgoing and a famous joker.
When there was a joint dinner between American guests and Russian cosmonauts, Alexey Arkhipovich offered them tubes on which “Moscow vodka” was written. They actually contained borscht, but the joke was appreciated by the Americans and spread throughout the media. The astronaut often said that he really liked to joke and cheer up those around him.
Personal life
The cosmonaut met his future wife Svetlana Pavlovna in 1959 in Kremenchug. Very soon they got married. In 1961, a daughter, Victoria, was born, and in 1967, Oksana. In 1996, a tragedy occurred in the family - Victoria Alekseevna died due to acute viral hepatitis.
The cosmonaut has two grandchildren: Karina (she already has children, great-grandchildren of Alexei Arkhipovich) and Daniel-Sergei.
Rice. 7. With my wife and daughters
Resourcefulness and talent
When Leonov and Kubasov were on board the Soyuz, the television transmitter broke down before the flight, which meant a disruption in the broadcast and international rumors. It was impossible to postpone the flight. The astronauts repaired the device, but spent the whole night doing it.
Previously, astronauts were given knives made of hardened steel. Alexey Arkhipovich broke the knife with his hands in front of his superiors. After that, he was allowed to use a pocket knife from an ordinary store. This knife became a lifesaver because it also contained a screwdriver.
The story with the knife gave impetus to the creation of the American film “Armageddon”, in which a moment was filmed about a cosmonaut from the USSR repairing an orbital station with a wrench.
Leonov was a talented painter. In the 70s, he and the artist Andrei Sokolov created 14 USSR stamps with a space theme.
Biography of Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Leonov
Leonov was known throughout the world for being the first cosmonaut to walk into outer space on March 18, 1965.
His feat was accomplished in tandem with a partner in the person of Pavel Belyaev; Leonov flew on the Voskhod-2 spacecraft. It was recorded that this trip on board the ship was the first time when people had the opportunity to go into outer space. And 10 years later, on July 15, Alexey Arkhipovich again flew to explore outer space as the commander of the Soyuz-19.
Alexey Leonov was born on May 30, 1934. His birthplace was the village of Listvyanka, a district of the Kemerovo region. In addition to him, in the cosmonaut’s social unit there were 7 more brothers and sisters. In 1937, his father was repressed, and all family members were forced to leave their home.
Alexey Arkhipovich attended school in educational institutions of the city of Kemerovo No. 35 and 37. And in 1947, all the Leonovs went to Kaliningrad for the head of the family, since his new workplace was now there. Their relatives also lived there, and by the way, at the moment they still live there. In 1953, Leonov successfully completed his education at Kaliningrad school No. 21.
Then Alexey Leonov managed to enter the 10th Military Aviation School for initial pilot training in Kremenchug. And in 1955, he successfully mastered the proposed program, and two years later Leonov was able to graduate from the Chuguev Military Pilot School, and then join the CPSU.
In 1960, Leonov was accepted into the first detachment of Soviet cosmonauts, and after 5 years everyone learned about his flight with Pavel Belyaev. During his spacewalk, Alexey Arkhipovich showed himself to be a responsive and courageous person who could overcome a more difficult situation. By the way, one emergency situation occurred on board when Leonov’s suit swelled too much and did not allow him back into the ship.
Also, from July 15 to July 21, 1975, Leonov went into outer space for the second time, where he stayed for 5 days, 22 hours and 30 minutes. It was then that the docking of several spacecraft from different countries was carried out.
What happened after space
In the nineties, Alexey Leonov became chairman of the International Association of Space Flight Participants. Another activity is charity. The great astronaut loved to write. He created ten scientific works, as well as several books, for example: “Pedestrian of Space”, “Going Out into Space”, “Solar Wind”.
Alexey Leonov managed to reveal the truth about Gagarin’s death: everything is not as they said: video
The recently deceased Alexey Leonov managed to tell the world his version of Gagarin’s death, which runs counter to the official one. Leonov had reason to doubt the conclusions of the commission, because he himself was a member of it and knew what happened first-hand, Dialog.UA reports, citing rusdialog.
According to the official version, the plane, piloted by two pilots Yuri Gagarin and Vladimir Seregin, was trying to escape from a flock of birds or a weather balloon that suddenly appeared in the path of the aircraft. Because of this, he made a sharp turn and went into a deep tailspin. The pilots failed to level the car, and they crashed from a collision with the ground.
In general, this version is true, but only half, Leonov believed. He says that by coincidence, on that very day, March 27, 1968, he and his group, engaged in the “lunar” program, were in the area where the pilots died. They clearly heard the sound of a supersonic fighter. As it turned out, the SU-15 was really supposed to fly there that day, but it was given different altitude parameters - over 10 kilometers. And Gagarin’s plane had a ceiling height of up to 10 kilometers. However, for some reason the “drying” pilot descended and then rushed up, gaining altitude again. That’s where he “spinned” Gagarin’s plane.
The same Leonov version is confirmed by the peasants who accidentally witnessed that fatal crash of the plane. They all pointed to a model of the SU-15 aircraft, saying that it was the one that emerged from the clouds and then sharply went up.
Leonov, contrary to the conclusions of the commission, defended precisely this version. However, all his attempts were immediately suppressed by the authorities. “There are serious experts here. Don’t show up, Colonel ,” they told him from above.
Only a few years before his death, Leonov risked turning to Putin to allow him to reveal classified documents about Gagarin’s death. And everything turned out exactly as he said. That is, the commission knew the true cause of the disaster, but made another one public. Leonov was also asked not to name the pilot, who unwittingly became the culprit in the death of the first cosmonaut. At that time he was still alive, had the title of Hero of Russia and was a highly respected person.
Having told the world about the true cause of Gagarin’s death, Alexei Leonov also did not name the name of that pilot; he took it with him to the grave. Apparently, there are secrets that really don’t need to be fully revealed.
Meanwhile, Leonov remembered another interesting detail related to the death of Gagarin. Yuri himself did not feel his imminent death. He was usually cheerful, joked and laughed a lot. But the hairdresser who cut both cosmonauts’ hair on March 23 did not act as usual that time. He usually raked up the cut hair and threw it in the trash. And then for some reason he collected Gagarin’s hair and hid it in a locker. Completely unconsciously, however, something told him to preserve a piece of memory about the first cosmonaut.
Let us remind you that the first person to go into outer space, Evgeniy Leonov, died recently, on October 11, 2020, at the age of 86. The 23 minutes he spent outside the spacecraft made Leonov a legend during his lifetime.
What did the famous astronaut die from?
Towards the end of his life, Alexey Leonov was sick a lot. He had diabetes. Due to this disease, he underwent surgery at the beginning of 2020. After the procedure, the astronaut was constantly in hospitals. At the eighty-sixth year of his life, on October 11, Alexei Leonov, a cosmonaut with a capital C, died in the hospital named after. Budenko from acute heart failure.
The legendary cosmonaut and artist, famous throughout the world, will remain in the hearts of people around the globe. Alexey Leonov became a real hero of the fatherland.
Awards
The achievements of the legendary cosmonaut were noted by the country's leadership:
- title of Hero of the Soviet Union (twice);
- two Orders of Lenin;
- two Gold Star medals;
- Order of the Red Star;
- title of Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR;
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" III class. and IV Art.
These are not all the awards received by A. Leonov; their list is quite large and also includes insignia of international distinction.
The story about the life of the legendary cosmonaut is in the film “Alexei Leonov. First in outer space":
