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Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin

Of course, there were many tedious moments in this kind of burdensome routine; sometimes both groups wanted to stay out of such close attention to their personal lives. But all of it was the backside of their popularity, so to say, homage to society for the socially valuable work. Since both our cosmonauts and American astronauts realized that people associated with their names the results of the labour of many thousand unknown to the general public specialists, and, being for the most part not ordinary people, the majority of them worthily bore the weight of this glory.

Y. Gagarin was the number one and he had to bear a special weight of people’s sympathy and close attention to his every action and every step. But he passed this test with dignity. And there are many testimonies to that effect.

He was not asking for any discounts for himself, he endeavored to study as he had always done before – as his habit had been through the years. It is proved by his grades, which he received studying at the academy. There is a temptation to think that his name and the title of the first cosmonaut were working for him. But if you know life well, then you will understand that, on the contrary, it was altogether not so easy to get what he had. Firstly, he could not allow himself to lose his face. Secondly, such close attention was fixed on his activity that any easing for him would immediately grow formidably in the public talk. This is why he had to prepare so thoroughly for all examinations.

His diploma work was organized in the form of a complex thesis, which was being prepared by a group of students-cosmonauts. Everyone was taking care of his section, which was, in a sense, their independent research. The project’s overseer was Sergey Mikhailovich Belotserkovsky; he was also overseeing the sections, on which Y. A. Gagarin and A. G. Nikolayev were working.

Even as he was approaching the defense of his diploma, Y. Gagarin had to go through the pre-defense twice: at first, the pre-defense was held on February 13 of 1968, but he was not satisfied with it, so they held the pre-defense again on February 15.

Y. A Gagarin defended his diploma in Zvezdny on February 17 of 1968. He was defending on the same day with G. S. Titov. During his defense, Y. A. Gagarin spoke without any notes. At first, he was somewhat nervous, his speech was not very smooth, but he always pronounced the words comprehensibly. But soon he got used to it and, as he perfectly knew the material he presented his thesis very well. The state examination committee was presided over by General A. A. Paramonov, there were fourteen people sitting at the table of the examination committee as well as the committee’s secretary, Y. P. Kuznetsov and his helper V. S. Sanjarovsky. Y. A. Gagarin’s defense was filmed and the sound was recorded on a magnetic tape.

After some time, it seemed that the tape with those records had been lost. Fortunately, it was discovered later. The tape was fouled by noises, sounds of working equipment that was used to film Y. A. Gagarin during his speech. Eventually it became possible to purge the main fragment of his presentation of strange sounds. It was done sixteen years later. After the transcribing, the main part of speaking at the defense is presented here. Semyon Mikhailovich Belotserkovsky remembers, “After I listened for the first time, sixteen years later, to the tape, I was amazed myself at how mature and up-to-date what Yuri Alekseyevich was saying was. This is the main fragment of his presentation, which had been processed to remove the rattle of cameras and other noises:

«Certain aerodynamic scheme of a flying vehicle has been chosen and the study of its aerodynamic characteristics has been carried out.

First of all, the static characteristics of this machine have been calculated. According to the chosen methods, the flying object is replaced by a wing of a complex shape in outline, which, in turn is replaced by the whirl surface. It looks like a certain series of slanting horseshoe-shaped whirls. The extreme borderline requirements are met at the points of test measurements.

Then, according to Zhukovsky’s theorem, “in little” there is the shared weight, which is applied to the wing. Then, there are overall characteristics. The results of theoretical calculations, which were carried out on the electronic calculating machine BESM-2M, are presented in two diagrams. For example, the diagrams are built to show the dependence between the lifting power and the moment of the angle of attack. Then, experimental survey of the model of this flying aircraft has been conducted to determine the same static characteristics. Experiments were done in the aerodynamic tube. From the diagrams it is clear, that within the entire flying scope of the angles-of-attack, theoretical and experimental data fully and very well match. We can conclude that the method of calculation was chosen properly.

The resulting characteristics for the chosen, after a number of tests, aircraft configuration provide for the necessary qualities of a flying vehicle. But in order to determine the dynamics of landing for the flying vehicle, its flying characteristics, it is not enough to know its static characteristics only. It was also necessary to determine additional dynamic characteristics of the flying machine. They were established theoretically according to the methods, similar to the ones I have already presented. The calculations were done also on the electronic computing machine. As an example, here the readings are presented for the moment of damping according to the angle speed and shift of the gravity center…

After this, on a special electronic-testing table a research of the dynamic stability of the aircraft was carried out. Some results are presented on oscillograph recordings. They show that a vertical gust with the intensity of up to ten meters per second causes a significant change of the angle-of-attack. But soon after that, the machine recovers its original position, approximately, in keeping with the aperiodic law. Also, gusts of wind were studied in horizontal direction with the speed of approximately up to fifteen meters per second. Their impact is also significant, but then the object recovers its original speed.

For the final decision concerning the landing and flying characteristics of the object in question it is very important to combine the experience of constructing and piloting. In this thesis this matter has been closely studied. For this purpose, both at the stage of designing a project and at the stage of preparations for actual flights it is worthwhile to make simulators…”

Then some question followed. The first one was asked by a pilot with battle experience, General A. S. Kravchenko.

On the same day, German Stepanovich Titov also defended his diploma project. He did it right after Yuri Gagarin.

When they completed their presentations, after a thorough discussion of their subjects, contents and responses from the reviewers, the State Examination Commission (SEC) rendered the corresponding decisions. And then came the solemn moment – the commission’s chairman, General A. A. Paramonov announced results to the Soviet Cosmonauts № 1 and № 2. From the film, which had been shot with a synchronized record of the sound, it is possible to reconstruct the speech of the SEC’s chairman.

“Protocol #1 of the meeting of the State Examination Commission concerning the evaluation of the diploma project of the student of the Engineers’ Faculty of the Military Air-Force Engineering Red Banner Academy awarded with the Order of Lenin named after Professor N. Y. Zhukovsky, Colonel Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin.

Evaluation of the diploma project:

The project’s execution – «excellent»

The project’s defense – «excellent»

Overall evaluation – «excellent»

Resolution:

On the basis of the results of his school performance, execution and defense of the diploma project, confer qualification of an engineer to Colonel Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin and issue to him the graduation certificate to confirm that he graduated from the engineers’ faculty summa cum laude.

The commission made a separate decision. – The commission marks out high level of the diploma project, the author’s capacity for the scientific work and in view of it all recommends for him to study at the graduate school of the military Air-Force Engineering Red Banner Academy awarded with the Order of Lenin named after Professor N. Y. Zhukovsky.”

G. S. Titov also received the highest grades.

Colonel-general engineer Vladimir Ivanovich Volkov handed the diploma to Y. A. Gagarin. He was born in the same region as Gagarin; he accepted him into the academy and took part in his graduation from the academy.

Two flights with participation of Yuri Gagarin were planned for March 27 of 1968. The first flight was with the Hero of the Soviet Union, V. S. Seryogin; then, following it, there should have been his individual flight. That day turned out to be the last day in the life of Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin.

As he was leaving for the aerodrome, he forgot his pass at home. His friends tried to convince him not to return home for the pass – it is a bad omen, “There will be no way.” But Gagarin still went back and took the pass, which gave him the admission to the aerodrome.

The pilots passed the medical check-up and received confirmation for the take off.

Some circumstances caused them to start winding up their flight before the expected time. At a certain point, any connection with the airplane was lost. The airplane did not return to the aerodrome. Soon it became clear that something tragic had happened. Later, the site where the airplane crashed was found. Until the very last moment, the airplane’s engine had been working. The pilots did not leave the cockpit. Both of them died.

Versions to explain what could have possibly happened are many. There are no reasons to give preference to any of them. Most probably, a tragic coincidence of a number of factors took place there, and it left no chances for the crew to survive.

So, at the age of 34, Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin passed away – the first cosmonaut of the planet Earth.

His person and his great deed will forever be commemorated in the history of our planet. And nothing will ever blot out his feat – neither the disappearance of the country, which he glorified in the ages to come, nor the new achievements of mankind on the paths of exploring the outer space.

Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin’s name is forever written into the history of the world’s civilization!

Materials are taken from the Internet resource: http://www.cosmosravelin.narod.ru

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