Valentin Vasilyevich Bondarenko - cosmonaut, who did not conquer the star sky

The flights to space that began in the early 60s of the twentieth century had no analogues throughout history. The path of pioneers can be not only difficult, but also dangerous. So the development of the black abyss has not been without tragedies. And the first drama took place with the participation of the hero of this article. Valentin Vasilievich Bondarenko topped the list of astronauts who, having become on the star road, never reached their cherished goal. This article will describe his brief biography.

Childhood

Bondarenko Valentin Vasilievich (photo below) was born in 1937. The boy's father headed the tailor's shop at the Kharkov Fur Factory before the war, and then volunteered for the front. During the service, he earned seven combat awards.

Well, Valentine had to endure a two-year occupation with his brother and mother. The boy just dreamed of the sky. In the senior classes Bondarenko went to the Kharkov aeroclub. And after graduation, he entered the Voroshilovgrad Aviation School.

Military career

In 1956, Valentin Vasilievich Bondarenko was transferred to another educational institution. First in the Grozny School, and then in Armavir. In 1957, he successfully graduated. Around the same time, the future cosmonaut married, and his son Sasha was born.

Then Valentina was sent to serve in the Baltic States. Bondarenko was a very talented pilot. In his attestation sheet, only positive characteristics were written. Soon, a commission came to the regiment of Valentine to select pilots for the cosmonaut detachment. The hero of this article was summoned for the interview first. This suggests that he was a born pilot. And only such and selected in the detachment.

Preparing to fly to space

In the middle of the 20th century, a new program was launched in the USSR. Naturally, we were talking about the exploration of the cosmos, and everything was strictly classified. In 1959, Valentin Vasilievich Bondarenko received a proposal from doctors to participate in the flight on a new technique. The young man gladly agreed. After a detailed medical examination, he was included in the first space detachment, numbering 20 people. They were selected from several thousand applicants. Then there were long trainings to prepare for the flight on the spacecraft. As a result, only six people remained. Bondarenko Valentin Vasilievich was not included in their number, but did not despair. The pilot believed that everything was ahead of him, because he was younger than the oldest member of the detachment for almost 12 years.

During the space training some pilots were injured. For example, Anatoly Kartashov received many point hemorrhages after a centrifuge test. Valentin Varlamov severely damaged the cervical vertebra. Vladimir Komarov was suspended from training for six months because of an operation on a hernia, and Pavel Belyaev - for twelve months because of a broken leg. The hero of this article had excellent physical training, and he managed to avoid injuries.

Experiment in the shipboard chamber

March 13, 1961 - this is the date when he informed his family about the trip Valentin Bondarenko. The astronaut actually lied. But he could not tell his family the truth. Valentine was to undergo a complex experiment in the shipboard chamber. It was a sealed room with low atmospheric pressure and pure oxygen inside. Bondarenko was in the cell for ten days. All this time, scientists monitored his reaction to stimuli. He was completely isolated from the outside world.

After the experiment was completed, the pilot was informed that he could detach the medical sensors from the body. Valentine happily did it, and the remaining traces of them wiped the cotton wool soaked in alcohol. Then the young man threw it into the trash. But the tampon did not reach the goal, but got on the included electric stove. Because of the increased concentration of oxygen and reduced pressure, the entire room instantly flared up with a flame. It was not possible to open the barrel chamber immediately because of the huge difference in pressure. When the pilot was dragged with severe burns (90% of the body), he was still conscious.

March 23, 1961 - this is the date when Valentin Bondarenko came to the hospital. The cosmonaut was there for eight hours. The doctors were trying to save his life. But all was in vain. The young man passed away. And 19 days later Yuri Gagarin made the first space flight.

Effects

Valentin Vasilievich Bondarenko was posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Star. And he got the rank of cosmonaut. Due to the death of the experiment, scientists and engineers rethought the design of the camera and corrected a number of elements. Including the composition of the atmosphere and its pressure was changed.

Memory

Information about the death of the cosmonaut was not disclosed until 1986. A few years after Bondarenko's death, his son and wife moved from the Star City to Kharkov. While the boy was under 16, their family was paid 100 rubles a month. The grandson of the hero of this article was named after him.

In the Museum of the First Flight (Smolensk region, g. Gagarin) there is a shipboard chamber. It was in this and killed Bondarenko Valentin Vasilievich, whose biography was presented above. In honor of the cosmonaut named the crater on the moon (diameter 30 kilometers). Also the pilot's native school was given his name.

The history of Bondarenko is well known in the Kharkov planetarium. Visitors are always shown a stand dedicated to Valentin Vasilievich. Galina Zheleznyak (director of the planetarium) is in touch with the son of Bondarenko, who now lives and works in the Star City. He transferred several items of his father to the Cosmonautics Museum: pages of his personal file, a diploma of a military school, photographs, the Order of the Red Star ...