Voices of the Soviet Space Program : Cosmonauts, Soldiers, and Engineers Who Took the USSR Into Space

Rodger Fleming (Colby College) and Roger D. Launius (National Air and Space Museum), Series Editors This series presents original, high-quality, and accessible works at the cutting edge of scholarship within the history of science and technology. Books in the series aim to disseminate new knowledge and new perspectives about the history of science and technology, enhance and extend education, foster public understanding, and enrich cultural life. Collectively, these books will break down conventional lines of demarcation by incorporating historical perspectives into issues of current and ongoing concern, offering international and global perspectives on a variety of issues, and bridging the gap between historians and practicing scientists. In this way they advance scholarly conversation within and across traditional disciplines but also to help define new areas of intellectual endeavor. Cover 1 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 List of Figures 10 Note on Transliteration 12 Acknowledgments 14 Introduction Multiple Perspectives on Soviet Space History 16 Part I The Soldiers 31 Chapter 1 Commanding Officer Abram Krayzman 32 Chapter 2 Construction Engineer Sergey Safro 40 Part II The Engineers 49 Chapter 3 Engine Designer Anatoliy Daron 50 Chapter 4 Guidance Engineer Sergei Khrushchev 77 Chapter 5 Control Engineer Georgiy Priss 87 Chapter 6 Radio Engineer Felix Meschansky 109 Chapter 7 Display Designer Yuriy Tyapchenko 117 Chapter 8 Computer Designer Viktor Przhiyalkovskiy 136 Part III The Cosmonauts 150 Chapter 9 “Cosmonaut 13”: Vladimir Shatalov 151 Chapter 10 Test Cosmonaut Mikhail Burdayev 187 Chapter 11 Scientist Cosmonaut Ordinard Kolomiytsev 212 Chapter 12 “Second Backup”: Valentina Ponomareva 223 Chapter 13 Stress Psychiatrist Ada Ordyanskaya 242 Notes 247 Selected Bibliography 288 Index 294 Despite the wealth of information and archival material that has become available in the years following the fall of the USSR, the history of the Soviet space program has been dominated by the accounts of a select few, such as the recent four-volume English translation of Russian rocket designer Boris Chertok. In this remarkable oral history, author and interviewer Slava Gerovitch helps to enrich and complicate space historiography by presenting interviews with the men and women who witnessed Soviet space efforts firsthand, from the cosmonauts themselves to the military officials who directed the program to the engineers who made real the grand ambitions of the USSR. Rather than comprising a monolithic "master narrative," these fascinating and varied accounts bring to light the often divergent perspectives, experiences, and institutional cultures that defined the Soviet space program Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction....Pages 1-15 Front Matter....Pages 17-17 Commanding Officer Abram Krayzman....Pages 19-26 Construction Engineer Sergey Safro....Pages 27-35 Front Matter....Pages 37-37 Engine Designer Anatoliy Daron....Pages 39-65 Guidance Engineer Sergei Khrushchev....Pages 67-76 Control Engineer Georgiy Priss....Pages 77-98 Radio Engineer Felix Meschansky....Pages 99-106 Display Designer Yuriy Tyapchenko....Pages 107-125 Computer Designer Viktor Przhiyalkovskiy....Pages 127-140 Front Matter....Pages 141-141 “Cosmonaut 13”: Vladimir Shatalov....Pages 143-178 Test Cosmonaut Mikhail Burdayev....Pages 179-203 Scientist Cosmonaut Ordinard Kolomiytsev....Pages 205-215 “Second Backup”: Valentina Ponomareva....Pages 217-235 Stress Psychiatrist Ada Ordyanskaya....Pages 237-241 Back Matter....Pages 243-305 In this remarkable oral history, Slava Gerovitch presents interviews with the men and women who witnessed Soviet space efforts firsthand. Rather than comprising a "master narrative," these fascinating and varied accounts bring to light the often divergent perspectives, experiences, and institutional cultures that defined the Soviet space program.