Citizen of the Czech Republic who flew into space. Biography

Every year on April 12, in most Russian-speaking countries, Cosmonautics Day is celebrated, at the initiative of the United Nations proclaimed the International Day of Human Space Flight. The first flight took place on April 12, 1961. Major Yuri Gagarin, a citizen of the Soviet Union, became the discoverer of the depths of space. The relay race was instantly picked up by the United States of America. The Czechs became the third: it was they, after Soviet citizens and Americans, who decided to fly through thorns to the stars!

The flight took place on March 2, 1978. The launch of the spacecraft, carrying the Czech military pilot Vladimir Remek and the Soviet cosmonaut Alexei Gubarev, was launchedon the territory of the Baikonur Cosmodrome located in Kazakhstan. Two doubles - Czech Oldrich Pelcha to (Oldřich Pelčak ) and the Russian Nikolai Rukavishnikov - remained on the ground. The Salyut 6 orbital station, where the cosmonauts subsequently stayed, after the 18th revolution around the Earth on March 3, 1978, connected with Soyuz 28. March 10, 1978 Gubarev and Remek returned to Earth. Their flight lasted 7 days, 22 hours and 16 minutes. Remek became the 87th man in space, as well as the first and last Czech cosmonaut. Subsequently, his career changed direction dramatically. Vladimir Remek is currently the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Russia.

Other cosmonauts associated with the Czech Republic include Jim Lovell, Eugene Cernan and John Blaha. All three had Czech roots, but were US citizens. The first two astronauts took part in the American space projects Gemini (1962-1966) and Apollo (1961-1972). The third participated in one of the flights of the American Space Shuttle rocket plane.

Jim Lovell, photo: abc.net.au

Now in the Czech Republic, there are many space projects in development. Czechs attach great importance to the conquest of the universe. Another “space odyssey” is just around the corner: in 2015, the authorities plan to send Czech Robin Polden into space. Historical deeds are not forgotten either. Tomorrow, on Saturday, April 12, the Czech Republic will join the celebration of the International Day of Human Space Flight, as well as St. George's Night.

Yuri's Night, named, of course, in honor of Yuri Gagarin, was established by NASA in 2000. Various educational and entertainment events are held around the world to coincide with the day of the first space flight. The party is organized in NASA itself. Space explorers dance to techno music all night long. A large number of films are shown, with the help of special equipment you can look at the stars. To find out what event is planned this year in your country, just go to the official website of St. George's Night or search among the events on Facebook. In 2014, an evening dedicated to Yuri Gagarin will also take place in Prague.

R emek (Remek) Vladimir - cosmonaut-researcher of the Soyuz-28 spacecraft (KK) and the Salyut-6 orbital station, major of the Czechoslovak People's Army (CHNA); 87th cosmonaut of the Earth, the first and only pilot-cosmonaut of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (Czechoslovakia).

Born September 26, 1948 in Ceske Budejovice (Czech Republic). From the family of a military pilot (father - Slovak, mother - Czech). In 1963 he graduated from a 9-year school in the city of Brno, and in 1966 he graduated with honors from the physics and mathematics department of a secondary general education school (gymnasium) in the city of Cheslav.

In the ranks of the ChNA since 1966. In 1970 he graduated from the Higher Aviation School in the city of Kosice. In 1970 - 1972 he served in the fighter aviation regiment of the Czechoslovak Air Force (Zvolen), received the qualification of a 2nd class pilot. In 1972 he was sent to study in the USSR, and in 1976 he graduated from the Yu.A. Gagarin (USSR). Appointed deputy commander of a fighter aviation regiment in Zvolen. Member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KPC) since 1968.

At the end of 1976, he was selected as a candidate for a manned flight under the Intercosmos program. At the Cosmonaut Training Center named after Yu.A. Gagarin passed an accelerated course of training for space flights on the spacecraft of the Soyuz type and the Salyut-6 orbital station.

On March 2-10, 1978, cosmonaut-researcher Major V. Remek with the commander of the Soyuz-28 spacecraft Aleksey Alexandrovich Gubarev flew on this spacecraft and the Salyut-6 orbital station with the Soyuz-27 spacecraft docked to it. This was the first flight of an international crew in the history of astronautics, which lasted 7 days 22 hours 16 minutes. During the flight, V. Remek and A.A. Gubarev together with the main crew of the orbital station Yu.V. Romanenko and G.M. Grechko performed a number of technological and biomedical experiments and studies prepared by scientists and specialists from the USSR and Czechoslovakia.

At by order of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of March 16, 1978 for courage and heroism shown during a space flight, a citizen of Czechoslovakia Remek Vladimir He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

In 1979, V. Remek was appointed deputy head of one of the Czechoslovak research institutes, in 1985 he was transferred to serve in the Main Political Directorate of the ChNA. In 1985-1988 he studied at the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the USSR (Moscow). Since 1988 - Deputy Commander of the Aviation Division of the ChNA Air Force.

After the "velvet revolution" of 1989-1990, since 1990 he has been the director of the Military Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics in Prague. In 1995, Colonel W. Remek retired. Subsequently, Remek represented Czech private companies in the Russian Federation. In 2002-2004 - trade representative of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Moscow.

In 2004, Vladimir Remek, as a candidate from the Communist Party of the Czech Republic and Moravia, was elected to the European Parliament. As part of his duties - energy issues and relations with the Russian Federation. In 2009 he was re-elected for a new term as a member of the European Parliament, the only Hero of the Soviet Union in the European Parliament. Since November 2013 - Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic to the Russian Federation.

Lives in the capital of the Czech Republic - the city of Prague. For many years he was chairman of the Czech Republic-Russia Friendship Society.

Colonel (1985). Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (Czechoslovakia) (03/16/1978). He was awarded the Czechoslovak Order of Klement Gottwald (03/16/1978), the Czechoslovak medal "For Service to the Motherland", the Gold Medal of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, foreign awards - the Order of Lenin (USSR, 03/16/1978), the medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (Russian Federation, 04/12/2011).

In the city of Moscow, near the Prazhskaya metro station, a monument to the first Soviet-Czechoslovak space crew was erected.

Vladimir Remek (Czech: Vladimír Remek; b. September 26, 1948, Ceske Budejovice) - the first Czechoslovak cosmonaut, the first person in space who is not a citizen of the USSR or the USA; Major of the Czechoslovak People's Army (CHNA). Member of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KPC) since 1968, Member of the European Parliament from the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and Moravia since 2004.

The mother of Vladimir Remek was a Czech by nationality, his father, an aviation general, was a Slovak. After graduating from a nine-year school in the Moravian city of Brno in 1963, he continued his studies in the physics and mathematics class of a secondary school in the city of Caslav, from which he graduated with honors in 1966.

In 1966-1970, Remek studied at the highest officer school in the Slovak city of Kosice, then served in the air force of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic in the city of Zvolen (see Sliach - Three Oaks), qualified as a 2nd class pilot. Since 1972 he studied at the Air Force Academy. Yu. A. Gagarin in Moscow.

After graduating from the Gagarin Academy, Remek briefly returned to the air forces of Czechoslovakia, but already at the end of 1976, Remek was selected for a group of cosmonauts (which also included pilots from the GDR and Poland) under the Interkosmos program, in which the USSR cooperated with other states. During the year, Remek underwent an accelerated flight training course on a Soyuz-type spacecraft and the Salyut orbital station.

From March 2 to March 10, 1978, Vladimir Remek, as a research cosmonaut, made a space flight on the Soyuz-28 spacecraft piloted by Colonel Alexei Alexandrovich Gubarev. During the flight, the Soyuz-28 spacecraft docked with the Salyut-6 orbital space station, Remek and Gubarev, together with the station crew Yuri Viktorovich Romanenko and Georgy Mikhailovich Grechko, conducted a series of joint technological and biomedical experiments proposed by Soviet and Czechoslovak scientists. Remek spent 7 days, 22 hours, 16 minutes and 30 seconds in space. Being the 87th cosmonaut of the Earth, he became the first person to represent more than one of the superpowers in space.

In 1979-1985, Remek worked as deputy head of one of the Prague research institutes, later he worked in the Main Political Directorate of the ChNA and taught at the Military Academy of the USSR General Staff. From 1990 to 1995 he was the director of the Museum of Aviation and Cosmonautics in Prague, then he was employed at joint Russian-Czech enterprises in Nizhny Novgorod and Moscow. In 2002-2004 he worked as a trade representative of the Embassy of the Czech Republic in Moscow.

Since 2004, Remek has been a member of the European Parliament for the Communist Party of the Czech Republic and Moravia, a member of the European Left and Northern European Green Left faction and one of 23 delegates from the Czech Republic. In the European Parliament, he participates in the work of the commission on industry and energy issues, as well as the committee for EU cooperation with the Russian Federation.

Remek is married and has two children.

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On March 16, 1978, by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR (No. 11299), he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal for courage and heroism shown during space flight; at the same time he is awarded the title of "Hero of Czechoslovakia" by the Decree of the President of Czechoslovakia. He was also awarded the Order of Lenin, the Czechoslovak Order of Klement Gottwald, the Czechoslovak Medal "For Service to the Motherland", the Gold Medal of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences.