Mongolia astronaut. The first Mongolian cosmonaut. Legendary people of Mongolia
Gurragcha Zhugderdemidiin (Gurragcha Sansar)* - pilot-cosmonaut of the Mongolian People's Republic, the first and only cosmonaut of Mongolia and the 101st cosmonaut of the world, cosmonaut-researcher of the Soyuz-39 spacecraft and member of the 9th expedition visiting the Salyut orbital station 6", captain of the Air Force of the Mongolian People's Army.
Born on December 5, 1947 in the village of Rashant, Gurvan-Bulak soum, Bulgan aimak, Mongolian People's Republic (MPR) in a large family of a shepherd. Mongol. Member of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) since 1979. In 1955-1966 he studied at a boarding school, where he received his primary medical education. In 1966 he entered the Agricultural Academy in Ulaanbaatar, but in 1968 he was drafted into the Mongolian People's Army (MPA). He served as a radio operator in the radio engineering troops.
In 1971 he was sent to study in the USSR. In 1972 he graduated from the Military School of Junior Aviation Specialists in the city of Kant (Kyrgyz SSR), and in 1977 from the Air Force Engineering Academy named after N.E. Zhukovsky. Since 1977, he served as an aviation equipment engineer in a separate aviation squadron of the MNA.
He was one of four selected finalist candidates from the MPR, sent at the end of January 1978 for examination at the Central Military Research Aviation Hospital in Moscow. In March 1978, by decision of a special commission, he was selected as one of two candidates for space flight under the Intercosmos cooperation program of socialist countries, and in April of the same year he began preparations for the flight at the Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Completed a full training course for flights on Soyuz-type spacecraft and the Salyut-6 orbital station. In October 1978, he was appointed to the first (main) crew of the Soyuz-39 spacecraft (call sign “Pamirs”).
He made a space flight from March 22 to March 30, 1981 as a cosmonaut-researcher of the Soyuz-39 spacecraft (crew commander V.A. Dzhanibekov) and a member of the 9th expedition visiting the Salyut-6 orbital station, where crew 5 worked th main expedition consisting of commander V.V. Kovalenok and flight engineer V.P. Savinykh. The flight duration was 7 days 20 hours 42 minutes 3 seconds.
Awarded by the President of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR on March 30, 1981 for the successful implementation of international space flight and the courage and heroism shown to a citizen of the Mongolian People's Republic Gurragche Zhugderdamidiinu awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal (No. 11454).
From the kazam of the Presidium of the Great People's Khural of the Mongolian People's Republic on March 31, 1981 for the successful implementation of space flight and the courage and heroism shown during this Gurragche Zhugderdamidiinu awarded the title of Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic with the award of the Order of Sukhbaatar and the Gold Star medal.
In subsequent years, he was one of the leaders of the national space program. In 1981-1983, deputy head of the administrative department of the Central Committee of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party. In 1983-1991, head of the Defense Assistance Society. In 2000-2004, Minister of Defense of Mongolia (before his appointment as Minister of Defense, he served as chief of staff of the Mongolian Air Defense Forces). Since 2004, President of the Union of Mongolian Friendship Societies with CIS Countries.
In the section on the question: What name did the first Mongolian cosmonaut take for himself and why didn’t he keep his? given by the author Wife the best answer is Cosmonaut Gurragcha Zhugderdamidiin took the surname Sansar (translated as “space”) in honor of his flight.
They say that in the 1980s in the USSR there was a special exam for those wishing to work as radio and television announcers: they had to correctly pronounce the first and last name of the first Mongolian cosmonaut the first time and without hesitation. True, few people knew that Zhugderdemidiin was not a surname, but something like a patronymic (the Mongols did not have surnames at all at that time). Then, during the state campaign to unify names, Gurragcha himself came up with a surname - Samsar, which means space. However, the surname did not take root, because none of the Mongols would even think of renaming their national hero.
Gurragcha was born on December 5, 1947 in a herdsmen's camp near Mount Khovynkhan. There were 18 children in the family, but due to the harsh conditions, only ten survived. At the age of five, Gurragcha mounted a horse, and at seven he was sent to a boarding school to study to become a doctor - the most prestigious profession in the steppe. However, after school, he entered the Ulaanbaatar Agricultural Institute, from where he was called up to serve in the army - in the air defense unit. Then he was sent to study at the school of junior aviation specialists in the USSR, and in July 1972 Gurragcha entered the Air Force Engineering Academy. N. E. Zhukovsky in Moscow.
Soon, an agreement was concluded on flights into space for representatives of the countries of the socialist camp, and in March 1978, Zhugderdemidiin and another Mongolian pilot Maidarzhavyn Ganzorig were sent for training to Star City. And exactly three years later - March 22, 1981 - Gurragcha, together with Vladimir Dzhanibekov, flew into space aboard the Soyuz-39 spacecraft. Thus, Mongolia became the tenth country in the world whose citizen has completed a space flight.
The flight aboard the Salyut 6 station lasted seven days. During this time, the Mongolian cosmonaut conducted several scientific experiments (for example, he studied the effect of a drug made from sea buckthorn on metabolism). But Gurragchi’s main task was to deliver government special cargo into orbit: the Mongolian flag, the text of the Constitution of the Mongolian People’s Republic, a portrait of the leader Sukhbaatar, a handmade rug, a capsule-letter to the next generation of Mongols and a map of the starry sky compiled by scientists of the Great Horde in the 16th century. From his numerous relatives, Gurragcha took the family snuffbox with him to heaven.
After returning to Earth, Gurragcha was nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But in his homeland he was appointed deputy head of the administrative department of the Central Committee of the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party.
Source:
Answer from Vyacheslav Afanasiev[newbie]
It’s a lie, without a portrait of Sukhbaatar he would not have been allowed on board the spacecraft.
Dear friends, people of the Earth! Almost twenty years have passed since the first cosmonaut of the Earth, Yuri Gagarin, first circled our planet. During the days of his flight, I was a boy and, of course, I did not think then that I, the son of a Mongolian cattle breeder, would have the opportunity to launch on a spaceship and work together with Soviet friends on board the orbital station. But life in our socialist society is structured in such a way that the impossible becomes possible. Space flight is not an easy task. There is nothing to compare it with on Earth. From the very beginning, when the rocket engines carried our spacecraft from the launch into low-Earth orbit, the engines turned on with such power that, perhaps, all the numerous herds of Mongolia would not have been enough to carry our heavenly sled into space. After all, the power of our rocket engines was twenty million horsepower. The great strength of the brotherhood of the Soviet and Mongolian peoples, the unity of our parties allowed me to look at the Earth from the enormous heights of space orbit. Yes, our planet is beautiful. We rush over it with great speed, greeting and seeing off sixteen dawns per day. From here we can see not only individual countries, but also entire continents, and in a matter of minutes we cross oceans so far from our country, which lies in the very center of Asia. The peoples of all continents, all countries of the Earth, if you look at it, live side by side, as if on one spaceship rushing across the expanses of the Universe, and therefore must especially take care of their planet, cherish the peace and tranquility on it.
Of course, I really wanted to see my homeland from space orbit. I understand that my compatriots are keenly interested in what it looks like from here, from our station. In short: our country is beautiful. Its plains and mountains, steppes and forests are beautiful, the cities of Ulaanbaatar, Darkhan, Erdenet, which glow with lights in the night, and my Soviet friends correctly say: these are not only the lights of big cities, these are the lights of brotherhood and friendship.
We prepared for the flight for a long time and carefully. That’s why we feel good and act together. Most importantly, I always feel the elbow of my Soviet friends nearby, their constant support and care. I can’t help but feel that next to me on the flight is my friend Ganzorig (understudy of Gurragch - ed.), who is now helping us from Earth.
All of us, cosmonauts currently working in orbit, are sons of the Soviet and Mongolian peoples. From here I send greetings to my beloved Motherland and people, the Central Committee of my native party, our dear leader, Comrade Yu. Tsedenbal. I sincerely thank the great Soviet people. The Central Committee of the CPSU, a great friend of our people - Comrade L. I. Brezhnev, who gifted us, their Mongolian friends, with space wings.
Mongolian cosmonaut J. Gurragchaa: “I am the son of a shepherd”
On this day, several events are traditionally organized in Mongolia: a thematic exhibition at the Peace Palace, a research conference and receptions of the first Mongolian cosmonaut at different levels, etc.
This year marks the 33rd anniversary of the flight of Mongolian hero J. Gurragchaa into space, and this year’s celebration will be more modest, said a representative of the Peace Palace in Ulaanbaatar, which is headed by the country’s first cosmonaut himself.
In 1978, by decision of a special commission, Zhugderdemidiin Gurragchaa was selected as one of two candidates from the MPR for a space flight under the Intercosmos cooperation program of socialist countries and in March of the same year began preparations for the flight at the Cosmonaut Training Center named after Yu. A. Gagarin.
J. Gurragchaa made a space flight from March 22 to March 30, 1981 as a research cosmonaut on the Soyuz-39 spacecraft (crew commander V. A. Dzhanibekov) and the orbital research complex OS Salyut-6 - Soyuz spacecraft T-4.
After returning from space, J. Gurragchaa was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic.
A month after the space flight, he gave his first interview to the Soviet magazine Tekhnika-Molodezhi.
- What common tasks are facing humanity on the threshold of systematic exploration of outer space? How do you see the future of the earth?
- Outer space was mastered systematically from the very beginning, from the launch of the first Soviet satellite in 1957, the first Soviet spacecraft piloted by Yuri Gagarin, the 20th anniversary of whose flight we recently celebrated. Currently, the Intercosmos program is being successfully implemented; it makes a significant contribution to the development of science and the national economy of the countries of the socialist community. Spacecraft launches are already paying off, but in the future, after the creation of orbital factories and power plants, the economic effect of space flights will increase immeasurably.
I would like to say a few kind words about Salyut-6 - the glorious predecessor of future orbital settlements. This is not only a hospitable “space home”, but also a large scientific laboratory, the equipment of which allows for the most complex research and experiments.
- What in your personal life was the main impetus that prompted you to decide to become an astronaut?
- In 1961, when Yuri Gagarin first ascended into space, I was still a boy and, of course, I did not imagine that some two decades later I would have the opportunity to walk along the path trodden by him. Of course, as a child, like so many of my peers, I dreamed of becoming a pilot. Life, it would seem, had its own way: after graduating from the Air Force Engineering Academy in Moscow, I became an engineer - I acquired, although related to aviation, but nevertheless a purely earthly profession. However, when I was informed that recruitment was underway for the cosmonaut corps, I submitted an application without hesitation. He successfully passed the medical examination and eventually became an astronaut.
I had great happiness and a very great honor to be the first representative of the Mongolian people in space. The main objective reason that I became an astronaut was, undoubtedly, the desire to serve my socialist homeland. And the main subjective factor is, perhaps, the love of speed and knowledge of the unknown, which arose in early childhood.
I am the son of a shepherd and from an early age I was involved in the profession of a cattle breeder. He learned to ride a horse at the age of three or four, and at the age of seven he began to participate in horse racing, having perfectly mastered the art of horsemanship. Horse racing in our country, by the way, is not entertainment, but rather hard work. The usual distance is 30 kilometers, and it is not always possible to find a completely flat section of such a length in the steppe. You often have to overcome small hills and fords, and the average speed is 30-40 kilometers per hour, and immediately after the start, while the horses are still vigorous, it reaches 70-80 km/h. So, from school age, I fell in love with fast driving, rapid conquest of distances. He was also very fond of “cloud hunting” - chasing the shadow of autumn clouds. If the wind is strong at the top, then the shadow glides very quickly across the steppe, and you chase it on a horse, competing in speed with the wind. An extraordinary feeling! But my father was sometimes dissatisfied - after all, in such a race you can drive a horse and bruise your forehead.
In general, in Mongolia all boys love speed. In winter, they ride down the hills on homemade sleds, homemade skis, and spend entire weekends doing this. What a joy it is to skate! In the summer, everyone without exception flies kites. It is quite possible that it was these simple devices that aroused my first interest in flying, which later turned into a love for aviation.
- What new, previously unknown phenomena did you encounter during the flight? Is it possible to talk seriously about a possible meeting between astronauts and aliens?
“We prepared for a long time and diligently to meet everything that could await us in orbit. Even weightlessness was reproduced in special laboratory aircraft. In a short-term parabolic flight, we were taught to coordinate our movements and control our bodies. As a result, I accepted real orbital weightlessness quite normally; no preventive measures were needed. And much of the credit for this goes to Soviet doctors and instructors, to whom I am sincerely grateful.
There are rumors that some “flying saucers” have been spotted in the sky. I never believed in them, but this does not mean that I have a negative approach to the question of the existence of aliens. It cannot be ruled out that somewhere in space, very far from us, intelligent creatures similar to humans live. Or, on the contrary, completely different. But so far we have no scientific data at our disposal to confirm or refute this assumption.
- How, in your opinion, would the pace of space exploration change if the funds currently spent on weapons were spent on peaceful purposes?
- The arms race, fueled by imperialist circles, consumes a lot of money. Including in the states of the socialist community, which are obliged to take care of their defense. If these funds could be directed to the peaceful development of near-Earth space, astronautics would provide a much greater practical outlet than it does now, and the national economy of the socialist camp would develop at an even more rapid pace. Our planet is often compared to a spaceship. From above, from orbit, you can clearly see how fair this comparison is. And how beautiful the Earth is. And I would like to appeal to all people to take care of the preservation of our planet, to do everything to pass it on to our descendants prosperous and peaceful.
- How do you think the process of space exploration will differ from the settlement of new lands on our planet in the past?
- The development of new lands in the past did not bring much trouble: settlers came, built up, cultivated the soil, raised domestic animals, and planted agricultural plants. But in space there are no ready-made lands; everything will have to start from scratch. The prototype of a small space settlement is the Salyut-6 station. Some live there for a long time, others fly in to “visit” - in a word, everything goes on as usual. The size of orbital stations will gradually increase until they turn into autonomous “sky cities” with their own factories, factories, metallurgical plants, and solar power plants.
On a walk in Star City. J. Gurragcha, his wife Batmunkh and son Batbayar with his Russian comrade Yura.
- Could you tell us about the funniest and funniest episode that happened to you during flights or during the period of preparation for them?
- Surprisingly, sometimes various objects disappear in orbit. Although, it would seem, they simply have nowhere to go. During one of the experiments I had to keep various notes. During breaks in work, the writing pen was supposed to be placed under a special rubber band next to the workplace to prevent it from flying away. While I was working, they filmed me with a movie camera, everyone was looking at me. Having written down the next series of data, I carefully fixed the pen with an elastic band and looked out the window. Nothing special happened overboard, and I returned to the interrupted activities. I reached for the handle, but it wasn’t there. As I said, everyone was watching me, but no one noticed where she went. It was never found.
Another time, the commander of the orbital complex, V. Kovalenok, lost his watch and even promised to officially express his gratitude to the one who found it. But even this didn't help. Such mysterious disappearances in orbit happen quite regularly. There was one funny episode after returning to Earth. We are going to a press conference: V. Dzhanibekov, me and our backups - V. Lyakhov and M. Ganzorig. Suddenly, halfway from Zvezdny, my commander asks, puzzled: “Brothers, where are we actually going?” This simple question stumped everyone. It turned out that none of us asked where the press conference would be held. They only knew that in Moscow, at 11 o’clock. And Moscow, it’s big... We felt very uncomfortable. Well, Lyakhov, well done, was found. “Turn on,” he says, “Mayak, they will inform you in the best possible way.” And indeed, the announcer immediately announces that, in half an hour, a press conference for Soviet and foreign journalists will begin in the press center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We rushed there, it’s good that we arrived on time.
Reference
The first Mongolian cosmonaut J. Gurragcha was born on December 5, 1947 in a family of large Arats. He graduated from high school in the city of Bulgan. In 1968 he was drafted into the Mongolian People's Army, where he served as a radio operator. In 1971, Gurragcha was sent to the Soviet Union to the military aviation school for junior specialists. In 1977, he graduated from the Air Force Engineering Academy. N. E. Zhukovsky. Since April 1978, Gurragcha underwent a full course of training for space flights at the Cosmonaut Training Center named after Yu. A. Gagarin. He made his first space flight in March 1981 on the Soyuz-39 spacecraft together with Soviet cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov.
Hello dears.
We continue the conversation with you that started here:
So...
The next cosmonaut participated in the Soyuz-39 crew and was a citizen of Mongolia. His name was Zhugderdamidiin Gurragcha. The ship's commander was Vladimir Dzhanibekov.
The future cosmonaut was born into a family of cattle breeders and he had 9 brothers and sisters. Nothing foreshadowed such a brilliant career for him. He studied, served, and first got into communications, then into aviation. Flew. However, in March 1978, by decision of a special commission Zhugderdamidiin Gurragcha and another Mongolian pilot Maydarzhavyn Ganzorig, who later became his backup, were selected from the Mongolian People's Republic (MPR) for space flight under the Intercosmos cooperation program of socialist countries.
Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Zhugderdemidiin Gurragcha.
In April 1978, they began training at the Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, where they completed a full course of training for flights on Soyuz-type spacecraft and the Salyut-6 orbital station. The launch was on March 22, 1981, and the flight lasted 7 days and 20 hours.
After the flight, Guragcha made a brilliant career in his homeland, becoming Minister of Defense in 2000. He is still extremely popular in his homeland, being one of the most famous people in the entire history of Mongolia. He changed his family name (surname) to Samsar (cosmos) and now it is more correct to call him Zhugderdamidiin Gurragcha Sansar. Among his current hobbies is the development of Russian hockey (bandy) in Mongolia. By the way, the fate of his understudy turned out well. Maidarzhavyn Ganzorig heads one of the institutes of the Academy of Sciences of Mongolia.
Mongolian cosmonaut and his stunt double
Socialist Romania has always kept itself separate, and its leader Nicolae Ceausescu tried to adhere to his own policies, staying as far as possible from the wake of Moscow. This was not always liked, and in the space program the Soviet Union carried out a small “revenge” when a representative of the SRR had to fly last among representatives of the socialist camp. However, be that as it may, on May 14, 1981, the Soyuz-40 spacecraft was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome with a crew consisting of the ship’s commander Leonida Popov and citizen of Romania Dumitru Dorin Prunariu, who is the first and perhaps the only astronaut of his homeland in history.
Moldovan stamp depicting the first Romanian cosmonaut.
A serious scientist and engineer, Prunariu was a military man insofar as he was drafted into the army and received an army rank only before enlisting in the cosmonaut corps.
Nevertheless, in 2000 he received the rank of Major General of the Air Force.
During the flight, which lasted 7 days, he was engaged in scientific experiments, primarily related to the study of the Earth's magnetic field.
After landing, he was engaged in science, teaching and studying. For about a year he was the Ambassador of Romania to the Russian Federation. Currently in business - in June 2010 he was appointed Chairman of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. In addition, since 2007 he has headed the Romanian Mission to the European Union in Brussels. It only remains to add that Prunariu’s backup was Dumitru (Mitica) Dediu.
D.D. Prunariu today
The next space conqueror is unique from any point of view. Judge for yourself: He is the first participant in the Intercosmos program who represented not a socialist, but a capitalist country. He is the first foreigner to make 2 flights on Soviet manned spacecraft, the first foreigner to visit both space stations (Salyut-7 and Mir), the first foreign cosmonaut to undergo training under the Buran-Energia program, and become the first non-USSR and US citizen to go to open space. This man's name is Jean-Loup Jacques Marie Chrétien and he is a French citizen. Among other things, he became the first Frenchman in space.
In total, Chretien has 3 flights into space.
Cosmonaut and astronaut J.-L. Chrétien
The first one launched on June 24, 1982. The Soyuz T-6 spacecraft launched into orbit a crew consisting of Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Alexander Ivanchenkov and Chrétien. The flight duration was 7 days, 21 hours. Was Chrétien's stunt double Patrick Pierre Roger Baudry.
The second flight began on November 26, 1988. The ship was called Soyuz TM-7. Crew:
Alexander Volkov, Sergei Krikalev, Jean-Loup Chrétien. The launch was attended by the President of the Republic François Mitterrand and the musicians of Pink Floyd, whose concert album “Delicate Sound of Thunder” was taken on board by the Soviet cosmonauts; this album became the first rock album to be performed in space.
Soyuz T-6 crew V. Dzhanibekov, A. Ivanchenkov, J.-L. Chrétien
Well, he flew for the third time from September 26 to October 6, 1997 on the Atlantis shuttle
Unfortunately, as a result of an accident in 2001, he was forced to leave his space career.
Now he is actively involved in business and sports, and is the vice president of several large companies.
The 11th foreign astronaut launched into Earth orbit was an Indian test pilot, an Air Force major. Rakesh Sharma. He went through a tedious selection process, where he beat out 239 candidates.
The flight itself was carried out with the Soyuz T-11 spacecraft. Crew: Yuri Malyshev(commander), Gennady Strekalov, Rakesh Sharma.
Launch: April 3, 1984
Landing: April 11, 1984 (on Soyuz T-10")
Soviet-Indian crew
According to legend, during his stay at the Mir station, the Indian cosmonaut had a communication session with the country's Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. When Gandhi asked what India looked like from space, Sharma responded with a line from a patriotic poem: “The best in the world.” Was a backup for the flight Ravish Malhotra.
It should also be noted that this Soviet-Indian crew had a beautiful and interesting emblem - the state flags of the USSR and India and the three-eyed Surya - the sun god, rushing through the clouds on a golden chariot. The mythological god symbolizes people’s desire to fly into vast spaces, to the stars.
Emblem of the Soyuz T-11 flight
After the flight, Sharma was received with great fanfare in India, but continued to be involved in aviation as a test pilot. Personally participated in the development and testing of a light interceptor for the Indian Air Force. He still actively cooperates with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which is gradually preparing its own space explorer. The Indians will call him vyomanaut. The term "vyoma" in Sanskrit means "sky".
Sharma is one of the 52 people awarded the country's highest military order, Ashoka Chakra.
Soviet-Syrian crew Soyuz TM-3
Few people remember now, but a citizen of the now long-suffering Syria has also been in space. Colonel Muhammad Ahmed Faris From July 22 to July 30, 1987, he made a space flight on the Soyuz TM-3 spacecraft. In addition to him, the crew included Alexander Viktorenko(captain) and Alexander Alexandrov.
Unfortunately, I could not find information about what the only Syrian cosmonaut is currently doing. At the beginning of the 2000s, he headed a flying school in Alepo, where he lived with his family. He named his youngest son Mir, in honor of our orbital station. Let's hope that Mohammed is doing well and that the civil war has not affected his family and his home.
Pilot-cosmonaut Muhammad Ahmed Faris
Remember, when we talked to you about the 4th space flight within the framework of the Intercosmos program, we mentioned that the Bulgarian cosmonaut Georgy Ivanov(Kakkalov) was chosen only at the last moment, due to the fact that his backup Alexandra (Alexandra) Alexandrova Are you having any health problems? Well, Alexandrov was still able to get into space, albeit after the second attempt, but he made a space flight. Thus, the People's Republic of Bulgaria became the only country within Intercosmos that was able to send 2 of its representatives into low-Earth orbit at once.
Savinykh-Soloviev-Alexandrov
The flight became possible after the implementation of the Soviet-Bulgarian scientific research program “Shipka” and the Bulgarian side had to fork out a lot.
The flight itself took place from June 7 to June 17, 1988 on the Soyuz TM-5 apparatus (landing on the Soyuz TM-4 spacecraft)
Crew:
Anatoly Soloviev
Vladimir Savinykh
Alexander Alexandrov
During the flights, 59 different experiments were carried out, and photographs needed by Bulgaria were taken.
At the end of the flight, Alexandrov worked at the Academy of Sciences, and then went into business. Now lives in Sofia, was able to defend his doctoral dissertation. His business is related to air transportation. Alexandrov’s hobby has become golf, to which he devotes a lot of his energy and resources.
Interestingly, his brother Plamen was also among the candidates for space flight, but did not pass due to health reasons. Alexandrov's understudy was Krasimir Stoyanov.
Second Bulgarian cosmonaut A. Alexandrov
Well, the last foreign cosmonaut before the closure of the Intercosmos program was an Afghan Air Force captain Abdul Ahad Mohmand. The flight program of the Afghan cosmonaut to the Mir station, called “Shamshad,” was prepared with the participation of representatives from Afghanistan. This flight, as you understand, was connected exclusively with the actions of Soviet troops in Afghanistan, but this in no way infringes on Mohmand’s merits and courage.
astronaut Abdul Ahad Mohmand
Actually, someone else should have flown - Muhammad Dawran. But he either had appendicitis, or they took into account that he was an ethnic Tajik. Therefore, the Pashtun Mohmand had to fly.
The flight took place on the Soyuz TM-6 spacecraft.
Crew: Vladimir Lyakhov(captain), Valery Polyakov, Abdul Ahad Mohmand.
The launch took place on August 29, 1988. Landing (on Soyuz TM-5) September 7, 1988. The landing took place unexpectedly. Due to failures of the sensors for starting the engines, the astronauts almost died. And it was the Afghan’s action that saved them. He, violating the instructions of the Flight Control Center, personally checked the instruments and pointed out the error to commander Lyakhov. Everything was decided in one minute. The ship's commander regained his bearings and interrupted the landing program. As a result, both had to sit in the cramped descent vehicle for more than a day, but in the end everything ended well.
V. Lyakhova and A.A. Mohmand is greeted by the residents of Kabul.
The fate of Abdul Ahmad was the most difficult. Upon returning home, he became Deputy Minister of Civil Aviation of the Republic of Afghanistan, but after the Taliban came to power, he fled the country and asked for political asylum in Germany. Where he now lives with his family. Muhammad has 2 daughters (one of whom was born in Star City) and a small company that has nothing to do with aviation or space.
His partner and backup, Muhammad Dauran, had a more successful fate. He rose to the rank of colonel general and was for some time commander of the Afghan Air Force and Air Defense.
So the Intercosmos program lasted just over 10 years (1978-1988). During this time, 14 foreign cosmonauts from 13 countries were in orbit. The oldest of them is Sigmund Jen, who was 41 years old at the time of the flight, the youngest is 28-year-old Prunariu. Georgiy Ivanov spent the least time in space, and Abdul Ahad Momandu had to spend the most time.
Health and prosperity to the hero of yesterday!
Have a nice time of day.