Leonid Ivanovich Popov is a Soviet cosmonaut who twice became a Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition to flying into space, he has other achievements that have become significant for the global aerospace industry.
Childhood, youth
Leonid Popov was born on August 31, 1945 in the village of Alexandria, Kirovograd region. He was an ordinary Soviet boy. The family grew up eight children. Leonid's father worked as the chairman of the collective farm and really wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. He knew that even in times of famine, you could survive by working on the earth. But Leonid wanted to achieve something else in life. He was very fond of exact sciences and sat in physics lessons, as if spellbound. This influenced the choice of his future specialty. After school, he decided to enter a military school, but the first time he didn’t. For a whole year he worked as a worker at a factory and at the same time prepared for entrance exams.
In 1968, he graduated from the Chernigov Higher Military School, becoming a pilot-engineer. After graduation, he got a job as an instructor pilot at the Military Institute of Armavir.
Astronaut career
The prospect of working all his life as a pilot engineer Popov was not attractive and he decided to conquer new heights. In 1970, Leonid Ivanovich completed a full training course on Soyuz spacecraft and orbital stations as part of general space training. In 1976, he graduated from the Air Force Academy named after Yu.A. Gagarin. He studied in absentia.
In 1980, Popov made his first long flight into space. On the Soyuz-35 spacecraft and its subsequent presence on the Soyuz-6 orbital station. The total duration of the flight is 185 days. During this time, several international expeditions visited the orbital station. For courage and courage Leonid Popov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union.
The first flight was a record in duration. After him, the astronaut was recovering for a very long time. He performed special exercises for the development of the musculoskeletal system. It was difficult for him to get used to normal food. At the orbital station, the astronauts fed from tubes.
The second flight of Popov into space took place in 1981. He led the flight of the Soviet-Romanian crew. Duration in space - 7 days. Upon returning to earth, the astronaut was awarded several awards.
The third flight of Leonid Ivanovich took place in 1982 on the Soyuz T-7 spacecraft. He stayed in space for 7 days. From 1982 to 1987, Popov worked as an instructor-cosmonaut at the Yu.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. According to contemporaries, he succeeded in this matter and perfectly trained specialists for flights.
In 1987, Leonid Ivanovich entered the Military Academy of the General Staff. In this regard, he was expelled from the cosmonaut corps.
Leonid Popov was awarded several honorary titles:
- Hero of the Soviet Union (1980 and 1981);
- Hero of Cuba (1980);
- Hero of the Socialist Republic of Romania (1981).
The great astronaut was awarded many medals and orders:
- Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (2011);
- Three Orders of Lenin (1980, 1981 and 1982);
- Order of Liberty (1981).
In 1990, Popov was awarded the title of Major General of Aviation. Since 1989, Leonid Ivanovich worked at the USSR Ministry of Defense, and then at the RF Ministry of Defense. He was engaged in the supply of aircraft, led the General Directorate of Orders. In 1995, Popov retired.
Leonid Popov has other achievements that are not related to flights. His inventions still find application. Popov invented the emergency hatch of the rescue vehicle, as well as a mechanism for quickly opening and closing the lantern of the aircraft cabin. There were other discoveries that related to aviation technology.
In the city of Chernigov on the territory of a higher educational institution in which the cosmonaut was trained, his bust was installed. The leadership of the military school is proud that many years ago Leonid Ivanovich became a graduate of this university.
In Alexandria, a monument to the great astronaut. The central square of the city is also called Popov Square, but the name is not official. In Alexandria there is also a museum dedicated to this man. Leonid Ivanovich himself is an honorary citizen of the city. His sister recalls that earlier, when Leonid Ivanovich’s mother was alive, pioneers often came, helped with the housework, and even could dig up a garden. But in the last couple of decades, not all students know who Leonid Popov is. The astronaut is respected in Cuba and every year the government invites him to rest.
