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Miroslav GermashevskiyFirst Polish cosmonaut
Date of Birth: 15.09.1941
Country:  Poland |
Content:
- Biography of Miroslaw Hermaszewski
- Early Life and Tragedy
- From a Socialist Camp to Outer Space
- Astronaut Journey and Later Career
- Post-Retirement and Advocacy
Biography of Miroslaw Hermaszewski
The First Polish AstronautMiroslaw Hermaszewski is the first and only Polish astronaut. He was born in a noble family in the occupied territory of Nazi Germany, in the village of Lipniki (Kostopolski county, currently located in the Berezno district of the Rovno region, Ukraine).
Early Life and Tragedy
During World War II, Miroslaw's father, Roman Hermaszewski, was one of the leaders of the Polish self-defense in their village of Lipniki. In March 1943, the UPA units and unorganized rioters from neighboring Ukrainian villages burned down the village, killing some of the Polish population. Several members of Miroslaw's future astronaut family perished in the attack, and his grandfather was fatally stabbed in the chest. During the attack, Miroslaw's mother lost him in the snow, but he was later found in the morning by his father and older brother, who initially believed him to be frozen. In August 1943, a neighbor of the family, a Ukrainian nationalist, killed Miroslaw's father, Roman Hermaszewski. These memories were left by Miroslaw's older brother, aviation general Vladislav Hermaszewski, who also participated in the self-defense of the destroyed village.
From a Socialist Camp to Outer Space
After joining the Polish United Workers' Party in 1963, Hermaszewski completed his education at the Demblin Military Aviation School in 1964 and the General Staff Academy in Warsaw in 1971. He served in the air defense fighter aviation of Poland. From 1976, he trained at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
Astronaut Journey and Later Career
Hermaszewski made his spaceflight as a research astronaut on the spacecraft "Soyuz-30" and the orbital station "Salyut-6" from June 27 to July 5, 1978. The duration of his flight was 7 days, 22 hours, 2 minutes, and 59 seconds. In 1981, after the introduction of martial law in Poland, he served as a member of the Military Council of National Salvation. In 1982, he graduated from the K. E. Voroshilov General Staff Academy in Moscow. In the same year, he was appointed as the chief of the Polish Flight School "School of Eagles." Later, he became the deputy chief of the Main Political Directorate of the Polish army and served in this position until 1988 when political bodies in the Polish army were abolished. From 1988 to 1991, he served as the commander of the Higher Officer Flight School in Demblin. He also served as the deputy commander of the Polish Air Force and Air Defense from 1991 to 2000.
Post-Retirement and Advocacy
Since 2000, Hermaszewski has been a retired brigadier general. He is actively involved in promoting space exploration on a public platform.
