Pavel Belyaev
Russia- Biography of Pavel Belyaev
- Training as a Cosmonaut
- Spaceflight and Achievements
- Later Years and Honors
- Legacy
Biography of Pavel Belyaev
Pavel Ivanovich Belyaev was born on June 26, 1925, in the village of Chelishchevo, Roslyatinsky District, Vologda Oblast. At the age of 17, after completing his ten-year education, he entered a factory. In 1943, he voluntarily joined the ranks of the Soviet Army and was sent to the Eisk Military Aviation School for Pilots, which he graduated from in 1945. He actively participated as a fighter pilot in the Soviet-Japanese War in August-September 1945. Afterward, he served in various units of the Soviet Air Force.
Training as a Cosmonaut
In 1956, Belyaev enrolled in the Military Air Force Academy (now named after Yuri A. Gagarin), which he completed in 1959. In 1960, he was selected to join the cosmonaut detachment as part of the Air Force Group No. 1. He underwent training for flights on the Vostok and Voskhod spacecraft.
Spaceflight and Achievements
On March 18-19, 1965, Belyaev made a historic spaceflight as the commander of the Voskhod-2 spacecraft. During this mission, his co-pilot Aleksey Leonov became the first person to perform a spacewalk. Upon the spacecraft's landing, due to deviations in the orientation system caused by the Sun, Belyaev manually oriented the spacecraft and activated the braking engine. These operations were the first of their kind in the world. The flight lasted 1 day, 2 hours, 2 minutes, and 17 seconds.
Later Years and Honors
In the following years, Belyaev underwent training for flights on Soyuz spacecraft. He was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union and received the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Star, and various medals. He was also honored as a Hero of Socialist Labor in the People's Republic of Bulgaria, a Hero of Labor in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, and a Hero of the Mongolian People's Republic. Additionally, he received numerous foreign orders and medals and was awarded the Gold Medal named after Konstantin E. Tsiolkovsky by the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Legacy
Pavel Belyaev passed away on January 10, 1970. He was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow. In his honor, a crater on the Moon and a minor planet (2030 Belyaev) were named after him. He was also granted honorary citizenship in the cities of Kaluga, Perm, and Vologda in Russia.
