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Vitaliy JolobovSoviet cosmonaut and Ukrainian politician, Hero of the Soviet Union.
Date of Birth: 18.06.1937
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Vita Zholobov: Soviet Cosmonaut and Ukrainian Statesman
- Cosmonaut Career
- Post-Military Career
- Political Career in Ukraine
Vita Zholobov: Soviet Cosmonaut and Ukrainian Statesman
Early Life and Military CareerBorn on June 18, 1937, in the village of Stara Zburiivka in the Ukrainian SSR, Vitaly Zholobov went on to graduate from the Azerbaijan Institute of Oil and Chemistry in 1959. He subsequently entered military service in the aviation branch. In 1974, he completed his studies at the Lenin Military-Political Academy.
Cosmonaut Career
Zholobov joined the cosmonaut group in 1963 and worked at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center from 1963 to 1981. From July 6 to August 24, 1976, he embarked on a mission aboard the Soyuz-21 spacecraft, serving as a flight engineer on the Salyut-5 orbital station with Boris Volynov. The originally planned 60-day mission was cut short to 49 days due to an unpleasant odor resembling toxic rocket fuel, prompting Zholobov to contact Mission Control. The decision was made to end the mission to ensure the safety of the crew, especially since the primary scientific and medical research objectives had already been achieved.
Post-Military Career
Following his retirement from the Soviet army in 1981 as a commander of astronaut trainees and an astronaut-instructor, Zholobov moved to Kyiv in 1982. From 1983 to 1987, he served as deputy general director of the Mayak Scientific and Production Association and was elected to the Kyiv City Council.
In 1986, Zholobov participated in the cleanup efforts following the Chernobyl disaster. He went on to work as head of the Aerospace Geology Department in Noyabrsk, Russia, from 1987 to 1991. He returned to Ukraine as head of the Institute of Advanced Qualifications for the Russian Ministry of Geology in 1991 and became chairman of the Kyiv City Council of Heroes of the Soviet Union in 1993.
Political Career in Ukraine
Zholobov's political career in Ukraine began in 1994 when he was elected Chairman of the Kherson Regional Council and head of the Kherson Regional Administration, a position he held until 1996. From June 12, 1996, to February 4, 1997, he served as deputy director general of the National Space Agency of Ukraine.
In 1999, Zholobov became chairman of the Kyiv organization of the "Slava" veterans' association and went on to become president of the All-Ukrainian "Slava" Association in 2001. Since April 11, 2002, he has served as president of the Aerospace Society of Ukraine.
