The rocket and space shield of the Soviet Union was created by the collective efforts of talented scientists and production organizers. Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel was engaged in the design of rockets for various types of fuel.
Starting conditions
Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel was born on November 7, 1911 in an ordinary peasant family. Parents at that time lived in the village of Zyryanova, which stood on the banks of the Angara River. Later, in the second half of the twentieth century, this settlement will fall into the flooded zone during the construction of the Ust-Ilimsk hydroelectric power station.
The future designer of strategic missiles grew up and was brought up in a large and friendly family. Father and mother put all their 12 children on their feet. With the arrival of Soviet power in the most remote taiga villages, all social elevators were opened for people from the peasant class. The older brothers dispersed across the country and found themselves a worthy occupation. After the sixth grade, Mikhail went to Moscow, where Konstantin, one of the brothers, had lived and worked for several years. He has not only to continue his studies at school, but to earn extra money in a printing house in order to bring an extra pretty penny into the house.
In the service of science and defense
After leaving school, Mikhail entered the Moscow Aviation Institute. In those years, young people, at the call of the party, strove to get into aviation. Yangel was not destined to become a pilot. However, he studied well in the specialty "aircraft construction" and graduated from the institute with honors. In 1935 he was accepted as an engineer at the Polikarpov design bureau. The production career of the young specialist was developing successfully. He had excellent theoretical training and skillfully applied his knowledge in practice. By the beginning of the war, Yangel held the post of deputy chief engineer of an aircraft plant.
In 1944, an already experienced specialist was transferred to the design bureau, which was headed by the general designer of spacecraft, Sergei Pavlovich Korolev. Yangel was tasked with creating a rocket that would be able to deliver a certain load to low-earth orbit. To implement this project, Mikhail Kuzmich organized specialized scientific laboratories for the study of aerodynamics, metallurgy, ballistics and the mechanism of fuel combustion. It was possible to create a dual-use launch vehicle. With its help, satellites, as well as nuclear warheads, were launched and are still being launched into orbit.
Recognition and privacy
The homeland highly appreciated the work of Academician Yangel. He was twice awarded the honorary title of Hero of Socialist Labor. Mikhail Kuzmich was awarded the Lenin and State Prizes.
The personal life of the chief designer has developed well. He only got married once. Mikhail Kuzmich met his wife Irina Viktorovna Strazheva during his student years. The husband and wife raised two children, a son and a daughter. Academician Yangel died of his fifth heart attack in October 1971.
