Space exploration has been going on for many years. Valery Bykovsky was among the first Soviet citizens to have the opportunity to look at his native land from the outside. He remained in the history of the country as a cosmonaut # 5.
Starting conditions
When it comes to the lives of people who achieved success and became famous during the Soviet Union, the stories are short, but full of specific facts. If we talk about Soviet cosmonauts, then we must understand that they were all military pilots. In any case, this was required by the regulations in force at that time. Valery Fedorovich Bykovsky served as a fighter pilot in the air defense forces of the Moscow Military District. Here he was noticed and invited to the qualifying tests before being enrolled in the cosmonaut corps.
The future pilot-cosmonaut was born on August 2, 1934 in the family of a Soviet employee. Parents at that time lived in the town of Pavlov Posad, Moscow region. My father worked in the system of the Ministry of Railways. The mother was engaged in housekeeping and raising children. Valery had an older sister, Margarita. The family often had to change their place of residence, since this was required by the father's work. The Bykovskys lived in Kuibyshev, Syzran and even in Tehran, the capital of Iran. By a happy coincidence, Valery graduated from school in Moscow.
In the service of the Motherland
Already in high school, Bykovsky was seriously carried away by classes at the Aeroclub at the Tushino branch of DOSAAF. Having received a certificate of maturity, Valery entered the Kachin Military Aviation School of Pilots. He graduated from college in 1955, and with the rank of lieutenant arrived for further service in a fighter regiment. Service to Bykovsky was easy. He was among the first to master the new technology coming into service. It is not surprising that in 1960 he was invited to join the first cosmonaut corps.
From the very first days of his service in the new division, Bykovsky showed his high level of training. In accordance with the schedule, he was appointed commander of the Vostok-5 spacecraft. The flight took place in June 1963 and lasted almost five days. While in near-earth orbit, the pilot-cosmonaut turned to the Central Committee of the CPSU with a request to accept him as a party member. The decision of the Central Committee was positive. Returning to earthly affairs and concerns, Valery Fedorovich continued to work at the cosmodrome already as an instructor in training newcomers.
Personal life of the hero
Bykovsky's entire conscious life is connected with space. In the mid-1970s, he made two more flights into low-earth orbit as the commander of the Soyuz-22 and Soyuz-31 spacecraft. Sigmund Jen, an astronaut from the German Democratic Republic, flew in the "thirty-first" crew.
Valery Bykovsky's personal life turned out well. He married Valentina Mikhailovna Sukhova. The husband and wife raised and raised two sons, who followed in their father's footsteps and became pilots. Valery Bykovsky died in March 2019.
