Biography of Valentina Ponomareva

September 18 marks the 80th birthday of Valentin Ponomarev, a Soviet test cosmonaut, retired Air Force colonel, second backup of the planet’s first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova. Now Ponomareva is a senior Researcher Institute of the History of Natural Science and Technology of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Valentina Leonidovna spoke in an interview with RIA Novosti about how she got into the group of female cosmonauts, about relationships within the team and relations with Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, about space training, sports hobbies and, of course, about how she will celebrate her anniversary. . Interviewed by Alexey Peslyak.

— Valentina Leonidovna, how will you celebrate the anniversary?
- Of course, the date is terrifying. I plan to meet with family and close friends. Most likely at the dacha, but it depends on the weather. Then I’ll celebrate at work with my co-workers. A small celebration in a small circle, just your own people.

— Tell us, when and how did you get into the group of women cosmonauts?
- By chance. I studied at the Moscow Aviation Institute, there was a flying club where I went in for airplane sports. As part of the women's "nine" she even took part in the air parade. It was dedicated to Air Fleet Day, which was then celebrated on August 18. It was 1956, I was still a student. After graduating from the institute, I went to work and for some time combined work with flying, but it didn’t work out - I had to choose one thing. I chose the work path. She worked in the Department of Applied Mathematics of the Mathematical Institute named after. V.A. Steklov RAS (now the M.V. Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics). At that time, OPM was closely connected with S.P. Korolev’s OKB-1. Therefore, when they began to recruit women into the group of astronauts, the institute became aware of this. I was asked if I wanted to fly into space. I was very active then and said: “Of course I want to!”, although I didn’t believe for a second that the question was asked seriously. After all, then everything was top secret, only Gagarin and Titov flew, and it was difficult to imagine that one could get into this cohort of glorious ones. However, Keldysh, as the director of the OPM, signed my application, and I was sent to everything required commissions. I was fit to fly.

- What kind of relationship did the woman have? space group with Korolev?
— Korolev had close contact with the first group of male cosmonauts. The guys loved him very much and revered him. He communicated with us much less. There was no female cosmonaut corps as such; it was a group under the first “male” corps. As Leonov said about us: “The first women’s battalion under the first detachment of cosmonauts.” Our preparations for the flight took a year and a half.

— It is known that you were the only pilot in this group, the other four were paratroopers. Why didn't they form a group of only female paratroopers? Did they make an exception for you?
“We recruited girls who were passionate about the sky—pilots, paratroopers, and those involved in gliding.” There were four out of five parachutists in the group, since at that time the cosmonauts landed not in a descent vehicle, as they do now, but on a parachute. The training time was very tight, so it was considered that having parachute training was very important. And I only had eight parachute jumps back in college: I liked flying more than jumping.

— How were your relationships with other candidates from the group, including Tereshkova? Was there any rivalry - or were you friends?
— The rivalry was rather sporting. During the preparation, each of us strived to complete the training better than the others. That was all the rivalry, there was no more field for struggle. There were normal working relationships: there were quarrels, and there was camaraderie. Before the flight, we all lived together in the Star City dispensary, like in a communal apartment - “nose to nose.” My relationship with Tereshkova was like with everyone else; before her flight, we were all the same.

— Professor Vladimir Ivanovich Yazdovsky, who was then responsible for medical support of the Soviet space program, wrote: “Based on the results of a medical examination and the theoretical preparedness of female cosmonaut candidates, the following sequence of admission to space flight was determined: 1. Valentina Ponomareva; 2. Irina Solovyova; 3 . Kuznetsova Tatyana; 4. Sergeychik Zhanna; 5. Tereshkova Valentina." Why did Tereshkova fly if the doctors put you in first place?
- This question is not for me.

— What, in your opinion, was the most difficult during the pre-flight preparation? There is an opinion that the most difficult thing is to pass a medical examination, especially repeatedly.
— It’s not that the medical examination is difficult, it’s just that it depends on its results whether you will remain in the cosmonaut corps or not. The loads were no more difficult then than they are now. On the contrary, now astronauts have more work. At that time, little could be done for science and research in the single-seat Vostok spacecraft; those flights were test flights for both man and technology.
For me, the most difficult and physically demanding training was splashdown in a spacesuit. This happened in the summer on the Black Sea, in Feodosia, we were thrown from a boat. For this purpose, they used not “combat” spacesuits in which they fly into orbit, but technological samples. After splashdown, the astronaut had to work through the entire sequence of operations that were necessary. Physically it was very difficult. Among other operations, it was necessary to simulate the release of a parachute, that is, put your hands behind your back, find the so-called “pawls” (parachute fastening locks), press them and release the parachute. This was the most difficult thing, because I could not reach these “dogs”. The thermoregulation system was turned off during splashdown, and all the heat generated by the body in the fight against the fasteners remained in the spacesuit.
When I finally got to the “dogs” and unhooked the parachute, I realized: I had never had such a strong physical activity and fatigue. When I was “caught” from the sea, an hour and a half later, it turned out that my body temperature had risen to more than 39 degrees. This is the effect! This is another evidence of how difficult physical work there was such a training. Others, for example, in a centrifuge, were much easier to tolerate.
The three of us - Tereshkova, Solovyova (the first backup) and I - were equally prepared for the flight.

© Photo: from the personal archive of Valentina Ponomareva

© Photo: from the personal archive of Valentina Ponomareva

— It is known that you were preparing as a crew commander for a 10-15-day flight on the Voskhod spacecraft, which was planned for the summer of 1966. During the flight, a woman's first exit into open space.
— Irina Solovyova was appointed as the outgoing co-pilot. She was better suited for this: a parachutist high class, master of sports (and in outer space you need to be able to control your body). I regretted that I would stay on the ship, and I envied Irina. It was not really believed that this flight would take place due to the state of our cosmonautics at that time, its deceleration was beginning. Indeed, the flight was canceled due to the closure of the Voskhod program.

— What do you think about the prospects for women flying into space in modern Russia?
— Unfortunately, how three of our women have been in space (two are still in Soviet time), and it remains so. Although in other countries - the USA, Canada - dozens of women have already been in orbit. In our country, decisions about women's flights were made solely for political reasons. Americans have it different: it doesn’t matter who is flying - a woman or a man - the main thing is that there is good specialist. Now at Russian women there is no desire to explore space. Besides, a woman’s flight will no longer surprise anyone. Half a century ago, the FIRST in space - it was like a bolt from the blue! These were colossal political dividends. Now everything is different: specialists are required to fly, regardless of whether they are men or women, and there is no longer any need to send women into space on purpose. A woman who has set herself the goal of becoming an astronaut must be in no way inferior to men in professionalism, while remaining a good housewife, loving wife and a sensitive mother. This opinion was expressed in an interview with RIA Novosti special correspondent Alexander Kovalev by the only representative of the fair sex in the current corps of Roscosmos cosmonauts, Elena Serova.

— In Star City, a Russian woman, Elena Serova, is again undergoing pre-flight training; she is planned to be included in the crew for the International space station in 2014. What would you like to wish her?
“So that nothing breaks and no troubles happen to her there, in orbit, so that she successfully completes all the work that remains to be done.” I would also like to wish Lena strength of spirit, because it is not at all easy to decide on such a flight.

Valentina Ponomareva - USSR pilot-cosmonaut, backup to the first female astronaut Valentina Tereshkova and the author of her call sign "Chaika".
Valentina Leonidovna Ponomareva (Kovalevskaya) was born on September 18, 1933 in Moscow.
In 1951 she graduated from women's secondary school 156 in Moscow with a gold medal.
In 1957, she graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) and worked at the Department of Applied Mathematics of the USSR Academy of Sciences (now the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics).

While studying at the Moscow Aviation Institute, she was involved in aviation sports, flew on Po-2, Yak-18, jet fighter MiG-15, participated in air parades.
Valentina Ponomareva
On April 3, 1962, she was enrolled as a student-cosmonaut of the 2nd detachment of the Cosmonaut Training Center (CPC) and called up to serve in the Soviet Army.
From April to November 1962 she underwent general space training. After passing the state exams, on December 1, 1962, she was transferred to the position of cosmonaut of the 1st detachment.
From January to May 25, 1963, she underwent training under the women's flight program at spaceship"Vostok-6" together with Valentina Tereshkova, Irina Solovyova, Zhanna Erkina.
Valentina Ponomareva during training
On May 10, 1963, she was appointed as an understudy for Valentina Tereshkova.
On June 16, 1963, the world's first female cosmonaut, Valentina Tereshkova, launched on the Vostok spacecraft. Ponomareva is the author of Tereshkova’s call sign “Chaika”.
From January to May 1966, she was trained as the commander of the first crew (together with Solovyova) for a flight on the Voskhod spacecraft lasting 15-20 days with a spacewalk. The flight was canceled due to the closure of the Voskhod program. From October 1969 to May 1988 she worked at the Cosmonaut Training Center, teaching the dynamics of space flight.
Valentina Ponomareva
Currently he works at the Institute of the History of Natural Science and Technology of the USSR Academy of Sciences (now the Russian Academy of Sciences): since September 1988 as an executive secretary, since October 1993 as a senior researcher in the Commission for the Development of the Scientific Heritage and Development of the Ideas of Konstantin Tsiolkovsky. Head of the cosmonautics history group.
Candidate of Technical Sciences (defended her dissertation in 1974).
Military rank- Colonel Engineer, retired since May 1988.
Author of several books, including “The History of the Creation of the Cosmonaut Training Center”, “Undiscovered Space”, “ Woman's face space", publications in various magazines, reports on the history of women's astronautics.
She took part in a ski expedition to Franz Josef Land as part of the Metelitsa women's team.
From 1956 to 1992, Valentina Ponomareva was married to cosmonaut Yuri Ponomarev (1932-2005). Children: Kirill Ponomarev (1970) and Alexander Ponomarev (1985).
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Additional source - "Daily News - Moscow Region", interview with Valentina Ponomareva, Vasily Semenov, 04/14/2006

Engineer and PhD degree in technical sciences. Full member of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics named after. K. E. Tsiolkovsky.

Valentina Leonidovna Ponomareva
A country	USSR USSR Russia Russia
Military rank	Colonel
Date of Birth	September 18(1933-09-18 ) (85 years old)
Place of Birth	Moscow, USSR
Awards

Biography

She graduated from women's secondary school No. 156 in Moscow with a gold medal in 1951. While studying in the tenth grade, I signed up for a parachute club. Having entered MEPhI, in the same year she transferred to MAI, graduating in 1957 with a degree in mechanical engineering of liquid propellant rocket engines. After graduating from the institute, I was assigned to OKB-1, but due to family circumstances, I was reassigned to the position of laboratory assistant, then became an engineer. In November 1963, she entered the engineering faculty of the postgraduate course of the VVIA named after. Zhukovsky.

In 1951, at the 4th city flying club at the Moscow Aviation Institute, she mastered the Po-2 aircraft. Then, from 1952, she studied at the Central Aero Club named after. V.P. Chkalova in Tushino, where she mastered the Yak-18 aircraft. Then she acquired the skills to fly a MiG-15 jet fighter. In 1956, she took part in the air parade in Tushino. A year later, she took part in the All-Union Airplane Sports Competition.

In March 1962, she underwent an inpatient medical examination at the Central Research Aviation Hospital. At the meeting of the commission for the selection of cosmonauts held at the end of March at TsVNIAG, she was recommended as a cosmonaut-listener. Enlisted as a student-cosmonaut of the 2nd detachment of the Air Force Cosmonaut Training Center by order of the Air Force Commander-in-Chief No. 92 dated April 3, 1962, after which she was called up for military service.

From January to May 25, 1963, she was preparing to fly on the Vostok-6 spacecraft under the women's flight program as part of a group together with Valentina Tereshkova, Irina Solovyova, Tatyana Kuznetsova and Zhanna Yorkina. Ponomareva was the only pilot among the final five cosmonauts who were selected for the flight; the rest of the group members were parachutists. On May 10, 1963, she was appointed V. Tereshkova’s second backup.

Doctor medical sciences, Professor V.I. Yazdovsky, who was responsible for the medical support of the Soviet space program at that time, wrote in his memoirs that Ponomareva had the most suitable physical characteristics for the flight:

After completing the preparation and training program for the selected female cosmonaut candidates, they were given a full medical and physiological examination. Based on the results of a medical examination and theoretical preparedness of female cosmonaut candidates, the following sequence of admission to space flight was determined: 1. Valentina Ponomareva; 2. Solovyova Irina; 3. Kuznetsova Tatyana; 4. Sergeychik Zhanna; 5. Tereshkova Valentina.

From May to May 1966, she was trained as an outgoing co-pilot for a 10-15-day flight in the summer of 1966 on the Voskhod-4 spacecraft with the first spacewalk by a woman. Initially, the flight commander was appointed

When the word cosmonaut was “secret”, and the cosmonauts themselves were called “listeners” at the training center, Smirnov, not yet 18 years old, got a job at the Cosmonaut Training Center to work as a photographer. And here, at the cosmonaut training center, he managed to film many cosmonauts long before their first flight into space. And all this time the photographs were not available to general public, were not published or exhibited anywhere. And just todayBoris Alekseevich Smirnov - cameraman and director of the film studio "Tsentrnauchfilm", head of the department of film and television technology at VGIK, candidate of art history, veteran of the Center for Cinematography named after. Yu.A. Gagarin, told the audience in detail about these photographs, which depict young world-famous Gagarin, Leonov, Titov, Tereshkova and other cosmonauts. A witness to those events managed to transport me with his stories to that era, with its most interesting and extraordinary stories. And the members of the first group of cosmonauts, Volynov, Ponomarev, and Solovyov, who were present here, plunged headlong into their long-gone youth. This is evidenced by an entry in the journal of honorary guests of the museum, left twice by the Hero Soviet Union and pilot-cosmonaut Boris Volynov:
“Dear Boris! Today you and I again visited our youth, youth, those historical times! And for this you thanks a lot. This belongs to our entire country, our people.”

In unique photographs of the national heritage you can see how in 1964 on the river. Alexey Leonov and Boris Volynov are fishing for the thief, and Evgeny Khrunov is filming what is happening with a movie camera, or Valentina Tereshkova playing billiards and her first officer’s uniform in 1963. Very interesting display family life Yuri Gagarin with his wife and daughter Lena, at their home in 1961. These photographs were taken specifically at the request of Nikita Khrushchev, who was interested in the everyday life of the “listeners.” This series includes a photograph of the world's first space family taken in Star City in 1970: Valentina Tereshkova, Andriyan Nikolaev and their daughter Lenochka. Khrushchev dreamed of such a family, and was happy that it happened. At first, they were happy too... Andriyan is packing his suitcase, his daughter is next to him, and Valentina is standing thoughtfully a little behind, leaning on something. Tomorrow he flies to Baikonur to go on his second space flight together with Vitaly Sevostyanov. It was one of the heaviest space flights in the history of Soviet cosmonautics.

In 1960, sports activities were a difficult and rather unusual duty, but in 1964 they became favorites for most astronauts. German Titov loved to ski, and Yuri Gagarin was the captain of the OUR cosmonaut hockey team. In one of the pictures he is standing on skates near the bus. IN right hand holds a hockey stick, and in his left hand, if you look closely, you can see a cigarette. “He couldn’t quit smoking, although smoking was very strict there,” — commented the author of the photo.
At the training center was the women's group of the first cosmonaut corps, which included Valentina Ponomareva, Tatyana Kuznetsova, Irina Solovyova, Valentina Tereshkova and Zhanna Yorkina. “During training, we received exactly the same loads as men. Of course it was hard, but quite bearable.", - rememberPonomarev and Solovyov. They were selected for the TsPK from flying clubs, because... they have already experienced parachute jumps. And from the Vostok spacecraft, upon landing, the astronaut just needed to eject. The preparation time was very short in order to get ahead of the Americans, and they, as it turned out later, did not yet intend to send women into space. “At that time, according to the regulations on cosmonauts, only military personnel were accepted into the detachment, and the five of us were drafted into the army. This was the most interesting episode in our lives. They took my passport and gave me a little gray book with the entry “untrained private.” That's how we started - "as rank and file, untrained." Now we are retired colonels", - said ValentinaPonomareva.

In conclusion, I would like to add that the Boris Smirnov Exhibition is a unique opportunity to plunge into the past of Soviet times, and personally see everything that at the dawn of the 60s was kept in the strictest confidence under the heading “Secret”. It will be possible to visit the exhibition for two months and only by prior agreement with the enterprise museum.

Roman Kalugin
photo by the author

The world's first space family.
Star City, 1970

Tatiana Kuznetsova(left). Briefing before boarding the fighter cockpit.
Aerodrome"Chkalovsky", 1963

Valery Bykovsky. Pressure chamber test.
Aerodrome"Chkalovsky", 1962

Yu. Gagarin with his wife and daughter Lena at home.
March, 1961

Fishing.
With a fishing rod Alexey Leonov, with a fish in his handsBoris Volynov, with a film camera Evgeny Khrunov.
Vorya River, 1964

Women's group of the first cosmonaut squad.
From left to right: Valentina Ponomareva, Tatyana Kuznetsova, Irina Solovyova, Valentina Tereshkova, Zhanna Yorkina.From the back - Marina Popovich. She was not part of the group.

Cosmonauto Irina Solovyova in a spaceship simulator"East". 1963

Pavel Popovich. Weightlessness. On board the TU-104 aircraft, 1962 .

During Gagarin's meeting on Red Square on April 14, 1961.
From left to right: Andriyan Nikolaev, Valery Bykovsky, German Titov , commander of the TsPK Evgeniy Anatolyevich Karpov.

Yuri Gagarin with his daughter.
March, 1961

Yuri Gagarin. A ceremonial portrait with all the awards from all countries of the world.
CPC, 1963

Boris Smirnov talks about his exhibition.
October 11, 2013G.

The first aerial cinematographer Sergei Aleksandrovich Kiselev.

Valentina Tereshkova and Zhanna Yorkina - “Girls' Secrets.” CPC, 1964 .

Cosmonaut Irina Solovyova in a spaceship"East". CPC, 1963

Cosmonaut Dmitry Zaikin leaves the isolation chamber after a ten-day test.
Moscow. Institute of Aviation and Space Medicine. 1061

Smirnov talks about Khrushchev and “listeners” in everyday life.

German Titov. In the forest, to the ski track.
CPC, January 1964

Irina Bayanovna Solovyova listens to Boris Alekseevich Smirnov.

PonomarevaValentina Leonidovna.
Currently a researcher at the Institute of History of Natural Science and Technology.

Solovyova (in the foreground)and Ponomarev look at a photo of a space family.

Captain of the OUR cosmonaut hockey team Yuri Gagarin.
CPC, 1963

We studied a lot and hard.
Irina Solovyova and Zhanna Yorkina. 1962

Cosmonaut Zhanna Yorkina travels on"in passing" motorcycle.
If the motorcyclist knew, who is his passenger, he would probably have given her his helmet.
Caucasus, Chemitokvadzhe district, 1963

Valentina Tereshkova. It's time to get ready for the cosmodrome.
June, 1963

Valentina Ponomareva. CPC, 1963

Ponomareva Valentina Leonidovna (1933)
colonel-engineer, cosmonaut, candidate of technical sciences.
Born on September 18, 1933 in Moscow. Graduated from 10th grade of women's high school No. 156 (1951). Since 1951, she studied at the 4th Moscow City Aeroclub (at MAI). She flew on Po-2 and Yak-18 aircraft. Participated in air parades dedicated to the Day Air Fleet. Made 8 parachute jumps. In 1957 she took part in the All-Union competitions in aircraft sports.
She continued her education at Moscow State University Aviation Institute, which she graduated with honors in 1957, receiving the specialty “mechanical engineer of liquid propellant rocket engines.” She combined her studies with work as a laboratory assistant at the department of thermodynamics and heat engineering of the institute. She was assigned to OKB-1, but was reassigned to the Department of Applied Mathematics of the USSR Academy of Sciences (now the M. Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics), where she worked as an engineer. I received a recommendation for enrollment as a cosmonaut personally from the President of the USSR Academy of Sciences M.V. Keldysh.
She carried out advanced training at three-year courses at the Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics of Moscow State University (1962).
On April 3, 1962, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force No. 92, she was assigned to the position of student-cosmonaut of the 2nd detachment of the cosmonaut department of the Air Force Cosmonaut Training Center, and in connection with this she began to undergo general space training (April-November). In December 1962 - cosmonaut of the 1st detachment of the 1st department.
From January to May 1963, she underwent training for a flight on the Vostok-6 spacecraft under the group flight program as part of a group together with V. Tereshkova, M. Solovyova and Zh. Erkina. On March 21, 1963, she was transferred as an astronaut to the second detachment. On May 10 of the same year, she was appointed second backup to V. Tereshkova.
During the year (May 1965-May 1966) she was trained as the commander of the first female crew (together with I. Solovyova) for a flight on the Voskhod spacecraft (ZKD) lasting 10-15 days with a co-pilot going into outer space. The flight was canceled due to the closure of the Voskhod program. On March 14, 1966, she was transferred as an astronaut to the 1st detachment of the 1st department, and on April 30, 1969 she became a cosmonaut of the 1st department of the 1st directorate. On October 1, 1969, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force No. 945, she was expelled from the cosmonaut corps due to the disbandment of the women's group. At the same time, she was hired as a senior researcher at the 3rd department of the research methodological department of cosmonaut training at the Cosmonaut Training Center. She taught cosmonaut students the dynamics of space flight. Since April 30, 1974 - senior researcher at the 3rd laboratory of the 1st Scientific Research Institute of the Center for Advanced Training. In the same year he successfully passed tests for the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences. In December 1978, he transferred to the position of senior researcher at the 1st laboratory of the research and methodological department of the CPC. Since 1986 – senior researcher at the 1st laboratory of the 2nd department of the CPC.
In May 1988, she was dismissed due to age, and in June she was removed from the unit’s lists.
Since September 1988, executive secretary, since October 1993 - senior researcher (for the development of the scientific heritage and development of ideas of K.E. Tsiolkovsky) of the Institute of the History of Natural Science and Technology of the USSR Academy of Sciences (now RAS). Participant in a ski expedition around the Arctic as part of the Metelitsa women's team.