Sergei Pavlovich Korolev- brilliant scientist, physicist, engineer, designer. He achieved enormous results in the field of practical astronautics and the production of rocket and space technology.
short biography
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was born January 12, 1907 year in Zhitomir. His father is Pavel Yakovlevich Korolev, a teacher of Russian literature. Mother - Maria Nikolaevna Moskalenko, daughter of a Nezhin merchant.
When he was 3 years old, his mother left the family, and he was sent to the city of Nizhyn to live with his grandparents. Sergei Pavlovich studied in Kyiv, then in Odessa.
It was in Odessa that he met the pilots of the local air squad and spent a lot of time in their company, being interested in the intricacies of their craft. The smart young man was shown what an airplane is made of, how it flies, was allowed to sit at the controls of the plane and was told: to become a pilot, you need to study well.
Study and first job
Sergei Korolev immediately learned the last piece of advice and continued his studies after school. He entered the Kiev Polytechnic Institute. However, the training program there did not quite suit him, and so he transferred to Higher Technical School in Moscow.
After graduating from college, Korolev was sent to work in Central Aerodynamic Institute. During this period, he studied the works of Tsiolkovsky “Jet Airplane”.
Impressed by what he read, he changed jobs: in 1933 Korolev went to work at the new Jet Research Institute. He became deputy head of the institute for scientific work. Then he was 26 years old, and he made grandiose plans for the future.
The young designer and scientist believed that the future of all aviation lay in jet engines and jet technology.
Arrest and continuation of scientific activities
In 1938 A massive purge was taking place in the USSR: they were looking for spies, enemies of the people. Many scientists, designers, and engineers were injured. Korolev was also arrested and sentenced by 10 years in forced labor camps in Kolyma.
At the request of the remaining scientists, he was transferred to the design group Tupolev create the Tu-2 aircraft. While working at Sharashka, he continued to dream of jet-powered aircraft.
Trip to Germany
From his conclusion unexpectedly released in 1944, and in 1945 he was sent to Germany as a specialist in the field of jet rocketry. There he collected military documentation of German scientists who created the famous rockets V-1 and V-2.
From Germany, Korolev was sent to Podlipki near Moscow, where he formed research and production center for the production of liquid fuel rockets. He was appointed chief designer of ballistic missiles. Has begun new stage his life.
New stage
In 1947 Korolev was invited to the Kremlin to report to Stalin on the development of a ballistic missile. He reported, but there was no reaction. And no changes occurred. Changes came after Stalin's death, when the country's new leadership attracted talented scientists and engineers to create new missile weapons and space exploration.
First launch into space
In 1954, Korolev completed work on a missile with a nuclear warhead and began creating an intercontinental missile. In October 1957, a rocket carrying the first artificial satellite took off into the sky..
In 1959, three spacecraft took turns heading towards the Moon. The first and second brought a pennant depicting the coat of arms of the USSR to the surface of the Moon, and the third took photographs of the far side of the Moon. On April 12, 1961, the world's first manned space flight took place., and on March 18, 1965, man first went into open space.
Korolev was so passionate about his work that he literally spent days and nights in laboratories, test sites, and the cosmodrome. He did not take into account himself, with time, with the work team - he lived by his favorite work and devoted himself completely to it.
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev planned to create a new ship, in the compartment of which cosmonauts could stay without spacesuits, and thought about docking two ships in space. But his heart could not withstand the excessive stress and on January 14, 1966 he died of heart failure.
Date of birth: January 12, 1907
Date of death: January 14, 1966
Place of birth: Ukraine, Zhitomir
Korolev Sergey Pavlovich– designer of the Soviet period, Korolev S.P.- stood at the origins of theoretical and practical shipbuilding. Space technology, missile weapons - in these areas he was undoubtedly the first figure of his time.
Sergei was born on January 12, 1907 in Zhitomir in a bourgeois family. His father, Pavel Yakovlevich, taught Russian literature to children. Mother Maria Moskalenko, according to the traditions of that time, ran the household.
At the age of 8, Sergei begins his studies at the Kyiv gymnasium. In 1917 he was transferred to the Odessa gymnasium. Due to the closure of the gymnasium, the boy has to transfer to a labor school. Then he leaves school completely and begins studying at home under the guidance of his stepfather and mother. His stepfather's engineering education greatly helped Korolev.
A fateful meeting with aviators takes place in 1921. Sergei begins to communicate with representatives of the Odessa hydraulic squad and understands that aircraft manufacturing will become his life’s work.
Very at a young age– 17 years old – he was able to justify his own project of a motorless aircraft before a special commission.
6 years later, Sergei is already a student at the Polytechnic Institute in Kyiv. The young man literally grasps the exact disciplines on the fly and two years later he continues his studies in the capital. Moscow higher military school added another gifted student.
In 1931, having collaborated with F. Zander, Sergei created a special group dedicated to studying jet propulsion. In practice, young scientists created and tested their models.
In 1933, the young specialist became deputy head of the Jet Research Institute. He is in charge of the missile department. The department's goal is to test all types of weapons-related missiles.
In June 1938, the scientist was charged seriously. He was arrested for sabotage. Korolev's interrogations were carried out with particular cruelty. The court sentence imposed 10 years of labor camps in Kolyma. The inventor spent a year in prison, since the USSR needed to build up military power and the government desperately needed designers and scientists.
In connection with this, many scientists were collected into specially organized design bureaus for forced work. Korolev was no exception.
He began his work under the patronage of Tupolev in Moscow. Then he was transported to Kazan, where he became the chief in the field of design rocket launchers.
In 1944, the scientist received his freedom and began work on rockets designed to fly along a ballistic trajectory. The first creation was the R-1, but it was not its own design, but was made according to the drawings of the German V-2.
Subsequently, work begins on rockets strategic purpose. In the post-war years, in 1957, missiles designed to fly along a ballistic trajectory for water and land were demonstrated for the first time.
At the same time, research is being carried out in astronautics. The launch of an artificial Earth satellite, which was launched into Earth orbit for the first time, could not have happened without Korolev. The development of astronautics is proceeding by leaps and bounds and two years later three aircraft are already visiting the Moon.
Despite the successes in peaceful space exploration, Korolev and his colleagues do not give up their work war machine THE USSR. The R-7 rocket is his brainchild. This missile could reach another continent and hit a target there.
But the peak of the career of a designer and scientist was probably the first manned flight into space. It was Korolev who was both the ideological inspirer and the executor of this gigantic project. Following the flight of Yu. Gagarin, Vostok-2 and Soyuz went into orbit. Preparatory work has begun for the design and assembly of a heavy interplanetary spacecraft.
Korolev did not have time to complete all these projects. During intestinal surgery, his heart stopped permanently. This happened on January 14, 1966.
Achievements of Sergei Korolev:
He was the first scientist in Soviet Russia who was engaged in theory and practice in almost all areas of rocket technology for peaceful and military purposes.
Before him, no one had done so much in the field of manned spacecraft designed to be launched into space.
During the beginning of the “arms race,” he stood at the origins of the USSR’s nuclear defense.
The most eminent and fruitful scientist in theoretical and practical astronautics.
The scientist’s merits were awarded the Lenin Prize, the title of Hero of Socialist Labor twice, and the title of Academician of Sciences.
Dates from the biography of Sergei Korolev:
January 12, 1907 born in Zhitomir.
1915 began his studies at the Kyiv gymnasium
1917 transferred to the Odessa gymnasium
1924 began his studies at the Kiev Polytechnic Institute.
1926 transferred to Moscow VTU.
1931 initiator of the creation of GIRD.
The 1933 rocket launch confirmed the correctness of all the theoretical calculations of the group of scientists. Experimental work has begun to create a combat weapon missile weapons
1938 suddenly arrested. The punishment was severe - the designer had to spend 10 years in a camp.
1939 sent to a labor camp in Siberia.
1940 forced to work in specially organized design bureaus.
1944 released without preconditions. Started working on missiles flying along a ballistic trajectory.
1957 created a rocket flying along a ballistic trajectory. The Earth satellite, controlled from the control center, was sent into flight.
1961 Vostok-1 was sent into orbit.
January 14, 1966 - Sergei Pavlovich’s heart stopped during intestinal surgery.
Interesting facts of Sergei Korolev:
To get the drawings and calculations for the V-2, he was sent to England. The spy project failed because the artillery captain allegedly had no military decorations.
While studying at school, he showed absolutely no talent. Didn't shine in any of the subjects.
A story well known among cosmonauts says that Gagarin and Komarov insisted on sending the scientist’s ashes to the Moon.
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev is an academician whose name is known, as a rule, to all educated people on the planet. What is the reason for such popularity? What did this undoubtedly talented man manage to create that stories about him have been retold for several decades?
Like all Soviet scientists, he made a significant contribution to the development of world science. But that's not all. He was the first. The first who managed to conquer outer space. Of course, after him there were and will be the most talented specialists who dedicated and are devoting their work to the exploration of the galaxy. But it is Sergei Pavlovich Korolev who is considered a pioneer.
In fact, you can talk about this person endlessly, each time being surprised by his talent, perseverance and determination.
Section 1. Childhood and adolescence
Sergei Korolev, whose biography is quite rich, was born in the Ukrainian city of Zhitomir on January 12, 1907. His parents separated early, the boy did not remember his own father at all, as he was brought up in his mother’s family in the city of Nizhyn. It was there in 1911 that Sergei saw the pilot Utochkin flying in an airplane. To say that this event simply impressed him is to say nothing. The teenager was indescribably delighted.
In 1917, Korolev and his mother moved to Odessa to live with his stepfather. A detachment of seaplanes was then located in South Palmyra. And pure chance brought the teenager together with mechanic V. Dolganov, who subsequently began to teach him all the intricacies. The boy spent the whole summer with the crew, helping prepare the planes for flights, and for a very a short time was able to become an indispensable and trouble-free assistant to local mechanics and pilots.
Sergei Korolev was unable to immediately obtain a certificate of general secondary education; as a result, he graduated from a two-year construction school, where he studied very diligently. Throughout his studies, Korolev continued to participate in the life of the hydroaviation detachment. And the guy’s reputation as a brilliant mechanic was firmly established.
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was a member of the Aviation Society of Ukraine, gave lectures on gliding, and took part in the construction of a glider designed by the famous pilot K. A. Artseulov. After a while, he entered the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, where he was considered one of the most educated fur students. faculty.
In 1926, after two years of study in Kyiv, the talented young man transferred to Moscow to major in aeromechanics (MVTU). In March 1927, Korolev graduated from gliding school with honors.
Section 2. Arrest and work for the KGB
In his autobiography chief designer recalled that he was arrested very unexpectedly (it happened on June 27, 1938) on charges of sabotage. Like many famous people at that time, he was subjected to torture. There is also evidence that both jaws were broken.
On September 25, 1938, the scientist was included in the list of special persons whose cases were considered by the Military Collegium Supreme Court THE USSR. In that list he was listed in the first (execution) category. But the court on September 27, 1938 sentenced him to only 10 years in labor camp. A few years later, the term was reduced, and he was released in 1944. During this time, Sergei went through Butyrka in Moscow, a prison in Novocherkassk and Kolyma, where he was engaged in “general work” at a gold mine.
The future chief designer returned to Moscow on March 2, 1940, where just 4 months later he was convicted a second time. In the NKVD prison TsKB-29, he participated in the construction of Pe-2 and Tu-2 bombers. Such talents were the reason for Korolev’s transfer to another design bureau at aircraft plant No. 16 in Kazan. In 1943, he was appointed to a responsible position in the production of rocket launchers. In July 1944, the scientist was released early on the personal orders of I.V. Stalin.
Section 3. Sergei Korolev - academician. Scientific works
Achievements in the field deserve special attention. So, this talented Soviet specialist took part in the following projects aimed at:
- Development In 1956, under his strict leadership, a two-stage ballistic missile R-7 was created, its modification was in service with the USSR Strategic Missile Forces. In 1957, he created the first rockets powered by stable fuel components.
- Creation of the first artificial satellite of our planet. S.P. Korolev developed it on the basis of a combat rocket with a three- and four-stage carrier. As a result, this one was launched on October 4, 1957.
- Construction of various satellites and launching vehicles to the Moon. Among other things, he managed to develop a geophysical satellite, paired Electron satellites and automatic stations to the Moon.
- The assembly of the Vostok-1 manned spacecraft, which made possible the world's first human flight - Yu. A. Gagarin - in low-Earth orbit. For this, the Queen was awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor for the second time.
Section 4. Love and space of a scientist
Korolev’s first kiss with the girl of his dreams, oddly enough, happened on the roof. He lived in Odessa and fell in love with Ksenia Vincentini, sought her favor for a long time, and only before leaving for the Kiev Polytechnic Institute did he propose to her. Ksenia replied that she would wait until Sergei finished his studies. It so happened that she studied to become a doctor in Kharkov, and he studied in Kyiv, and then in Moscow. Korolev constantly tried to get Ksenia’s consent to the marriage; she resisted for several more years, but in the end she became his wife, and Sergei took his beloved to Moscow.
However, unfortunately, soon after this, Korolev quickly loses interest in his wife and becomes interested in other women. As a result, such adventures of the husband brought the woman to this point and she decides to leave him. Their daughter Natasha found out about her father’s “infidelities” at the age of 12, and as a result, the rift between daughter and father remained for the rest of his life.
It turns out that the famous Academician Korolev was never able to become loving and caring husband and father.
Section 5. Exhausting inner loneliness
His second wife, Nina, had no easier time with his adventures. Sergei Pavlovich continued to disappear on endless business trips, suffering from loneliness.
He often turns to his wife for advice, writes letters to her, talks about his difficulties and experiences, eternal problems in his soul and But soon she begins to get tired of his eternal torment and confessions, she stops responding to them, and he feels even more lonely.
Section 6: Medical History and Death
Everything happened too suddenly. A man lived, worked for the good of his Motherland, glorified his country, when suddenly he was gone. There were no solemn speeches, no magnificent funerals, or even articles on the topic “S.P. Korolev, a world-famous academician, has passed away.”
Citizens of the USSR learned about what happened from the press. On January 16, 1966, a medical report on the cause of Korolev’s death was published in the Pravda newspaper. It turned out that he had been ill for a long time, and several people were bothering him at once. serious illnesses: sarcoma of the rectum, sclerosis of the arteries of the brain and Just on this day, Sergei Pavlovich underwent surgery to remove the tumor, but he died due to heart failure right on the operating table, without regaining consciousness.
Twice Hero of Socialist Labor
Lenin Prize laureate
Academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences
“What seemed impossible for centuries, what yesterday was just a daring dream, today becomes a real task, and tomorrow - an accomplishment!” S.P.Korolev
Sergei Korolev was born on January 12, 1907 in Ukraine, in Zhitomir, in the family of a literature teacher.
His father Pavel Yakovlevich Korolev graduated with honors from the Nezhin Historical and Philological Institute and received the title of gymnasium teacher. However, life together with Sergei’s mother, Maria Nikolaevna Moskalenko, did not work out for him. Soon after moving to Kyiv, his parents separated, and Sergei Korolev was brought up in the family of his mother’s parents in Nizhyn. Grandfather and grandmother loved their grandson very much and doted on him.
In Nezhin in 1911, Sergei first saw the Russian pilot Utochkin fly in an airplane, and this event shocked the imagination of the impressionable boy. I didn’t remember Korolev’s father. He was raised by his mother, a teacher, and his stepfather, engineer Grigory Mikhailovich Balanin. In 1917, Sergei and his mother moved to Odessa to live with his stepfather. In 1921, a detachment of seaplanes HYDRO-3 of the Main Directorate of the Air Force appeared in Odessa. Sergei watched their flights over the sea, dreaming of taking them into the sky. The incident brought the teenager together with hydraulic unit mechanic Vasily Dolganov. A new acquaintance, digging into the engine, explained to Sergei what was what. After the first “lecture” the “practice” began. All summer time He spent time in the hydraulic detachment, helping prepare planes for flight. Korolev became an indispensable, trouble-free assistant to mechanics and pilots.
He was not able to obtain a secondary general education immediately, since there were no conditions for this. Korolev graduated from a two-year vocational construction school. Sergei studied diligently. Classroom teacher He told his mother Maria Nikolaevna about him: “A guy with a king in his head.” All this time, Korolev continued to participate in the life of the hydroaviation detachment. Under the patronage of Dolganov, Sergei once took off in a seaplane, which was piloted by the detachment commander, and decided to become a pilot. At the same time, Sergei gained the reputation of a real mechanic. He also spent hours working in the school workshop where wooden products were made. The “carpentry school” was very useful to Sergei when he started building gliders.
In 1923, the government appealed to the people to build their own Air fleet. The Aviation and Aeronautics Society of Ukraine and Crimea (OAVUK) was born in Ukraine.
Korolev immediately became a member of this society and began studying in one of its gliding circles. He lectured workers on gliding. Korolev acquired knowledge on gliding and aviation history on his own by reading books, including German. Sergei Korolev, thanks to his stepfather and construction school teacher Gottlieb Karlovich Ave, who taught lessons in German, knew German quite well. Knowledge of the language was firmly attached to him for the rest of his life.
When the construction of a glider designed by the famous military pilot K.A. Artseulov began in the OAVUK workshops, Sergei Korolev also took part in the work on it. In April 1924, he participated in the first conference of glider pilots in Odessa. At this time, in May, an event very important for the history of astronautics took place in Moscow - the world's first Society for the Study of Interplanetary Communications (SIMS) was founded. Felix Dzerzhinsky and Konstantin Tsiolkovsky were elected honorary members. The main task of this society was to promote the work of transatmospheric flights using jet vehicles and other scientifically based means."
It should be noted that in late XIX and at the beginning of the 20th century in Russia there was a high interest in space. It was fueled by science fiction writers. Capturing minds, they contributed to the emergence of scientific and technical ideas. Tsiolkovsky created the cosmic work “Exploration of World Spaces by Reactive Instruments,” publishing it in 1903. In it, the scientist first developed the theory of jet propulsion and, on its basis, proved that a liquid-fuel rocket of the design he proposed was capable of achieving the speed necessary to overcome gravity.
People read the fantastic story “Outside the Earth” by Tsiolkovsky and especially Tolstoy’s novel “Aelita”. Long queues lined up at cinemas and clubs where the film based on this work was shown. The audience warmly applauded engineer Mstislav Los and Red Army soldier Alexei Gusev, who dared to go to Mars. It was fantastic. But there lived a real Los, who developed the spaceship-airplane - our compatriot Friedrich Arturovich Zander, a follower of Tsiolkovsky’s ideas. Another engineer, Yuri Vasilyevich Kondratyuk, a theorist of astronautics, was pondering the work “For those who will read in order to build.” But Sergei Korolev has not yet read either Tsiolkovsky or Zander, and has not heard anything about Kondratyuk. They will come into his life later.
While after graduating from school, Sergei worked as a carpenter, covering roofs with tiles, and later began working at a machine in production. Seniority The chief designer began at the age of sixteen. “I will be a builder... but only of airplanes,” Korolev said in those years. Maria Nikolaevna in her heart opposed her son’s passion, expressing fears about the danger of his chosen life path. The sensible stepfather, on the contrary, treated him calmly. Sergei found support for his aspirations in his stepfather.
Sergei dreamed of studying at the Air Force Academy in Moscow. But it accepted people who had served in the Red Army and were over 18 years old. Sergei could have been helped by a certificate from the Odessa Gubernia Department of the OAVUK about the submission to the aviation technical department of the project of the K-5 motorless aircraft he designed, which Maria Nikolaevna brought to the leadership of the academy along with a petition for her son. However, uncertainty regarding admission to the Moscow Academy remained. And Sergei decided to enter the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, where at that time it was planned to begin training aviation engineers at the mechanical faculty.
Among the students of the Faculty of Mechanics, Sergei was considered one of the youngest and most educated. At the same time, he worked and was everything during these years: a newspaper delivery man, a loader, a carpenter, and a roofer. But still he could barely make ends meet. In a letter to his mother in Odessa, Sergei wrote: “I get up early in the morning, at about five o’clock. I run to the editorial office, pick up newspapers, and then run to Solomenka, deliver them. So I earn eight karbovanets. And I’m even thinking about renting a corner.”
There was a gliding circle at the institute. His work was followed and helped by many prominent scientists who taught at the KPI. Sergei Korolev became its member. He worked, like everyone else, hard and enthusiastically. Often at night. Korolev sometimes slept right in the workshop on wood shavings. He loved to work and was known as a jack of all trades. After that, nothing was ever redone. The gliders built in the institute's workshops participated in international competitions, receiving the highest marks. The circle members had a rule: whoever built the glider flew on it.
The KPIR-3 training glider was built, and Korolev contributed his share of his labor to it. Sergei flew on it. One of the flights almost cost him his life. At the border of the site - a wasteland where gliders were tested, a water pipe protruded from a pile of garbage. Sergei did not notice and landed the glider on it. The blow was strong enough and Korolev lost consciousness for some time.
In 1926, after studying for two years at the KPI, Sergei Korolev transferred to Moscow to a special evening group on aeromechanics at the Moscow Higher Technical School. During the day he worked either in a design bureau or at an aircraft factory, and studied in the evening. By this time, my mother and stepfather had moved to Moscow. Korolev aspired to aviation. As soon as he entered the Moscow Higher Technical School, Sergei immediately became involved in the work of the student group AKNEZH - Academic Circle named after Nikolai Egorovich Zhukovsky. Engineers and scientists gave lectures there.
In January 1927, the grand opening of the Moscow Glider School took place in the Gorki Leninskikh area. Sergei Korolev also became her cadet. He flew a lot and willingly, mastering new types of gliders. In March 1927, Sergei graduated from gliding school with honors. Sergei Korolev was especially looking forward to the lectures of aviation designer Andrei Nikolaevich Tupolev, whose planes were already flying across the sky by that time. He taught students a course on aircraft construction.
In May 1927, at the international exhibition of interplanetary vehicles, Sergei first became acquainted with the works of Zander and Tsiolkovsky’s brochure “Exploration of World Spaces with Jet Instruments.” Books, drawings, diagrams, handicraft models - everything that was shown at the exhibition sank into Korolev’s consciousness. He began to pay more attention to rockets and space flights.
A graduate student at the Moscow Higher Technical University, Korolev, completed his industrial practice at the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute (TsAGI), at the Tupolev Design Bureau. At this time he was already working at an aircraft factory in Fili. At the same time, he was preparing his graduation project, deciding to design a light-engine two-seater aircraft SK-4.
The design of the SK-4 aircraft, designed for a record flight range, turned out to be original, thought out to the smallest detail and worked out at the level of a mature specialist. Tupolev himself became the project manager, signing it from the first presentation. This has never happened in the students' practice. The rigor and thoroughness of the designer were known. The design of the single-engine, two-seater SK-4 aircraft, approved by Tupolev, was then built and tested.
In September 1929, Sergei Korolev and his colleague Sergei Lyushin presented an unusual glider at the VI All-Union Glider Competition in Koktebel, approximately 50-90 kilograms heavier than its counterparts. At that time it was believed that the smaller the airframe, the better. A test flight on the Koktebel was made by K.K. Artseulov, reporting to the members of the technical commission: “The glider is well balanced. It obeys the rudders well. It can be cleared for flights.” Twenty-two-year-old Korolev set a soaring record on the Koktebel glider. He hovered in the air for more than four hours.
In October 1930, at the All-Union Glider Rally, Korolev presented a new glider SK-3, which he named “Red Star”. Stress on square meter he had more than Koktebel - 22.5 kilograms. The glider's data was so unusual that the possibility of soaring in the air itself was questioned. However, it was on it that for the first time in the history of aviation, test pilot V.A. Stepanchenok, an experienced glider pilot, made the famous Nesterov loop in free flight. Korolev was not present at the competitions because he fell ill with typhus. As a result of the complication, he developed severe headaches and required craniotomy surgery. It was successful, but remained ordeal for Sergei. After the illness, Korolev’s body was so weakened that he had to leave work for several months. But as soon as it became easier, Sergei began reading Tsiolkovsky’s work “Jet Airplane” with enthusiasm.
Before studying in Kyiv, in Odessa, Korolev met his future wife- Ksenia Vincentini. He tried to do everything to make her become his girlfriend: he walked around her upside down, swam under a barge in the sea, and even did a handstand for her on the edge of the roof of a two-story Odessa morgue. All this made the necessary impression on Ksenia. While leaving to study at the aviation department of the Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Korolev proposed to her. She replied that, although she loved him, she did not intend to get married until she learned to earn money on her own.
He studied in Kyiv, then at the Moscow Higher Technical School in Moscow, and she studied in Kharkov to become a doctor. After graduation, Ksenia was assigned to work in Donbass. While there, Korolev again tries to get consent to the marriage. In August 1931, she became his wife, and he took her to Moscow. However, Sergei was not known for fidelity in marriage. Her husband’s adventures brought Ksenia to the point where in the spring of 1948 she poured out all her feelings in a letter to Korolev’s mother: “You know the whole story of our love well. I had to endure a lot of grief even before 1938 (the year of Korolev’s arrest. - Author). , and, despite the remaining feeling of affection and some kind of love for S., I firmly decided... to leave him so that he could continue his life under his favorite slogan “Let everyone live as he wants...” Later they divorced.
Korolev’s second wife was translator Nina Ivanovna, who worked in his design bureau.
The daughter of Sergei Korolev and Ksenia Vincentini, Natasha, who was under the influence of her mother, learned about her father’s infidelities at the age of 12. The rift between daughter and father remained for life. According to space age chronicler Yaroslav Golovanov, when Korolev later called her from Baikonur to wish her a happy birthday, she hung up. He sat and cried.
But while Korolev was still interested in aviation, the desire to find a means to fly higher, faster, further brought him close to the idea of investigating the possibilities of jet propulsion. He agreed with Tsiolkovsky: “The era of propeller airplanes should be followed by the era of jet airplanes, or stratosphere airplanes.”
In March 1931, Sergei Korolev returned to work at TsAGI, combining work in the Jet Propulsion Research Group (GIRD). It was created in August 1931 under the Bureau of Aircraft of the Central Council of Osoaviakhim (DOSAAF) in the year of the 75th anniversary of Tsiolkovsky’s birth. GIRD became the center where everyone interested in rocketry flocked. Zander was appointed its head, who played an important role in the development of theoretical and practical issues space navigation. The technical council was headed by Korolev. The age of the employees, with a few exceptions, did not exceed twenty-five years. The GIRD was located in an abandoned basement at house 19 on Sadovo-Spasskaya Street.
The idea of creating jet engines excited many minds outside the USSR in those years. But the first, main impetus was given by Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky, it was he who came up with the idea of the birth of a jet engine running on liquid fuel. In the 1920s, work in this direction was carried out by the German scientist Obert, the American professor Goddard and others.
The work of the Girdovites was crowned with success. On August 17, 1933, at the Nakhabino test site near Moscow, the first Soviet rocket GIRD-09, designed by M.K. Tikhonravov, using liquid fuel, rushed into the sky. The rocket rose to a height of 400 meters, the flight duration was 18 seconds. But this luck made the Girdovites finally believe in their strength. Unfortunately, Zander, who was the soul of the whole affair, never saw the rocket launch. Shortly before this, on March 28, he passed away; he died of typhus while on vacation in Kislovodsk. By a special resolution, the Central Council of Osoaviakhim assigned the name of F.A. Tsander to GIRD.
In 1933, the dream of rocketry enthusiasts to create a unified rocket center came true. Cutting off all bureaucratic obstacles, on the personal order of Tukhachevsky, who had a deep understanding of fundamentally new work, GIRD and the Leningrad Gas Dynamics Laboratory (GDL) were merged into the Jet Research Institute (RNII). I.T. Kleimenov (head of the GDL) was appointed head of the institute, Sergei Korolev was appointed his deputy for scientific work. He was awarded the official rank of divisional engineer (according to modern concepts- rank of lieutenant general of technical troops).
At the same time, Korolev and Tikhonravov were awarded the highest award of the defense society - the badge "For active defense work."
In 1934, Korolev’s first printed work, “Rocket Flight in the Stratosphere,” was published. “A missile is a very serious weapon,” the author warned in his work. Sergei Pavlovich sent a copy of the book to Tsiolkovsky. Soon, Osoaviakhim received a letter from Tsiolkovsky with a review of Korolev’s work: “The book is reasonable, informative and useful.” The scientist only complained that the author did not provide his address and deprived him of the opportunity to personally thank him for the book.
Korolev dreamed of getting serious about the rocket plane, but his plan was not destined to come true. Not everything went smoothly at the newly created institute. Disagreements emerged regarding the primary tasks of the Rocket Institute between Kleimenov and Korolev, as a result of which Korolev was transferred to the ordinary position of senior engineer. In the fall of 1937, the wave of repression and tyranny that swept the country reached the RNII.
Tukhachevsky was shot and Tupolev was arrested, who ended up in a closed Central Design Bureau, where other “enemies of the people” worked - famous designers in the aviation world V.M. Myasishchev, V.M. Petlyakov, R.L. Bartini and others. In Moscow, on Radio Street, the seven-story TsAGI building was converted into a prison for them, with rooms allocated for housing and design work. The specialists here worked not out of fear, but out of conscience, understanding that their work was necessary for the country, and firmly believing that they would soon sort it out and be convinced of their innocence.
On September 25, 1938, Korolev was included in the list of persons subject to trial by the Military Collegium of the Supreme Court of the USSR. He was in the first category on the list, which means that the punishment recommended by the NKVD authorities was execution. The list was personally endorsed by Stalin, thereby practically confirming the death sentence. But this was a time of change in the leadership of the NKVD and repressions had already reduced their scope. Therefore, court decisions did not so blindly follow the recommendations of the NKVD.
Lieutenant General Tyulin, a close friend who spoke with Korolev more than once on expeditions, testified: “When V. Glushko, later an academician, one of the creators of Soviet cosmonautics, was arrested on the basis of a denunciation, and declared an enemy of the people, Korolev publicly stated that he could not believe that Glushko is an enemy of the people. Then he himself was taken away a few days later."
Korolev was arrested on June 27, 1938 and sentenced to ten years in forced labor camps in Kolyma. He spent a year in Butyrka prison, during interrogations he was subjected to severe torture and beatings, as a result of which Korolev’s jaw was broken. He also suffered a concussion. On April 21, 1939, Korolev ended up in Kolyma, where he was at the Maldyak gold mine of the Western Mining Administration and was busy with the so-called “general work.” On December 2, 1939, he was sent to the disposal of Vladlag. In the Gulag, an engineer who knew Korolev from the Moscow special prison described him as “a cynic and a pessimist” who repeated: “We will all disappear without a trace.” But he was a rocket scientist, and he was needed. When a call came to Kolyma, send it to " Mainland", he hurried to the pier. However, by that time the last steamer had left. Soon the ship sank, and Korolev waited a year for navigation to begin.
Korolev returned to Moscow on March 2, 1940, where four months later he was tried a second time and sent to a new place of imprisonment - the Moscow NKVD special prison TsKB-29, where, under the leadership of Tupolev, also a prisoner, he took part in the creation of Pe-2 and Tu bombers -2 and at the same time proactively developed projects for a guided aerial torpedo and a new version of a missile interceptor. This was the reason for Korolev’s transfer in 1942 to another prison-type design bureau - OKB-16 at Kazan Aviation Plant No. 16, where work was carried out on new types of rocket engines for use in aviation.
Sergei Pavlovich worked, according to the recollections of his “cellmates,” furiously and quickly. He participated in the construction of a dive bomber under the leadership of Tupolev. Here at the Central Clinical Hospital he met the beginning of the war, then evacuated along with everyone else to Omsk. Korolev asked to be a pilot at the front, but Tupolev, who by that time had already been released from prison, having recognized and appreciated him even better, did not let him go, saying: “Who will build airplanes?”
Soon Korolev was appointed deputy head of the Tu-2 assembly shop. But the thought of creating a jet aircraft did not leave him. He did not yet know that in February 1940, the first rocket glider with a liquid rocket engine was tested in the country. It was driven by a tow plane, but it was very important fact and the first step in the development of jet aviation. Before this flight, world practice had not yet known such an experience, and in 1942 the first aircraft with a jet engine was flown. It was piloted by test pilot Grigory Bakhchivandzhi.
Korolev was released in 1944 with his criminal record cleared. This is evidenced by an extract from the Minutes of the meeting of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR dated July 27, 1944. On May 13, 1946, a decision was made to create an industry in the USSR for the development and production of rocket weapons with liquid rocket engines. In accordance with this resolution, the unification of all groups was provided for Soviet engineers to study the German V-2 missile weapons, which had been working in Germany since 1945, at the Nordhausen Research Institute, of which Korolev was appointed chief engineer and technical director. In Germany, Sergei Pavlovich not only studies the German V-2 rocket, but also designs a more advanced ballistic missile with a flight range of up to 600 kilometers.
He signed his letters to his daughter: “Your friend Sergei”, and his articles - “Professor K. Sergeev”. In the 1950s, his place of work was stated in the directory of the Academy of Sciences: “PO Box 651.”
In 1952, after his criminal record was cleared and he received the order, Korolev applied to be a party candidate. At the bureau of the district committee he is received with difficulty (6 for, 5 against): after all, he is a former enemy of the people. On May 30, 1955, Korolev wrote to the Military Prosecutor’s Office: “I ask you to reconsider my case and completely rehabilitate me, since I was not a member of any anti-Soviet organization...”. The answer had to wait two years: rehabilitation came only in the spring of 1957, a few months before the launch of Sputnik. However, he never felt completely free. “The most tragic thing is that they don’t understand how much there is in common between life in the Gulag and life in freedom.” large area". After all, I’m classified, so if they want, they’ll slam me without an obituary. Another time you wake up, lie there and think: they’ll give a command, and the same guards will burst into the room and yell: “Come on, you bastard, get out with your things!” - from memories of Ozerov, who was with Korlev in the Gulag, and then free.
The first task set by the government for Korolev as chief designer and all organizations involved in missile weapons was to create an analogue of the V-2 rocket from domestic materials. But already in 1947, a decree was issued on the development of new ballistic missiles with a greater flight range than the V-2: up to 3,000 kilometers. In 1948, Korolev began flight tests of the R-1 ballistic missile (analogous to the V-2) and in 1950 successfully put it into service. This rocket differed from the German one in significantly greater reliability.
At the same time, Korolev was developing a new ballistic missile R-2 with a flight range of 600 kilometers.
The R-2 missile had a supporting fuel tank, a more convenient layout for operation and, most importantly, a warhead that separated in flight. In addition, the rocket propulsion system was significantly modified to increase its thrust, and the autonomous control system had twice the accuracy of fire. The R-2 missile was put into service in 1951, i.e. only a year later than the R-1 missile.
Together with practical work above rocket weapons At NII-88, under the scientific leadership of Korolev, large-scale design and experimental research on topics H-I, N-2, N-3 in order to create a scientific and technical basis for the development of qualitatively new missiles.
On the topic N-1, experimental and theoretical studies of the main technical problems related to the implementation of the R-3 rocket project, which has a flight range of 3000 kilometers: it was necessary to ensure the stability of the flight of the rocket without a stabilizer (aerodynamically unstable) design and to obtain data on the behavior of boiling liquid oxygen in a thermally non-insulated oxidizer carrier tank during movement in the active part of the trajectory at elevated external heat flows into the mass of liquid oxygen. Based on the design solutions of the R-2 missile using its uprated engine, a single-stage experimental R-ZA ballistic missile with a stabilizerless design with a flight range of 1,200 kilometers was created. Successful flight tests of this missile gave rise to the Ministry of Defense to adopt it into service in 1956 with a nuclear warhead as the R-5M. It was the first domestic strategic missile, which became the basis of the missile nuclear shield countries.
On the N-2 topic, studies were carried out on the possibility and feasibility of creating ballistic missiles operating on stable fuel components (using nitric acid with nitrogen oxides as an oxidizer). As a result, the possibility of creating such missiles was confirmed and a preliminary design of the first domestic ballistic missile R-11 with a flight range of 250 km and a launch weight half that of the R-1 was completed. However, taking into account the environmental toxicity of nitrogen oxides and the lower energy characteristics of stable liquid fuels compared to fuels based on liquid oxygen and kerosene, as well as those that arose then serious problems With the development of rocket engines with the required thrust (greater than 8 g), stably operating on these fuel components, it was considered advisable to use a nitric acid oxidizer with nitrogen oxides for BR with comparatively short range flight. When creating missiles with a longer flight range, and especially intercontinental ones, it was recommended to use liquid oxygen as an oxidizer. Sergei Pavlovich turned out to be faithful to this direction in the development of rocket technology throughout his entire creative activity.
The Ministry of Defense entrusted OKB-1 NII-88 with the development of the N-11 missile, and Korolev brilliantly solved this problem by using A.M. Isaev’s 8-ton engine, which had just been created for an anti-aircraft missile, and for the first time using a liquid pressure accumulator to supply fuel to the combustion chamber .
Based on the R-11, Korolev developed and put it into service in 1957 strategic missile R-11M with a nuclear warhead, transported tanked on a tank chassis. Having seriously modified this missile, he adapted it for armament of submarines (submarines) as the R-11FM. The changes were more than serious, as it was done new system control and aiming, and also provided the ability to fire in fairly strong sea conditions from the surface. Thus, Sergei Pavlovich created the first ballistic missiles based on stable mobile ground- and sea-based fuel components and was a pioneer in these new and important areas of missile development.
He transferred the final development of the R-11FM missile to Zlatoust, to SKB-385, sending there from his OKB-1 the young talented lead designer V.P. Makeev, together with qualified designers and constructors, thereby laying the foundation for the creation of a unique center for the development of ballistic missiles. sea-based missiles.
At NII-88, two research projects were started under the leadership of Korolev with the aim of determining the appearance and parameters of intercontinental ballistic and winged types(topics T-1 and T-2) with the necessary experimental confirmation of problematic design solutions.
Research on the T-1 topic grew into development work related to the creation of the first two-stage intercontinental missile R-7 package design, which still surprises with its original design solutions, ease of execution, high reliability and efficiency. The R-7 rocket made its first successful flight in August 1957.
As a result of research on the T-2 topic, the possibility of developing a two-stage intercontinental cruise missile was shown, the first stage of which was purely rocket and launched the second stage, a cruise missile, to an altitude of 23-25 kilometers. The winged stage, using a ramjet engine, continued to fly at these altitudes at a speed of 3 M and was aimed at the target using an celestial navigation control system.
Subsequently, Korolev developed a more advanced compact two-stage intercontinental missile R-9 (supercooled liquid oxygen is used as an oxidizer) and put it into service (mine version R-9A) in 1962. Later, in parallel with work on important space systems, Sergei Pavlovich began to be the first in the country to develop the solid-fuel intercontinental rocket RT-2, which was put into service after his death. At this point, OKB-1 Korolev stopped working on combat missiles and focused its efforts on creating priority space systems and unique launch vehicles.
Doing martial arts ballistic missiles, Korolev, as is now clear, strived for more - the conquest of outer space and human space flights. To this end, Sergei Pavlovich, back in 1949, together with scientists of the USSR Academy of Sciences, began research using modifications of the R-1A rocket and launching it to altitudes of up to 100 kilometers, and then using more powerful R-2 and R-5 rockets to altitudes of 200 and 500 kilometers. The purpose of these flights was to study the parameters of near outer space, solar and galactic radiation, the Earth's magnetic field, the behavior of highly developed animals in space conditions (weightlessness, overloads, large vibrations and acoustic loads), as well as testing life support and returning animals to Earth from space - About seven dozen such launches were made. With this, Sergei Pavlovich laid in advance serious foundations for a human assault on space.
In 1955, long before the flight tests of the R-7 rocket, Korolev, M.V. Keldysh, M.K. Tikhonravov came to the government with a proposal to launch an artificial satellite into space using the R-7 rocket. The government supports this initiative. In August 1956, OKB-1 left NII-88 and became an independent organization, with Korolev appointed chief designer and director. And already on October 4, 1957, Korolev launched the first satellite in human history into low-Earth orbit.
The period when spacecraft were created belongs to the fourth period of Korolev’s activity from 1957 until his premature death at the beginning of 1966. During this period, the Queen was distinguished by her breadth of views and inexhaustible creative energy. Working with Korolev was difficult, but interesting. The work went on day and night.
Sergei Pavlovich did not like to repeat himself. While developing some fundamentally new design, bringing it to perfection, he lost interest in it. Instead of then, over the course of many years, creating versions of what had already been mastered, he donated all this to the team of a related organization. And, if necessary, he transferred a group of his employees to the new enterprise.
They started a big business practically from scratch. And yet, over the course of ten years, orientation systems were developed for photographing the far side of the Moon, orientation and correction of the flight trajectories of Mars, Venus and Probes. Automatic and manual control systems have been developed for manned spacecraft Vostok, Voskhod, Soyuz and others. Sergei Pavlovich’s passion was transmitted, as if through a chain, to all participants, from scientists to ordinary workers, and the impossible became possible.
Korolev saw the appearance of space technology after many years. Sergei Pavlovich conducted meetings in a unique manner, allowing everyone to speak and keeping minutes “for himself” in the most careful manner. Upon completion, he thanked everyone present and said that he had heard a lot of interesting things, but he needed to think about it. The decision, which was sometimes made after some time, did not necessarily coincide with the opinion of the majority; often Sergei Pavlovich looked at the problem more broadly than his colleagues, taking into account what went far beyond the scope of the organization he headed. Having outlined the next goal, Korolev had the ability to instill in all participants in the work confidence in imminent success, to inspire them to do seemingly unthinkable things. He knew how to create an atmosphere in which people gave their all and did everything to bring victory closer.
Having organized the work, Korolev moved towards the goal, sweeping away obstacles, maintaining confidence in ultimate success, concentrating his forces on the main direction. Korolev did not convey topics related to manned flights to anyone. This was, on the one hand, due to the special responsibility of manned flights, on the other hand, to the long-standing and persistent sympathies of Sergei Pavlovich - he more than once said with regret that his age and health did not allow him to fly into space himself. Everything related to the work of the cosmonauts was led by Korolev himself and controlled most carefully.
B.V. Rauschenbach wrote about Korolev: “Working with Korolev was difficult, but interesting. Increased demands, short time and novelty... He always wanted to know in detail the problems that his employees were solving; when reporting this or that question to him, I often heard: “I don’t understand, repeat it.” Not every manager could afford this “I didn’t understand”, for fear of losing his authority in the eyes of his subordinate. But such human weaknesses were completely alien to Sergei Pavlovich. All our projects were implemented in rocket technology, first of all, thanks to S.P., whom no one and nothing could stop if he needed something for his business. Korolev said that he always waited for the confirming voice of intuition, “like the third bell”... How often, relying on intuition, he resolved controversial issues and was never mistaken! He was no scientist. They also write that he was a great engineer - this is absolute nonsense... because he did little: there is not a single Korolev theorem, not a single Korolev formula. But he also had another amazing property - even if there is a lack of information, he can still accept the right decision... Again an amazing instinct that never let him down. Such a business as he led could only be carried out with the character of Korolev - the character of a commander. Sergei Pavlovich was an excellent psychologist, without prejudice, without one-sided approach to a person. I didn’t divide into “little white” and “black”, I saw people with all their “stripes” and “speckles”. This helped him make full use of his talent as a leader; he knew how to infect those around him with his mood: enthusiasm, haste, or, conversely, calmness; in a word, what he at that moment considered necessary for the business. I think that Korolev’s main thing was not that he came up with or invented something. At one time I thought for a long time about Korolev and all those people who really made major discoveries, I would say, discoveries of global significance, and I thought about how to call them in one word: a great scientist, a great engineer? This is all nonsense. There are many great scientists, and many great engineers. And these people were unique phenomena. And I repeat, I couldn’t think of a better word than commander.”
Even before the launch of the first artificial Earth satellite, under the leadership of Korolev, projects were being developed for interplanetary stations, satellites for national economic purposes, and manned spacecraft. In January 1959, the first rocket was launched towards the Moon, and in the same year a pennant with the image of the coat of arms was delivered to the surface of the Moon Soviet Union and photographs of its reverse side were obtained. In 1966, less than a month after Korolev’s death, he made a soft landing on the surface of the Moon. spacecraft - last work Queen on the lunar exploration program. Korolev’s highest achievement in the field of deep space exploration was the flight of ships to Mars and Venus, and the delivery of a pennant with the coat of arms of the Soviet Union to the surface of Mars.
The Molniya-1 satellite became an example of solving a complex and necessary problem - providing radiotelegraph, radiotelephone and television communications over long distances, in particular between Moscow and the Far East.
But manned space flights are rightly considered the pinnacle of Korolev’s creativity. On April 12, 1961, the Vostok spacecraft launched with Yuri Gagarin on board.
It was as if Korolev himself did not exist during his lifetime. Only after his death was it allowed to talk, write and remember about him. He was an invisible man - without a name, biography, without facial expression and habits, without the two kopeck coins that Korolev always carried in his coat pocket - a strange children's talisman. Even when Korolev was alive, skeptics had ample reason to doubt his reality. The secret behind which this man was hiding resembled something fantastic.
He took on a difficult burden. Nature rewarded him with an analytical mind, the ability to captivate and lead others. Evil tongues, however, have always cast a shadow over the fence, assuring that Korolev is one of many of the same kind. But the evil tongues were wrong: he stood out among others with his audacity, talent, and ability to look to the future. And he worked much more than others, because he took on other people’s burdens. He lived a mythological life, practically ruining his health.
Korolev was sick with rectal sarcoma. In addition, he was found to have atherosclerotic cardiosclerosis, sclerosis of the cerebral arteries, pulmonary emphysema and metabolic disorders.
He died on the operating table. When Korolev was admitted to the Kremlin hospital, the operation was assigned to the middle-aged Professor Petrovsky. It was possible to put Korolev in a foreign clinic, as was the case with Chernenko, but Korolev was a secret scientist. Professor Golyakovsky, who lives in New York and was a former Moscow doctor, recalled this in his book “The Russian Doctor”: “They put Korolev on the operating table and, having begun the operation, discovered that the diagnosis was false. And the operation continued. When the patient became bad, the famous surgeon Vishnevsky was urgently called in. He examined the dying Korolev and muttered gloomily: “I don’t operate on corpses.”
Petrovsky was unable to stop the bleeding during the operation by removing the polyps. They decided to open the abdominal cavity. When doctors began to get to the site of the bleeding, they discovered a tumor the size of a fist. It was sarcoma - malignant tumor. Petrovsky decided to remove the sarcoma. At the same time, part of the rectum was removed. Due to the injury received in exile (the investigator hit Sergei Pavlovich on the cheekbone with a decanter), they could not insert a breathing tube into his throat. Korolev's death occurred on January 14, 1966 from heart failure. He was 59 years old.
The funeral took place on Red Square in Moscow on January 18 at 13:00. The urn with the ashes of Sergei Korolev was buried in the Kremlin wall.
As a sign of recognition of Korolev’s merits, monuments were erected in his homeland in Zhitomir, in Moscow, where he lived, in the Moscow region, where he built rockets and ships, at the cosmodrome, from where he laid roads to the Universe. The Kuibyshev Aviation Institute, the streets of many cities, two research vessels, a high mountain peak in the Pamirs, a pass in the Tien Shan, and an asteroid bear his name. In commemoration of Korolev’s merits in the study of the Moon, the world astronomical community assigned his name to one of the large ring-shaped rock formations on the Moon - the thalassoid.
About Sergei Korolev was filmed documentary"Knockin 'on Heaven".
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Text prepared by Andrey Goncharov
References:
Academician S.P. Korolev. Scientist. Engineer. Man: Creative portrait based on the memories of contemporaries: Sat. articles / Edited by A.Yu. Ishlinsky. - M., 1986.
Apenchenko O.. Sergei Korolev. - M., 1968.
Astashenkov P.T. Korolev. - M., 1969.
Cosmonautics: Encyclopedia / Ch. ed. V.P. Glushko. - M., 1985.
Cosmonautics of the USSR: Sat. / Comp. L.N.Gilberg, A.A.Eremenko; Chief editor Yu.A.Mozzhorin. - M., 1986.
Pioneers of rocket technology: Kibalchich, Tsiolkovsky, Tsander, Kondratyuk: Scientific works. - M., 1959.
Rauschenbach B. Scientist, designer, organizer. To the 75th anniversary of S.P. Korolev. - Wings of the Motherland., 1982.
Rebrov M.F. Sergei Pavlovich Korolev. Life and extraordinary destiny. - M.: OLMA-PRESS, 2002.
Romanov A. Korolev. - M., "Young Guard", ZhZL, 1996.
Alexander KHARKOVSKY: “Sergei Korolev – through thorns to the races”
Site materials about S.P. Korolev
Wikipedia materials
Soviet scientist, designer of rocket and space systems, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences (1958), twice Hero of Socialist Labor (1956, 1961). Founder of practical astronautics.
Sergei Pavlovich Korolev was born on January 12, 1907 in the city of Zhitomir (now in Ukraine) in the family of Russian literature teacher Pavel Yakovlevich Korolev (1877-1929). He was about three years old when his parents divorced.
In 1915, S.P. Korolev entered the preparatory classes of the gymnasium in Kyiv, and in 1917 he went to the first grade of the gymnasium in Odessa. After the closure of the gymnasium, he studied at the Construction Vocational School, from which he graduated in 1924, receiving the specialty of a tile builder.
In 1924-1927, S.P. Korolev studied at the aeromechanical department of the Moscow Higher Technical University. , in 1927 he began working at the factories of the All-Union Aviation Association. In 1929, he graduated from the Moscow Higher Technical School, defending his graduation project for the light-engine aircraft SK-4 under the guidance of aircraft designer A. N. Tupolev. In 1930, S.P. Korolev graduated from the Moscow Pilot School. From June 1930 he was a senior engineer at TsAGI. He developed a number of designs for successfully flown gliders.
Rocket and space systems, the development of which was headed by S.P. Korolev, made it possible for the first time in the world to launch artificial satellites of the Earth and the Sun, fly automatic interplanetary stations to the Moon, Venus and Mars, and make a soft landing on the surface of the Moon. Under his leadership, artificial Earth satellites of the Electron and Molniya-1 series, many satellites of the Cosmos series, and the first copies of interplanetary reconnaissance aircraft of the Zond series were created. S.P. Korolev trained many talented scientists and engineers.
S.P. Korolev was twice awarded the title of Hero of Socialist Labor (1956, 1961), awarded three orders, the Order of the Badge of Honor. In 1957 he became a Lenin Prize laureate.
S.P. Korolev died on January 14, 1966 as a result of an unsuccessful operation. His ashes are buried in the Kremlin wall behind the Mausoleum on Red Square.
In the history of space exploration, the name of S.P. Korolev is associated with the era of the first remarkable achievements. The outstanding organizational skills and talent of a great scientist allowed him to direct the work of many research and design teams to solve large complex problems for a number of years. The scientific and technical ideas of S.P. Korolev have been widely used in rocket and space technology. He was the generator of many extraordinary ideas and the progenitor of outstanding design teams working in the field of rocket and space technology; his contribution to the development of domestic and world manned astronautics is decisive. He is a pioneer in many main areas of development of domestic missile weapons and rocket and space technology.
The name of S.P. Korolev, as one of the founders of practical cosmonautics, was given to the largest formation (thalassoid) on back side Moons.