Cosmonaut Georgy Mikhailovich Grechko died of heart failure at the age of 85 on April 8, 2017. He was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery in Moscow. He flew into space three times, studied science, led social activities, wrote books, and was married three times.
Date of death of Georgy Mikhailovich
The night of April 8, 2017 was the last in the life of the famous pilot-cosmonaut Georgy Grechko. Gone is a symbol of the era, a worthy man of his time, an example of decency and patriotism. The state appreciated his contribution to its history with two Hero of the USSR awards, and the people - with love and respect.
Where and from what did he die
The cosmonaut's life was cut short in the 81st hospital in Moscow in the morning at 6:40. The previous day, a TASS report appeared about his hospitalization.
But such information was not confirmed by the daughter. According to her, Georgy Mikhailovich visited the hospital for consultation: recently his health condition has deteriorated significantly.
The cause of death of Georgy Grechko was heart failure, which developed against the background age-related changes and existing chronic diseases.
The body was so weakened that the resuscitation measures carried out in the hospital in the early morning of April 8 did not help. With the last heartbeats, life stopped.
Funeral of an astronaut
Georgy Mikhailovich was buried at the Troekurovsky cemetery on the fourth day after he died - April 11. The place of final rest was the Alley of Cosmonauts.
Died famous person in the 86th year of his fruitful life. His entire biography is evidence of his service to the cause of space exploration and the development of society as a whole.
Brief biography of Grechko
Georgy was born on May 25, 1931 in Leningrad. His mother, a native of Belarus, worked as a chief engineer at a plant. Father is a junior researcher, originally from the Chernigov region of Ukraine. In his son, he saw a continuation of his profession; he dreamed that George would also study science. However, his son's character indicated that he would achieve more.
Childhood and youth
There was no carefree childhood, because when he was 10 years old, the war began. For two years, the boy was sent to Ukraine to live with his grandmother, where he experienced all the hardships of life in the occupied territory. Returning, he continued to study and graduated from school in 1949.
Once, as a gift, he was presented with an album of stamps. This was the beginning of a lifelong passion – philately. The entire collection of collected stamps was dedicated to astronautics.
Georgy went on his first geological exploration expedition at the age of 16. This was the Arctic. However, most of all he was attracted by interplanetary travel. Reading many books on this topic, he believed that his dreams were destined to come true.
After graduating from school, Georgy entered the Leningrad Mechanical Institute, which he successfully graduated in 1955. He was assigned to the design bureau named after. S. Korolev, where he defended his diploma.
Brief overview of life milestones - video:
With the choice of such a career path, life forever became connected with aircraft: rockets, spacecraft for launch into orbit.
Enrollment in the cosmonaut corps
The acquired technical knowledge and existing enthusiasm allowed Georgiy to participate in the development of rocket and other aircraft projects.
Later he is placed at the head of a group of future test cosmonauts. April 1968 brings tester status, and May brings enrollment into the cosmonaut corps.
Interesting: the first cosmonauts were recruited from among military pilots. However, according to S.P. Korolev, it was necessary to partially involve civilians. Often the choice fell on OKB-1 employees, as happened with Grechko.
For some time, the young man was in the reserve - he broke his leg in an accident. After this, long, exhausting training began, improving existing knowledge and acquiring precious experience.
According to the program existing at that time, the astronaut was preparing for a flight to the Moon. However, this program was soon closed, and he began to be trained to pilot Soyuz-type ships. This also included theoretical and practical issues of working at orbital stations such as Salyut.
The results of this preparation were the inclusion of Georgy Mikhailovich in the reserve composition of Soyuz-9 in June 1970 and Soyuz-12 in 1973.
Time passed. The moment of real work has arrived, towards which Grechko has been working all the previous years. April 10, 1975 was the day when he made his first space flight on the Soyuz-17 spacecraft with flight engineer Alexei Gubarev. After being in orbit for 29 days, their ship landed on February 9.
Flights into space
During his working life he made 3 space flights. Their total duration was 134 days and 20 hours. There was an open spacewalk lasting an hour and 28 minutes. Brief description flights are presented in the table:
The first flight included astrophysical research to study the Sun and planets, taking into account a wide range of electromagnetic radiation options.
During the flight, Grechko received an official reprimand for unauthorizedly fixing a malfunction of the telescope (as an unplanned action). This flight had a difficult end as strong winds arose during landing. As a result, Gubarev was left with a spinal injury, and Grechko received a fracture of his lower limb.
A special feature of the second flight was access to open space. It happened on December 20th. The goal was to determine the quality of the station's docking. 1 hour and 28 minutes were spent in outer space. At the same time, the goal was to test a new type of spacesuit with a six-hour supply of oxygen.
It was for his first two flights that Georgy Grechko was twice awarded the title of Hero of the USSR.
The third flight was also special: the cosmonaut completed it at the age of 54, which became a personal achievement.
Subsequently, the astronaut was included in preparations for international flights. 1984 - he is a backup for the Soviet-Indian crew of the Soyuz T-11.
In 1988, Grechko was asked to prepare for the next flight. However, he did not dare to continue such a career. After leaving the cosmonaut corps, he began working at the Institute of Atmosphere of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The existing store of theoretical and practical knowledge allowed me to quickly defend my doctoral dissertation.
Other work
G. M. Grechko was a man of broad outlook and active energy. After finishing his space career, he could not rest on his laurels. His subsequent work biography was of a creative nature.
He is an active consultant to space film makers:
- "Purple Ball";
- "Under the constellation Gemini";
- “Should we send...a messenger”;
- autobiographical documentary stories “Georgy Grechko. Trajectory of Fate" and "Georgy Grechko. I've been in space, I believe in God."
As a result of cooperation with the Kultura TV channel, a series of films about the Moon and other planets was released.
In 1977-1990 he acted as the host of the program “This Fantastic World”, the heroes of which are science fiction writers.
Life for such an active person could not consist only in passive observation of events. In 2006, he was offered to go on an expedition to Sinai in Egypt. The goal is to search for the “cave of Moses” and the “white disc-shaped object.” Georgy Grechko takes part in it with pleasure.
Another four years later - a visit to the village of Chapel, which has the status of an anomalous zone.
He was also involved in ufological research. And in the last few years he was vice president of OTP Bank.
Collaboration with Alexey Gubarev later became the start of the filming of the popular science film “Business Trip to Orbit.”
1986-1992 - Grechko headed the laboratory of the Institute of Atmosphere of the USSR Academy of Sciences, after which he worked here as a leading researcher.
The question of religion was not unambiguous for Grechko, as the psychology of that era required. In his memoirs, the writing of which he took very seriously, he reflected on the existence of a relationship between science and religion.
It is interesting that, despite the atheistic views of her parents, one of the grandmothers dared to baptize her grandson in childhood. Later, the second grandmother repeated this action, not knowing about the previous one. That is why Georgy Mikhailovich jokingly said that he had two guardian angels in heaven.
By the way, the second half of this great man’s life became close to God, as evidenced by numerous meetings with clergy and discussions with them about his views on the Universe.
Family life
The personal life of the cosmonaut was not bland. There are three marriages in his biography:
- with Nina Tutynina, engineer of the State Design Bureau of NPO Energia;
- teacher foreign language Maya Kazekina;
- and the chief physician of the Cosmonautics Federation Lyudmila Ovchinnikova.
From his second marriage, Grechko had two sons - Alexei and Mikhail. In the third marriage, a daughter, Olga, was born.
There was enough goodwill and love for the whole family: three children and seven grandchildren, with whom Georgy Mikhailovich was always friendly.
He was not a boring, didactic father and grandfather. He loved alpine skiing and scuba diving, and was interested in shooting and motorsports.
Lieutenant Colonel-Reserve Engineer Georgy Grechko had a candidate master of sports degree in motor sports, a second category in gliding, a third in aircraft sports, and a second in rifle and pistol shooting.
As a person who had been on the edge of the cognizable, he loved science fiction and wrote several books himself. The stories were mostly about space. The book “Cosmonaut No. 34. From the splinter to the aliens” became especially popular.
The Soviet state spared no rewards for its hero. For his work, as well as his contribution to the exploration of space and virgin lands, he received three Orders of Lenin, gold medals. Tsiolkovsky and them. Gagarin, several other medals.
On December 27, 2018, a memorial plaque to the hero was installed on 3 Khovanskaya Street in Moscow Soviet era, twice Hero of the USSR Georgy Grechko. The opening ceremony was attended by city authorities, famous colleagues of the cosmonaut, veterans, relatives and friends.
On Saturday, April 8, a twice-hero died at the age of 85. Soviet Union Pilot-cosmonaut Georgy Grechko. According to the astronaut's daughter, the cause of death was heart failure. The day before, after a deterioration in his health, Georgy Mikhailovich was hospitalized. Georgy Grechko was enlisted in the space corps in May 1968 and was being trained to fly to the Moon as part of the Soviet lunar program, which was later cancelled. He has 3 flights into space, one spacewalk and more than 134 days in orbit.
“The first days in space are a little difficult, some cosmonauts get motion sickness, but no nausea, no vomiting - and this despite the most severe selection and training. The first hours in space it is difficult to work, the blood pressure in your head makes it feel like you were hung upside down. Therefore, you cannot make sudden movements,” said Grechko.
Flight engineer spaceship"Soyuz-26" Georgy Grechko. 1977
“When I returned, it was difficult to walk, difficult to eat, difficult to sleep. I think: “To hell with it, I won’t fly again,” Grechko recalled.
Pilot-cosmonaut Anatoly Filipchenko (left) and Georgy Grechko doing morning exercises. 1970
Georgy Grechko with his son Alexey. 1974
The crew of the Soyuz-17 spacecraft - flight engineer Georgy Grechko (right) and commander Alexey Gubarev - during training in the swimming pool of the Cosmonaut Training Center named after Yu.A. Gagarin. 1975
Cosmonauts Georgy Grechko, Oleg Makarov, Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Yuri Romanenko (from left to right) on board the Soyuz-26 - Salyut - Soyuz-27 space complex. 1978
Georgy Grechko (left) and Alexey Gubarev on winter fishing. 1978
Georgy Grechko and Indian cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma during training at sea. 1983
Crew members of the Soyuz T-14 spacecraft Georgy Grechko, Alexander Volkov and Vladimir Vasyutin (from left to right) during training at the Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. 1985
Flight of the Soyuz T-13 spacecraft. Cosmonauts Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Georgy Grechko after landing 22 km northeast of the city of Dzhezkazgan. Kazakhstan. 1985
Pope John Paul II and George Grechko. Vatican. 1987
Festival "Golden Ostap". Georgy Grechko (left) presents the “Golden Ostap” to film director Georgy Danelia, who became a laureate in the “Legend” category. 1997
Georgy Grechko and actress Chulpan Khamatova at the XXVIII Moscow International Film Festival. 2006
Georgy Grechko talks about one of the exhibits at the exhibition “They were the first”, dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the first manned flight into space, at the Museum of Cosmonautics at the All-Russian Exhibition Center. 2011
Georgy Grechko during the presentation of his book “Cosmonaut No. 34” at the Biblio-Globus bookstore. 2013
The death of cosmonaut Grechko occurred at 6:40 am. The twice Hero of the Soviet Union died in the Moscow 81st City Clinical Hospital named after Veresaev.
ON THE TOPIC
Georgy Grechko’s daughter Olga said that the cosmonaut died due to chronic diseases. According to her, the pilot smiled in the last minutes of his life. “He was strong. And his mother was with him and he kissed her hand and smiled. He loves us all,” REN TV quoted Olga as saying.
The circumstances of the death also became known to the first vice-president of the Russian Cosmonautics Federation, Oleg Mukhin. According to him, the astronaut maintained his sanity before his death. “Two weeks ago we talked to him, but he said that his health was poor,” Life.ru quotes him as saying.
Let us remind you that Georgy Grechko died on the morning of April 8. The official cause of death was listed as acute heart failure.
The day before, April 7, reports appeared on the Internet about the astronaut’s hospitalization. As they wrote, his daughter later denied this information.
Georgy Grechko is a Soviet cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union. He flew into space three times - in 1975, 1978 and 1985. It is interesting that Grechko made his last flight at an advanced age: he was 54 years old. The astronaut enjoyed racing, skydiving, shooting and stamp collecting.
Biography of Georgy Grechko, story and episodes of life , obituary of death. When born and died Georgy Grechko, memorable places and dates important events his life. Astronaut Quotes, photos and videos.
Years of life of Georgy Grechko:
born May 25, 1931, died April 8, 2017
Epitaph
“Takeoff after takeoff shook the air.
The man said: “Now it’s me!”
And in a minute the stars became closer
to youthful joyful eyes.
And in a minute all the millennia
isolation of life on Earth
ended up flying on a rocket -
on our mighty ship."
Semyon Kirsanov, from the poem “Back!”
Biography
Georgy Mikhailovich Grechko did not neither the first, nor even the second or third cosmonaut in history. However, in his native country his fame was only slightly inferior to that of G. Titov or A. Leonov. Probably, it was all about the enormous charm of the one whom journalists called the most sociable astronaut.
Georgy Grechko's path into space did not begin with aviation, like the first Soviet cosmonauts, but from technology. After graduating from the institute, he was assigned to the First Design Bureau, and later appointed head of one of the working groups. Grechko took part in the work on first in the world artificial satellite Earth, as well as several spacecraft.
After enlisting in the cosmonaut corps, Grechko began training in lunar program. When the race with the United States to be the first to set foot on the Moon was lost, the program was canceled. For several years, Grechko remained part of the backup crews of the Soviet Soyuz. But his time has come.
Grechko's flights set about one and a half dozen world records. Yes, the second one space expedition with the participation of Georgy Grechko in 1977-1978. lasted a record 96 days at that time. On this expedition, Grechko performed a spacewalk to inspect the station's docking port.
Later, Georgy Mikhailovich trained for international flights, and after completing his “space” career, he began working as an instructor and tester, and subsequently as a leading researcher at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics.
The astronaut admitted that in his youth he did not believe in aliens and aliens. However, at a more mature age, seriously studying the history of mankind, I came to the conclusion that other civilizations still exist. Georgy Mikhailovich has said more than once that people should not stop developing, that a person should always strive for more. And then, perhaps, one day we will make sure that we are not alone in the Universe.
Georgy Mikhailovich Grechko died at the age of 86 from heart failure.
Georgy Grechko on board the Soyuz-26 space complex
Life line
May 25, 1931 Date of birth of Georgy Mikhailovich Grechko.
1955 Grechko graduates with honors from the Leningrad Mechanical Institute.
1966 Georgy Grechko ends up in the First Cosmonaut Detachment of the USSR (now the Yu. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center).
1967 Obtaining a Candidate of Technical Sciences degree.
1968 Grechko is part of the group training Soviet cosmonauts to fly around the Moon and land on it (“Zond”).
1975 Grechko's first flight into space (together with A. Gubarev) on the Soyuz-17 spacecraft as a flight engineer. Receiving the first medal " Golden star» Hero of the Soviet Union.
1977 Grechko’s second flight into space (together with Yu. Romanenko) on the Soyuz-26 spacecraft and orbital station"Salyut-6".
1978 Awarding the second Gold Star medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union.
1984 Obtaining G. Grechko's doctorate in physical and mathematical sciences.
1985 Grechko's third flight into space (together with V. Vasyutin and A. Volkov) on the Soyuz T-14 spacecraft and the Salyut-7 orbital station.
1989 Grechko runs as a candidate for people's deputies, but withdraws his candidacy in favor of Boris Yeltsin.
April 1, 2017 Date of death of Georgy Grechko.
Memorable places
1. BSTU "Voenmech" named after. Ustinov (formerly Leningrad Mechanical Institute), from which G. Grechko graduated.
2. Rocket and Space Corporation "Energia" named after S.P. Korolev (OKB-1), where Grechko worked.
3. Star City, the base of the Cosmonaut Training Center, where Grechko prepared for flights.
4. Institute of Atmospheric Physics named after. A. M. Obukhov RAS, where Georgy Grechko worked as head. laboratory in the 1980s.
5. 81st Hospital named after. Veresaev in Moscow, where G. Grechko died.
Georgy Grechko at the presentation of his book “Cosmonaut No. 34” in 2013.
Episodes of life
For 13 years, G. Grechko remained the oldest cosmonaut in the country to be in orbit: he made his third flight at the age of 54.
In total, Georgy Grechko spent almost 135 days in space.
Grechko was studying various types sports: he had the title of Master of Masters in motorsports, first category in parachuting, second category in gliding and shooting, third category in airplane sports.
Documentary film of Channel One “Georgy Grechko. I was in space, I believe in God"
Testaments
“A person always overcomes difficulties and goes beyond the horizon. Came out of a cave - not enough, swam across a river - not enough, crossed the Bering Strait from continent to continent, swam across the ocean - again not enough, flew on a single-engine plane Atlantic Ocean- not enough again. A man is a man because he is constantly pulled over the horizon.”
“In order for science to work for man and not against him, morality is necessary... Science must strive for achievements, but there must be a religion that cares about morality... I do not agree with those who contrast these two areas. Religion deals with the human soul, and science deals with the mind and bodies. Everyone has their own tasks."
"…No better job than in space, but no better than life than on Earth!
Condolences
“The man was very interesting and cheerful. It was the sun that shone in our sky."
Oleg Mukhin, First Vice-President of the Russian Cosmonautics Federation
“When the image of Georgy Mikhailovich appears, a smile always appears on his face. Not with him, with me. He was an amazing person in terms of charm."
Alexander Lazutkin, cosmonaut
“We love him very much and remember him, he was a very bright person.”
Olga, daughter of G. Grechko
