Pavel Popovich
Encyclopedia
Biography
He was born in UzynUzyn
Uzyn is a city in Bilotserkivskyi Raion of Kiev Oblast of northern Ukraine. The city's population is 12,588 , and covers an area of ....
, Kiev Oblast
Kiev Oblast
Kyiv Oblast, sometimes written as Kiev Oblast is an oblast in central Ukraine.The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Kyiv , also being the capital of Ukraine...
of Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
(now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
). to Roman Porfirievich Popovich (a fireman in a sugar factory) and Theodosia Kasyanovna Semyonov. He had two sisters (one older, one younger) and two brothers (both younger).
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Germans occupied Uzyn, and burned documents including Popovich's birth certificate. After the war, these were restored through witness testimony, and although his mother knew that he was born in 1929, two witnesses insisted that Popovich was born in 1930, and so this became his official year of birth.
In 1947, he left vocational school in Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva is a city located on the Ros' River in the Kiev Oblast in central Ukraine, approximately south of the capital, Kiev. Population 203,300 Area 34 km².-Administrative status:...
with qualifications as a carpenter. In 1951, Popovich graduated as a construction engineer from a technical school in Magnitogorsk
Magnitogorsk
Magnitogorsk is a mining and industrial city in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located on the eastern side of the extreme southern extent of the Ural Mountains by the Ural River. Population: 418,545 ;...
, as well as receiving a pilot's degree.
In 1954, he joined the Young Communist League
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
.
He was married to Marina Popovich
Marina Popovich
Marina Popovich is a retired Soviet Air Force colonel, engineer, and legendary Soviet test pilot who holds 107 aviation world records set on over 40 types of aircraft...
, a retired Soviet Air Force colonel, engineer, and legendary Soviet test pilot who has been outspoken about UFO reality. They had two daughters. They later divorced, and Popovich married Alevtina Oshegova.
Popovich was also a keen weight lifter:
- "Service in the Air Force made us strong, both physically and morally. All of us cosmonauts took up sports and PT seriously when we served in the Air Force. I know that Yuri GagarinYuri GagarinYuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
was fond of ice hockeyIce hockeyIce hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
. He liked to play goal keeper. Gherman TitovGherman TitovGherman Stepanovich Titov was a Soviet cosmonaut who, on August 6, 1961, became the second human to orbit the Earth aboard Vostok 2, preceded by Yuri Gagarin on Vostok 1...
was a gymnasticsGymnasticsGymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
enthusiast, Andriyan Nikolayev liked skiingSkiingSkiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, Pavel Popovich went in for weight lifting. I don't think I am wrong when I say that sports became a fixture in the life of the cosmonauts."
He was also a member of the Supreme Soviet
Supreme Soviet
The Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union was the Supreme Soviet in the Soviet Union and the only one with the power to pass constitutional amendments...
of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic 6th-11th convocations.
After his retirement in 1993, he lived in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
On 29 September 2009 near 23.00 local time (it was 30 September in Moscow) Popovich died in a hospital in Gurzuf
Gurzuf
Gurzuf or Hurzuf is a resort in Crimea, Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea.Gurzuf is a former Crimean Tatar village, now a part of Greater Yalta. It was made famous by Alexander Pushkin who visited the place in 1821. The famous ballet master Marius Petipa died here...
in the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
, where he had been taken following a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
. Brain hemorrhage was cited as the cause of death. He is buried in Moscow.
Military
In 1952 he graduated from a course at the Stalingrad Military Aviation School near NovosibirskNovosibirsk
Novosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
. He then went on to train at the Military Officers of the Air Force Aviation Training School in Grozny
Grozny
Grozny is the capital city of the Chechen Republic, Russia. The city lies on the Sunzha River. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 271,596; up from 210,720 recorded in the 2002 Census. but still only about two-thirds of 399,688 recorded in the 1989...
, until 1954 when he joined the Soviet Air Force
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...
.
Service
Details are from Space Encyclopedia ASTROnote, unless otherwise noted| Date | Role | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 25 Dec 1954 | Pilot | 265 Fighter Regiment (IAP) |
| 336th Fighter Aviation Division (IAD) (later the IAD 64-Fighter Air Corps (IAC) 22nd Air Army) | ||
| 19 Jun 1957 | Senior Pilot/Squadron Adjutant Adjutant Adjutant is a military rank or appointment. In some armies, including most English-speaking ones, it is an officer who assists a more senior officer, while in other armies, especially Francophone ones, it is an NCO , normally corresponding roughly to a Staff Sergeant or Warrant Officer.An Adjutant... |
|
| 27 Feb 1958 | Senior Airman | 772-IAP IAS 22nd 26th VA. |
| 31 May 1958 | 234-Guards Regiment Proskurov 9th IN IAD Moscow (Kubinka Kubinka Kubinka is a town in Odintsovsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Setun River, west of Moscow. Population: Kubinka was the location of the Soviet Union's tank proving grounds, and today is the home of the Kubinka Tank Museum... ) |
|
| 31 Jan 1959 | Adjutant of the squadron | |
| Jan 1982 | Deputy Chief | Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center The Yu. A. Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center is a Russian training facility responsible for training cosmonauts for their space missions... |
| 29 Dec 1989 | Secondment | State Committee of the USSR Agro |
| 20 Aug 1993 | Retired by order of the Defense Ministry | |
Aircraft types flown:
- Yakovlev Yak-11Yakovlev Yak-11|-See also:-References:* Gordon, Yefim, Dmitry Komissarov and Sergey Komissarov. OKB Yakovlev: A History of the Design Bureau and its Aircraft. Hinkley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1 85780 203 9....
- Yakovlev Yak-18Yakovlev Yak-18|-See also:-External links:*...
- Lavochkin La-9Lavochkin La-9|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gordon, Yefim. Lavochkin's Piston-Engined Fighters . Earl Shilton, Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-85780-151-2....
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was a jet fighter developed for the USSR by Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich. The MiG-15 was one of the first successful swept-wing jet fighters, and it achieved fame in the skies over Korea, where early in the war, it outclassed all straight-winged enemy fighters in...
Training
Details are from Space Encyclopedia ASTROnote, unless otherwise noted| Date | Cyrillic | English |
|---|---|---|
| 12 May 1959 | Военный летчик 3-го класса | Military Pilot, 3rd class |
| 15 Aug 1962 | Военный летчик 1-го класса | Military Pilot, 1st class |
| 10 Nov 1960 | Инструктор парашютно-десантной подготовки (ПДП) ВВС | Parachute Instructor (PDP) Air Force |
| 30 Nov 1962 | Космонавт 3-го класса | Astronaut 3rd class |
| 24 Jul 1974 | Космонавт 2-го класса | Astronaut 2nd Class |
Promotions
Details are from Space Encyclopedia ASTROnote, unless otherwise noted| Date | Insignia | Cyrillic | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 Oct 1954 |  |
Лейтенант | Lieutenant Lieutenant A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank... |
| 24 Apr 1957 |  |
Старший лейтенант | Senior Lieutenant |
| 30 Mar 1959 |  |
Капитан | Captain |
| 05 Nov 1961 |  |
Майор | Major Major Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ... |
| 11 Aug 1962 |  |
Подполковник (Podpolkovnik Podpolkovnik Podpolkovnik is a military rank in Slavic countries which corresponds to a lieutenant colonel in English-speaking states. Usually this word is translated as lieutenant colonel, however the transliteration is also in common usage, for the sake of the historical context.The exact name of this rank... ) |
Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence... |
| 30 Apr 1965 |  |
Полковник (Polkovnik Polkovnik Polkovnik is often a military rank in Slavic countries which corresponds to a colonel in English-speaking states. However, in the Ukraine, polkovnyk was an administrative rank similar to a governor... ) |
Colonel Colonel Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures... |
| 5 May 1976 |  |
Генерал-майор авиации | Major-General (Aviation) |
| 20 Aug 1993 | Retired from the Air Force | ||
Cosmonaut
In 1960, he was selected as one of the first group of twenty air force pilots that would train as the first cosmonauts for the Soviet space programSoviet space program
The Soviet space program is the rocketry and space exploration programs conducted by the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics from the 1930s until its dissolution in 1991...
. The training took place between March 1960 and January 1961, and Popovich passed his final exams in Cosmonaut Basic Training on 17/18 January 1961. He was appointed as an astronaut on 25 January 1961.
He was considered as a strong candidate for the first spaceflight - but while Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961....
was ultimately chosen for the Vostok 1
Vostok 1
Vostok 1 was the first spaceflight in the Vostok program and the first human spaceflight in history. The Vostok 3KA spacecraft was launched on April 12, 1961. The flight took Yuri Gagarin, a cosmonaut from the Soviet Union, into space. The flight marked the first time that a human entered outer...
flight, Popovich served as the flight's capcom.
From May to August 1961, he trained to fly on spacecraft "Vostok-2" in a group of astronauts, followed (between September and November 1961) with training to fly "Vostok-3". This flight was cancelled. Between November 1961 and May 1962, he trained as a pilot for "Vostok-4". Between June and August of that year, he received further training in the maintenance of this spacecraft.
He commanded the space flight Vostok 4
Vostok 4
Vostok 4 was a mission in the Soviet space program. It was launched a day after Vostok 3 with cosmonaut Pavel Popovich on board—the first time that more than one manned spacecraft were in orbit at the same time. The two Vostok capsules came within of one another and ship-to-ship radio contact was...
in 1962 which, along with Andrian Nikolayev
Andrian Nikolayev
Andriyan Grigoryevich Nikolayev , was a Soviet cosmonaut. He was an ethnic Chuvash.- History :...
on Vostok 3
Vostok 3
Vostok 3 was a spaceflight of the Soviet space program intended to determine the ability of the human body to function in conditions of weightlessness and test the endurance of the Vostok 3KA spacecraft over longer flights...
, was the first time that more than one manned spacecraft were in orbit at the same time. His call sign for this flight was Golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
.
In January 1964, he became a cosmonaut instructor, becoming deputy commander to the 2nd group of cosmonauts.
Popovich was selected to command one of the Soviet Union's planned moon landings, and trained for this between 1966 and 1968, when the Soviet moon landing plans were scrapped.
In 1968, he was selected as captain for Soyuz 2
Soyuz 2
Soyuz 2 was an unpiloted spacecraft in the Soyuz family intended to perform a docking maneuver with Soyuz 3. Although the two craft approached closely, the docking did not take place.-Other uses of name:...
, but after the death of Vladimir Komarov
Vladimir Komarov
Vladimir Mikhaylovich Komarov was a Soviet test pilot, aerospace engineer and cosmonaut in the first group of cosmonauts selected in 1960. He was one of the most highly experienced and well-qualified candidates accepted into "Air Force Group One"....
during the reentry of Soyuz 1
Soyuz 1
Soyuz 1 was a manned spaceflight of the Soviet space program. Launched into orbit on April 23, 1967 carrying cosmonaut Colonel Vladimir Komarov, Soyuz 1 was the first flight of the Soyuz spacecraft...
, Soyuz 2 was launched without a crew.
In 1969 he was a senior cosmonaut instructor, and became (by 1972) the Chief of cosmonaut training.
In 1974, he commanded his second (and final) space flight Soyuz 14
Soyuz 14
Soyuz 14 was a 1974 manned spaceflight to the Salyut 3 space station. Soyuz 14 is also the name given to the Soyuz spacecraft which was used to bring the cosmonauts to and from the station. The mission was part of the Soviet Union's Almaz program to evaluate the military applications of human...
in 1974. Again, his call sign for this flight was Golden eagle
Golden Eagle
The Golden Eagle is one of the best known birds of prey in the Northern Hemisphere. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. Once widespread across the Holarctic, it has disappeared from many of the more heavily populated areas...
. This flight was the first to the Salyut 3
Salyut 3
Salyut 3 was a Soviet space station launched on June 25, 1974. It was the second Almaz military space station, and the first such station to be launched successfully. It was included in the Salyut program to disguise its true military nature...
space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
.
In 1977, he received a post-graduate degree in technical sciences.
In March 1978, he was on duty in the Flight Control Center for Vladimír Remek
Vladimír Remek
Vladimír Remek is the first Czechoslovak in space and the first cosmonaut from a country other than the Soviet Union or the United States. As of 2004, with the entry of the Czech Republic into the European Union Vladimír Remek is considered to be the first astronaut from the EU...
's flight aboard Soyuz 28
Soyuz 28
-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 51.65°*Period: 88.95 minutes-Mission highlights:...
.
From 1978 he was the deputy chief of the Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center
Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center
The Yu. A. Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center is a Russian training facility responsible for training cosmonauts for their space missions...
responsible for research and testing work. From 1980 to 1989, he was Deputy chief of the Cosmonaut Training Center. In January 1982, he was removed from the list of active cosmonauts, so that he could serve as Deputy Chief for Scientific Testing and Research at the Center.
Socio-Political Life
Details are from Space Encyclopedia ASTROnote, unless otherwise noted- From 1992: Chairman of the Boxing Federation of Russia.
- From 1994: President of the Yuri Gagarin Foundation; President of the Social Support for Veterans of the Armed Forces of the Union
- From 1996: Member of the Editorial Board of Space News
- From 1998: Member of the Editorial Board of the All-Russia scientific and technical magazine Flight
- From 1999: President of the Ukrainian Union of Cosmonauts
- Member of the Writers' Union of Russia.
- President of the Association of Space Museums of Russia (AMKOS)
- Honorary President of the International Association of Veterans of Physical Education and Sport (MAFIS)
- Honorary Chairman of the Society of Ukrainian Culture (Slavutich)
Honours
Awards and Medals
Details are from Space Encyclopedia ASTROnote, unless otherwise noted| Date of Award | Award |
|---|---|
| 17 Jun 1961 | Order of the Red Star Order of the Red Star Established on 6 April 1930, the Order of the Red Star was an order of the Soviet Union, given to Red Army and Soviet Navy personnel for "exceptional service in the cause of the defense of the Soviet Union in both war and peace". It was established by Resolution of the Presidium of the CEC of the... |
| 1962 | Pilot Cosmonaut Of The Soviet Union |
| 1962 | Honorable Radio Operator |
| 1962 | Honored Master of Sports of the USSRa |
| 1962 | Development Of The Virgin Lands |
| 19 Aug 1962 | Hero of the Soviet Union Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society.-Overview:... b |
| 19 Aug 1962 | Order of Lenin Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union... |
| 15 Nov 1962 | Gold Star Labor Hero of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam North Vietnam The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout... |
| 20 July 1974 | Hero of the Soviet Union |
| 20 Jul 1974 | Order of Lenin |
| 1982 | Order of Friendship of Peoples Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons , organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in strengthening of inter-ethnic and international friendship and cooperation, for... |
| 13 May 1985 | Medal For Strengthening Combat Co-Operation |
| 9 Apr 1996 | Order of Honorc |
| 6 Oct 2000 | Order of Merit for the Fatherland Order of Merit for the Fatherland The Order of Merit for the Fatherland was instituted on 2 March 1994 by Presidential Decree. The statutes describe it as a decoration for merit, not an order of knights.... , 4th Graded |
| 1 Dec 2005 | Ukrainian Order of Yaroslav the Wise, 4th Classe |
| Unknown | Order of the Badge of Honor Order of the Badge of Honor The Order of the Badge of Honour was a civilian award of the Soviet Union.It was instituted on 25 November 1935 and conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding achievements in production, scientific research and social, cultural and other forms of social activity, for promotion of economic,... |
| Unknown | Medal of the Republic of Cuba Cuba The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city... |
| Unknown | 9 Commemorative Medals |
Notes:
- a For setting records in space flight
- b Medal number 11117
- c For services to the state, many years of fruitful work in the field of culture and art (as President of the Association of Space Museums) (Presidential Decree No. 512 of April 9, 1996)
- d For services to the state and long-term fruitful work (Presidential Decree No. 1724 on October 6, 2000)
- e For significant personal contribution to the development and strengthening of Ukrainian-Russian relations, promoting the rise of the authority of the Ukrainian state in the world (Presidential Decree No. 1682/2005 dated December 1, 2005)
Other honours
He received honorary citizenship of several cites:- In Russia: KalugaKalugaKaluga is a city and the administrative center of Kaluga Oblast, Russia, located on the Oka River southwest of Moscow. Population: It is served by Grabtsevo Airport.-History:...
a, KovrovKovrovKovrov is a city and the administrative center of Kovrovsky District of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, situated on the right bank of the Klyazma River . Kovrov's population as of the preliminary results of the 2010 Census was 145,492; down from 155,499 recorded in the 2002 Census, and further down from...
, MagnitogorskMagnitogorskMagnitogorsk is a mining and industrial city in Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located on the eastern side of the extreme southern extent of the Ural Mountains by the Ural River. Population: 418,545 ;...
(1965), Yuzhno-SakhalinskYuzhno-Sakhalinsk-Demographics:Most residents are ethnic Russians, but there also exists a sizable population of Koreans. Of the 43,000 Sakhalin Koreans, half are estimated to live in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, comprising roughly 12% of the city's population... - In Ukraine: PoltavaPoltavaPoltava is a city in located on the Vorskla River in central Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Poltava Oblast , as well as the surrounding Poltava Raion of the oblast. Poltava's estimated population is 298,652 ....
, ZaporozhyeZaporizhiaZaporizhia or Zaporozhye [formerly Alexandrovsk ] is a city in southeastern Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative center of the Zaporizhia Oblast...
and Bila TserkvaBila TserkvaBila Tserkva is a city located on the Ros' River in the Kiev Oblast in central Ukraine, approximately south of the capital, Kiev. Population 203,300 Area 34 km².-Administrative status:... - In BulgariaBulgariaBulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
: TargovishteTargovishteTargovishte is a city in Bulgaria, capital of Targovishte Province. It is situated at the northern foot of the low mountain of Preslav on both banks of the Vrana River. The town is 335 km away to the north-east from the capital Sofia and about 125 km to the west from the city of Varna... - In KazakhstanKazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
: GurievAtyrauAtyrau , known as Guryev until 1991, is a city in Kazakhstan, and the capital of Atyrau Province. It is located at the mouth of the Ural River, 2700 kilometers west of Almaty and 350 kilometers east of the Russian city of Astrakhan. Other transliterations include Aterau, Atirau, Atyraw, Atyraou,...
Notes:
- a Popovich is the only person to have received the honorary citizenship of Kaluga twice. The first time was in August 1962 (Decision 597 of the Executive Committee of Kaluga City Council of Workers' Deputies), and the second time was in April 1964 (Decision 237 of the Executive Committee of Kaluga City Council of Workers' Deputies).
A bronze sculpture to Popovich was established in Uzyn.
The name of Pavel Popovich was given to a mountain ridge in Antarctica and a minor planet
8444 Popovich
8444 Popovich is a Mars-crossing asteroid discovered on October 8, 1969 by L. I. Chernykh at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory.- External links :...
.
In 1991, he became director of the Institute Rossiyskogo for Monitoring of Land and Ecosystems, then worked as chairman of the board of directors of the All-Russia Institute of Aero-Photo-Geodesic Studies (VISKhAGI), dealing with the compilation of a land inventory of Russia using images from space.
He had also been the chairman of Ukrainian diaspora
Ukrainian diaspora
The Ukrainian diaspora is the global community of ethnic Ukrainians, especially those who maintain some kind of connection, even if ephemeral, to the land of their ancestors and maintain their feeling of Ukrainian national identity within their own local community.-1608 To 1880:After the loss...
organisation in Russia.
He was awarded a Gold Tsiolkovsky
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky
Konstantin Eduardovich Tsiolkovsky was an Imperial Russian and Soviet rocket scientist and pioneer of the astronautic theory. Along with his followers the German Hermann Oberth and the American Robert H. Goddard, he is considered to be one of the founding fathers of rocketry and astronautics...
Medal by the Academy of Sciences of the USSR
Russian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
and a De La Vaux Medal from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
.
Ufology
In 1984 Popovich joined the Russian Academy of SciencesRussian Academy of Sciences
The Russian Academy of Sciences consists of the national academy of Russia and a network of scientific research institutes from across the Russian Federation as well as auxiliary scientific and social units like libraries, publishers and hospitals....
' newly created All-Union Investigation Committee for Anomalous Aerial Phenomena and became head of the Academy's UFO Commission.
In the 2002 SciFi Channel
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
documentary Out of the Blue
Out of the Blue (2002 film)
Out of the Blue is a feature-length documentary on the UFO phenomenon.The film is narrated by Peter Coyote and attempts to show, through interviews with members of the scientific community, eye witnesses and high-ranking military and government personnel, that some unidentified flying objects could...
, Popovich relays a sighting of a UFO next to the airplane he was travelling aboard as he was returning home from Washington D.C. with a delegation of scientists. The UFO was seen by everyone on board the plane. It was perfect triangle shaped and emitted a very bright, white light at a distance of about 1.5 kilometres and an altitude about 1,000 metres above the airplane. The object had en estimated speed of 1500 km/h travelling parallel to the airplane and passed and overtook the plane in about 30 to 40 seconds.
Popovich was the president of the UFO association of Russia.
Books
- "I Flew in the Morning" (1974)
- "Space Humanity" (1981)
- "Tested in Space and on Earth" (1982)
- "Endless Road Universe" (1985)
- "Robinson of the Universe" (1986)
Works in Collections
- "Space - My Job"
- "High Orbit"
- "Star"
- "Conquest of Infinity"
- "... 3, 2, 1!"
Essays
- "Secrets of the Galaxy"
- "Mysteries of the Eternal Cosmos"
- "Forward - to the Sources of the Past"
Further reading
Codr, Milan. "O kosmických dnech a nocích" (Praha : Práce, 1987)- Codru, Milan. "The cosmic days and nights" (PraguePraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
: Práce, 1987) Codr, Milan. "Sto hvězdných kapitánů" (Praha: Práce, 1982) - Codr, Milan. "Sto Star Captains" (Prague: Práce, 1982) Ребров, М. Ф. "Советские космонавты" (2-е изд.) (М.: Воениздат, 1983)
- Rebrov, M. F. "Soviet cosmonauts" (2nd ed.) (Moscow: Military Publishing, 1983) Шкадов, И. Н. (Пред.ред.коллегии) "Герои Советского Союза: Краткий биографический словарь. Т.2." (М.: Воениздат, 1988)
- Shkadov, J. H. (editor) "Heroes of the Soviet Union: A brief biographical dictionary Vol. 2" (Moscow: Voenizdat, 1988)