One of the creators of the Progress spacecraft, Alexey Shumilin, dies
In Moscow, at the age of 86, retired Lieutenant General Alexei Shumilin, who in 1983 rescued a space crew in a fire on a launch vehicle at the Baikonur cosmodrome, died, RIA Novosti reports with reference to Roscosmos.
The state corporation said that Shumilin took part in the creation of the automatic cargo spacecraft Progress, as well as in the implementation of the ASTP and Interkosmos space programs.
In September 1983, Shumilin served as head of the first directorate at the training ground. He saved the lives of cosmonauts Vladimir Titov and Gennady Strekalov when a fire broke out on the Soyuz-U rocket. Then Shumilin, together with the technical head of the rocket, Alexander Soldatenkov, seconds before the explosion on the burning spacecraft, gave the command to turn on the emergency rescue systems, saving the life of the crew.
From 1992 to 1997, Lieutenant General Shumilin was the head of the Baikonur cosmodrome. From 1998 to 2007, he was one of the leaders of the Sea Launch program. Participated in more than 500 launches of the first satellites, satellite ships, research spacecraft, as well as manned spacecraft.
For his work, Shumilin was awarded the Order of Lenin (twice), the Order of the Red Banner of Labor, the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree, and the medal For Courage in the Fire. He was a laureate of the State Prize.
Recall that in June last year, at the age of 95, the famous scientist and designer Anatoly Daron died. He developed engines for launch vehicles that delivered the first satellite and first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin into space. And in 2019, the Russian scientist Nikolai Anfimov, who led the de-orbiting of the Mir orbital station, passed away.
