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Vitali Mikhailovich Zholobov Ukrainian Engineer Cosmonaut. Born 18 June 1937. Personal: Male, married, two children. Born in Zbyrievka, Herson, Ukraine. Soviet Air Force Graduated from Institute for Petrol and Chemistry, Baku, 1959. Graduated from Military politics Academy of the Soviet Army, Moscow, 1974. Soviet Air Force. Chemist, test engineer, Soviet Air Force. Astronaut Career Astronaut Group: Air Force Group 2 - 1963. Inactive Entered space service: 8 January 1963. Left space service: 7 January 1981. Number of Flights: 1.00. Total Time: 49.27 days. Cosmonaut training January 1963 - 21 January 1965. Retired from cosmonaut and military duty, 1981. Director of a geologic science group. From 1998 Deputy Director of TOO Kapita. Zholobov Spaceflight Log - 6 July 1976 Flight: Soyuz 21. Flight Up: Soyuz 21. Flight Back: Soyuz 21. Flight Time: 49.27 days.
Zholobov Chronology 8 January 1963 - 15 new cosmonauts are selected.. The new trainees include one from the VMF Navy Aviation, two from the PVO Air Defence, four from the RVSN Strategic Rocket Forces, and eight from the VVS Air Force. 10 January 1963 - Soviet Air Force Cosmonaut Training Group 2 selected.. The group was selected to provide astronauts for the Soyuz manned spaceflight program.. Qualifications: Military pilots, engineers, or navigators under 40 years of age; graduate of military academy or civilian university; under 170 cm tall; under 70 kg in weight.. 23 January 1964 - Military Soviet on cosmonaut assignments. Flight: Soyuz A-1, Soyuz A-2, Soyuz A-3, Soyuz A-4, Vostok 7, Vostok 8, Vostok 9, Vostok 10. The General Staff of the VVS considers future cosmonaut assignments. The acceptance of Beregovoi into the active cosmonaut corps is hotly contested. He has passed all the tests, but is 43 years old, and the official maximum age for a cosmonaut is 35. Finally it is decided that on 25 January six cosmonauts will begin training for Vostok flights (Volynov, Khrunov, Belyayev, Leonov, Komarov, and Beregovoi). On 1 February four crews will begin training for Soyuz flights: Crew 1: Nikolayev, Shonin, Demin, Kugno; Crew 2: Bykovsky, Zaikin, Artyukhin, Gulyayev; Crew 3: Popovich, Gorbatko, Ponomaryova, Kolodin; Crew 4: Titov, Shatalov, Solovyova, Zholobov. 2 September 1966 - Lunar flight cosmonauts assignments.. In the period 1966 to 1968 there were five simultaneous Soviet manned space projects (Soyuz 7K-OK orbital; Soyuz 7K-L1 circumlunar; Soyuz VI military; L3 manned lunar landing; Almaz space station). Cosmonaut assignments were in constant flux, resulting in many claims in later years that 'I was being trained for the first moon flight'.On 2 September 1966 a training group was formed for Soyuz 7K-OK orbital flights:
...more... 2 September 1966 - Cosmonaut civilian program training groups. Flight: Soyuz 7K-L1 mission 1, Soyuz 7K-L1 mission 2, Soyuz 7K-L1 mission 3, Soviet Lunar Landing, Voskhod 3, Soyuz 1, Soyuz 2A, Soyuz 3A, Soyuz 4A, Soyuz 5A. Kamanin organises the cosmonauts into the following training groups: - Soyuz 7K-OK: Gagarin, Komarov, Nikolayev, Bykovsky, Khrunov, Gorbatko, Voronov, Kolodin
- L1: Volynov, Dobrovolskiy, Voronov, Kolodin, Zholobov, Komarov, Bykovskiy
- L3: Leonov, Gorbatko, Khrunov, Gagarin, Nikolayev, Shatalov
Rudenko agrees with Kamanin's plan, except he urges him to assign more cosmonauts to the Soyuz 7K-OK group, and include OKB-1 cosmonauts in the 7K-OK, L1, and L3 groups, and Academy of Science cosmonauts in the L1 and L3 groups. These cosmonaut assignments were in constant flux, and many cosmonauts were assigned to train for more than one program - resulting in multiple claims in later years that 'I was being trained for the first moon flight'. 31 December 1966 - 18 cosmonauts in lunar training. Gagarin, Komarov, Nikolayev, Bykovsky, Khrunov, Gorbatko, Voronov, Kolodin, Popovich, Gubarev, Artyukhin, Gylyayev, Belousov, Kolesnikov, Volynov, Doborvolsky, Zhobolov. 1973 June - Soyuz (Almaz) 12 (cancelled). Assignment: Proposed Backup Crew. Flight: Soyuz (Almaz) 12. Planned first crew to the first Almaz space station. Cancelled after the loss of control of Almaz OPS 1 (Salyut 2) in orbit. 3 July 1974 - Soyuz 14. Assignment: Support Crew. Flight: Soyuz 14. On 4 July Soyuz 14 docked with the Salyut 3 space station after 15 revolutions of the earth. The planned experimental program included manned military reconnaissance of the earth's surface, assessing the fundamental value of such observations, and some supplemental medico-biological research. After the crew's return research continued in the development of the on-board systems and the principles of remote control of such a station. 26 August 1974 - Soyuz 15. Assignment: Backup Crew. Flight: Soyuz 15. Soyuz 15 was to conduct the second phase of manned operations aboard the Salyut 3 military space station, but the Igla rendezvous system failed and no docking was made. The two day flight could only be characterised as '... research in manoeuvring and docking with the OPS in various modes, and development of methods for evacuation and landing from space complex in new conditions....' As Chelomei had complained, Soyuz had no reserves or backup systems for repeated manual docking attempts and had to be recovered after a two-day flight. The state commission found that the Igla docking system of the Soyuz needed serious modification. This could not be completed before Salyut 3 decayed. Therefore the planned Soyuz 16 spacecraft became excess to the program (it was later flown as Soyuz 20 to a civilian Salyut station, even though over its two year rated storage life). Officially: Conduct of joint experiments with the Salyut-3 orbital scientific station. 1974 October - Soyuz 16A (cancelled). Assignment: Proposed Prime Crew. Flight: Soyuz 16A. Planned but cancelled third mission to the Salyut 3 space station. 6 July 1976 - Soyuz 21. Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight: Soyuz 21. Soyuz 21 with Volynov and Zholobov aboard hard-docked with the station on 6 July 1976 after failure of the Igla system at the last stage of rendezvous. Towards the end of the two month mission an early return to earth was requested due to the poor condition of flight engineer Zholobov (who was suffering from space sickness and psychological problems). 24 August 1976 - Landing of Soyuz 21. Assignment: Return Crew. Flight: Soyuz 21. The crew landed in very bad physical and mental condition 200 km SW of Kokchetav at 18:33 GMT. It was determined that they had become emotional, not followed their physical training, and developed an unreasonable desire to return to earth. The possibility also existed that there were toxic gases in the station. Bibliography and Further Reading - Becker, Joachim, http://www.spacefacts.de/, "Space Facts Web Site", . Joachim Becker's outstanding collection of facts and photos of astronauts and cosmonauts. Accessed at: http://www.spacefacts.de/.
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