Today we visited the home of the brilliant mastermind behind the Russian space program, Sergei Korolov. In the late 1950s and 1960s, Korolov designed the rockets that catapulted the Soviets into first place in the exploration of space, putting them ahead of the United States. After the successful launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, the Soviet government rewarded Korolov with a beautiful home outside the capital city of Moscow. In the basement of this home was an extensive collection of photos, letters, and artifacts from Korolov's work. One of the items was a photo of him with Yuri Gagarin just before Gagarin's launch as the first human being in space. Also in the collect
ion was a photo of Korolov with Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. Although he was known to his colleagues in the space program, his name was a secret to Soviet citizens. Even in the United States we just knew him as the "Chief Designer." His home was surrounded by a h
igh fence and was heavily guarded because the Soviets believed him to be a national treasure. His intellect was highly regarded and they wanted to ensure his safety. Inside his home "panic buttons" were installed so that he could call for help at any time.Korolov was a brilliant man
who dreamed of many achievements, and worked tirelessly to make his dreams come true. On display near his collection of photos was a handwritten list of Korolov's master plan. The first two columns list Soviet achievements such as the first artificial satellite, first animal in space, first human, first woman, first two man spacecraft, first photo of the dark side of the Moon, first spacewalk, first three man spacecraft, and first space station. The next columns list his plans for the future-landing men on the Moon, a lunar base from which to launch a mission to Mars, and a manned mission to Mars. These are goals that NASA is still working to achieve. Unfortunately, Korolov was in ill health and died in 1966 before he could see the rest of his dreams fulfilled. He was honored as a hero of the Russian people who finally learned his name. He is buried in the Kremlin walls.For more information on Sputnik click here. To learn more about Yuri Gagarin, click here.
Valentina Tereshkova click here.
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