Igor Volk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Igor Volk
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Volk in 2008
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| Born |
Igor Petrovich Volk
12 April 1937 |
| Died | 3 January 2017 (aged 79) Plovdiv, Bulgaria
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| Education | Kirovograd Military Aviation School of Pilots (1956) Fedotov Test Pilot School (1965) Moscow Aviation Institute (1969) |
| Occupation | test pilot, cosmonaut |
| Years active | 1956 – 2016 |
| Employer | Gromov Flight Research Institute (1965-2002) |
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Notable work
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MiG-21I testbed maiden flight |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR |
| Space career | |
| Cosmonaut | |
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Time in space
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11d 19h 14min |
| Selection | Air Force Group 5 |
| Missions | Soyuz T-12 |
| Signature | |
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Igor Petrovich Volk (born April 12, 1937 – died January 3, 2017) was a famous Soviet test pilot. He was also a cosmonaut who worked on the Buran programme, which was the Soviet Union's space shuttle program.
Contents
A Talented Pilot
Igor Volk started flying for the Soviet Air Forces in 1956. After finishing the Fedotov Test Pilot School in 1965, he joined the Gromov Flight Research Institute. He spent over 7,000 hours flying more than 80 different types of aircraft.
He flew all kinds of Soviet planes, including fighters, bombers, and transport aircraft. He was very skilled at testing planes in difficult situations. He was the first to test how planes behaved at very high angles, like 90 degrees. He could also perform amazing aerobatic moves, such as the "cobra".
Journey to Space
Igor Volk was chosen to be a cosmonaut on July 12, 1977. He became part of the Buran programme, which was building a Soviet space shuttle. To prepare for a space shuttle flight, he flew test missions with Buran's special test aircraft, called OK-GLI.
Flying on Soyuz T-12
In July 1984, Volk flew into space aboard Soyuz T-12. This mission was designed to give him experience in space. He was a research cosmonaut on the seventh trip to the Salyut 7 space station.
One main goal of this mission was to see how long spaceflights affected a pilot's skills. They wanted to know if a pilot could still fly and land an airplane safely after being in space. This was important to prove that Volk could control the Space Shuttle Buran when it returned to Earth.
At that time, the Buran program was a secret. So, when Volk, a test pilot, was on the Soyuz crew, people wondered why. Usually, these spots were for scientists or cosmonauts from other countries.
After Spaceflight
After his space mission, Volk led the training for pilot-cosmonauts in the Buran program. Even after the project was stopped, he continued to work at the Gromov Flight Research Institute. He was the Deputy Chief for Flight Tests before he retired in 1996.
He also served as the President of the National Aero Club of Russia. He was also the Vice President of the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale. For all his important work as a test pilot and cosmonaut, he received the Hero of the Soviet Union award on July 29, 1984.
Other Achievements
Igor Volk was also an inventor. He planned a new kind of concept flying car called the Lark-4. This car was designed to carry four people. It could take off and land at 45 kilometers per hour (28 mph) using a short runway of 27 meters (89 ft). The Lark-4 would use about 11 liters (3 gallons) of fuel for every 100 kilometers (62 miles) it traveled. It was designed to cruise at about 637 kilometers per hour (396 mph).
Personal Life
Volk was married and had two children. He passed away on January 3, 2017, while on vacation in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. He is buried with his daughter at the Bykovskoye Memorial Cemetery in Zhukovsky.
Awards and Honors
- Hero of the Soviet Union
- Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR
- Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR
- Zhukovsky Honorary Citizen
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 4th class
- Order of Lenin
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour
- Order of Friendship of Peoples
- Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"
Memory
A special statue, a bust of Igor Volk, is placed on Solnechnaya Street in the city of Zhukovsky.
Images for kids
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Igor Volk's signature.
See also
In Spanish: Ígor Volk para niños
