S.A.Afanasyev - General Machinebuilding
Simultaneously with the restoration of the integrity of the military-industrial complex, it was decided to create a new industry for the rocket and space, headed by the Ministry of General Mechanical Engineering. On March 2, 1965, S.A. Afanasyev was appointed Minister.
As one of the closest disciples and associates of Afanasyev, Oleg Dmitrievich Baklanov, recalled, it was typical for Sergei Alexandrovich to solve all the problems seriously and thoroughly, to think over not only key but also minor issues, because under certain circumstances they can come to the fore and distract from the main goal. He always took upon himself without any reservations the entire responsibility for the task entrusted, encouraged a sensible initiative, trusted, in a difficult moment substituted his powerful ministerial shoulder.
In the validity of the estimates of O.D.Baklanov was convinced more than once, in particular he remembered the launch of the ship on the program "Soyuz-Apollo", this first grandiose epic of the space community of the two great powers. Forty minutes before the launch, the failure of the on-board television system was revealed. In the room of the State Commission at the start, Kerimov, Glushko, Bushuyev, Shabarov, Ostashov, Soldatenkov, Ivanov (chief designer of TV), Shatalov gathered. Afanasyev arrived. The maintenance farms are already divorced, replacement of the unit in the TV system is impossible. Bushuev believes that the ship is blind and the expediency of launching it is necessary to consult with Houston. Shabarov says that you can let go, you can not let it go. According to Soldatenkov, it is necessary to start up, since manipulation with fuel drain and re-fueling for the next starting day with a 50-degree heat can lead to abnormal situations. Ostashov and Shatalov voted for the launch. Glushko and Kerimov in confusion. Glushko, at last, says that one must consult Moscow. The HF device is located in the starting hopper. We went to the bunker. S.A. Afanasyev said firmly that he was for launching. It was less than ten minutes. The talks with Moscow clearly did not fit into the launch schedule. Glushko also understood this and agreed to the launch. The decision was taken.
Already in flight on the recommendations from the Earth, the cosmonauts carried out repairs, and the TV was restored. The flight program was completed in full on time, and thus the authority of the country was confirmed as a powerful space power.
Afanasyev took on a tremendous responsibility, and under certain circumstances, he really would have to answer for his decisions. It seems that he was always ready for it. One of the employees of the Ministry, A.I.Kiselev recalled: "There were accidents in succession three" Protons "because of the engines of the second stage, and lost three television satellites to Eastern Siberia, which was without television. The only apparatus remained. For the next launch we flew to Baikonur along with Sergey Aleksandrovich Afanasiev and the chief designer of engines Alexander Dmitrievich Konopatov. The situation is acute, and we, of course, can not be joking. And then Sergei Alexandrovich asks me: "Did you take warm clothes?" I say: "Why? At Baikonur plus thirty heat. " Sergei Alexandrovich then said: "In vain. We can walk to Kolyma from Baikonur."
All the activities of S.A.Afanasyev as a statesman were directly connected with all the tasks solved by the industry - both in the field of advanced rocket and space technology, the national economy, and the social sphere. He was always concerned with the construction of housing, children's institutions, hospitals, recreational facilities, subsidiary farming, etc. He himself went about the shops, construction sites, auxiliary industries, design bureaus and scientific research institutes, stands and laboratories. It's hard to enumerate everything. As the current head of Roskosmos A.N. Perminov, for Afanasyev people were always in the foreground, and hundreds of thousands of workers in the rocket and space industry supported his minister.
Afanasyev had always been the first in critical situations, whether it is a backlog in development or testing, a rocket explosion at the start or at the stand. Detailed analysis was carried out, an action plan was drawn up for the speedy restoration and continuation of the work. With these plans, he went to the ministers, directors of enterprises, approved the schedules of deliveries, referring to the provision of the earlier scheduled dates. If necessary, you had to contact the first persons in the country - NS. Khrushchev, LI Brezhnev, A.N. Kosygin, D.F. Ustinov (communication with him lasted more than forty years), Yu.V. Andropov and others.
Sergey Alexandrovich cultivated a galaxy of great leaders and specialists, among them OD. Baklanov, B.V. Balmont, V.X. Doguzhiev, who held large government posts. But there was also an original, effective system in the ministry with recruitment not only for senior positions. Those employees who were scheduled to be promoted were sent to the plant or to the research institutes, design bureaus that lagged behind, with instructions to restore order. Then they were sent to other enterprises or organizations to re-verify the business qualities of the future leader and not to be mistaken. There was also another system for assigning and checking backups. For example, in Omsk, all the company's management was sent on leave, and capable, promising engineering and technical workers worked for him.
In May 1983, the long period of Afanasyev's tenure as minister of general engineering was completed. Summarizing his work, Sergei Aleksandrovich with full right to this asserted: "It must be frankly said that there was no period of stagnation in rocket and space affairs. In this period, technology was created, the technology of production organization was at the world level and higher."
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