Sergey Alexandrovich Afanasyev - (1918-2001)
Sergei Aleksandrovich Afanasyev (August 30, 1918 - May 13, 2001) was a prominent Soviet statesman, the first minister of the Ministry of General Mechanical Engineering of the USSR (MOM). He made a huge contribution to the formation and development of the domestic space-rocket industry, to the exploration of outer space. Sergei Aleksandrovich Afanasyev, a prominent statesman of the last period of the Soviet era, traveled a long way from an ordinary engineer to the first deputy chairman of the government of the RSFSR - chairman of the All-Russian Council of National Economy - and then the first minister of the rocket and space industry. This industry together with the nuclear industry ensured the creation in the USSR of a nuclear missile shield and the necessary parity between the USSR and the USA on strategic offensive arms in the late sixties and early seventies, which, in turn, saved humanity from unleashing a nuclear war and guaranteed the peaceful development of the country for many years.
In 1957, he was appointed deputy chairman of the Leningrad Economic Council for the defense industry. Since 1958, he headed Leningrad, and from 1961 to 1965 - the All-Russia Sovnarkhoz, becoming deputy chairman of the Council of Ministers of the RSFSR.
In 1965, when the Ministry of General Mechanical Engineering was formed, Afanasyev was appointed the world's first "space" minister. He had to organize the work "from scratch", uniting under a single beginning many research institutes and design bureaus (KB), working on the creation of rocket and space technology. From March 1965 to April 1983 he was Minister of general engineering of the USSR. He organized work of the new Ministry, uniting under a common beginning of many research institutes and design bureaus (KB), working on the creation of rocket and space technology.
Under the leadership of Sergei Aleksandrovich Afanasyev, the key state task was solved - the parity of the nuclear missile forces in the world was achieved. Back in 1965, the ratio in this area looked like ten to one in favor of the United States. The Ministry of General Mechanical Engineering managed to implement the latest developments of the design bureau and establish production of the best models of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and ballistic missiles for submarines (SLBMs) in a short time. Nearly 1,400 ICBMs and 1,000 SLBMs were put on alert duty in mine and other launchers.
Moreover, all the driving levers of this immense economy were in the MOM. It is said that Afanasyev once admitted that the idea of a possible malfunction or technical malfunctions that could lead to a rocket explosion in the mine or an unanticipated launch, bothered him throughout his career. Afanasyev also provided the creation of orbital stations, including Mir station. Under his leadership there were design bureaus of such outstanding designers as Barmin, Glushko, Semyonov. He also worked with Sergei Korolev.
"I often had to report on the trouble of rapprochement and docking of objects," recalled Academician Boris Evtenevich Chertok, "and I clearly remember my feeling of a guilty student, examining before the hanging posters. But it's strange: there was no sense of fear, there was an interest in finding out the actual technical causes of the accidents and developing specific measures, hence excluding them. And the minister's merit, first of all, is that such a creative style of work of the colleges was worked out. The conversation was always very demanding, sometimes tough, but not pressing, but rather giving rise to a creative impulse for the offender."
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a stubborn struggle began on the choice of the types of missiles and launch silos that were supposed to provide superiority over the United States. The main actors in this story were well-known designers VN Chelomey and MK Yangel, and the Ministry of Defense and departments of the CPSU Central Committee were involved in it. Afanasyev eventually backed Chelomey. And in this, and in a number of other cases, the minister's position did not coincide with the position of USSR Minister of Defense Ustinov. Such interagency friction often made work difficult.
The importance of the rocket and space industry allowed Sergey Afanasyev to go directly to the Politburo members and to the leaders of the country, including Brezhnev, Andropov, Chernenko and Gorbachev. Being a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from the Sverdlovsk region, Afanasyev was closely acquainted with the first secretary of the regional committee B.N.Yeltsin, they often visited enterprises of the branch in the region together.
For great services in the field of mechanical engineering "closed" by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from February 14, 1975, Afanasiev was awarded the title of hero of Socialist Labor with the order of Lenin and the hammer gold medal and hammer. For outstanding merits in creation and manufacture of special machinery and in connection with the 60th anniversary of the birth of "closed" work, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of August 29, 1978 year, Afanasiev was awarded the order of Lenin and the second Gold Medal "hammer and sickle".
He was a Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party in 1961-1989. Deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR 5-6-th convocation (1959-1967) and the USSR 6-12-th convocation (1962-1989).
From April 1983 to July 1987 he was Minister of heavy and transport engineering of the USSR. He was engaged in the creation and production of metallurgical equipment, diesel building, wagon buidling, mining machinery and lifting-transport machinery. From March 1988 to January 1992 he was adviser to the Group of General inspectors of the Ministry of defence of USSR. In July 1992 he became the Chief Scientific Advisor of rocket-Space Corporation Energia S.P.Korolev. He lived in Moscow.
Sergei Alexandrovich Afanasyev died on 13 May 2001, and was buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow.
He was an honored mechanical engineer of USSR (29.06.1988). Awarded 7 orders of Lenin (25 July 1958; 17.06.1961; 26.07.1966; 29.08.1968; 14.02.1975; 29.08.1978; 25.10.1971), order of October Revolution (5.11.1982), 2 orders of labor red banner (20.04.1956; 30.08.1983), the order of the Red Star ( 28.06.1945), Russian order "for merits before Fatherland" 3-degree (26.08.1996), medals, foreign awards. Laureate of Lenin Prize (1973), the Stalin Prize 2nd degree (1952) and the USSR State Prize (1977). Honorary citizen of Klinskogo district (2001). A bronze bust of S.A.Afanasyev is set in the town of Klin, Moscow region. In Moscow on the House in which he lived, there is a memorial plaque.
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