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If he were alive, the outstanding Soviet scientist and space designer
Vladimir Chelomei would be 90 on June 30, 2004. For decades his name was
kept under wraps, familiar to just a handful of colleagues. During the
1940s,  60s
and 70s the intelligent, hardworking and audacious Chelomei emerged as
one of this country's leading rocket designers. His design bureau worked
closely with the Defense Ministry and during the Cold War years it churned
out a raft of cruise missiles and missile complexes, which ensured this
country's nuclear parity with the United States.
It has just so happened that any fundamental scientific discovery is
always looked upon as a potential weapon, and space technology is no exception.
Vladimir Chelomei is the proud designer of the famous Proton space launch
vehicle, which could orbit satellites and even a whole space station too.
First launched in 1965, the Proton rockets sheer power raised many
eyebrows. “The Proton's liftoff was an amazing sight,” gasped US Astronaut
Michael Collins. “It was a night launch and the engines
In January 1968 Vladimir Chelomei sent to Baikonur a rough sketch of his Almaz space complex. It was originally designed as a catch-all space research lab and, at the same time, as a spy orbiter. It consisted of an orbital station, reusable landing modules and a heavy cargo tug designed for manned and unmanned operation. The famous Salyut family of space outposts the Proton booster launched on April 19, 1971 was a spin-off of that original Almaz complex. Always bubbling with new ideas, Vladimir Chelomei had some of his discoveries used also in unrelated areas. Once experimenting with the stability of core systems, he wished to see how they reacted to vibration. As it turned out, vibrations added to the strength of the core element. A Swiss watch company was quick to cash in developing vibration-action drills to cut through diamonds and rubies used in watch making. The Swiss set up a joint stock company and invited Chelomei to become their shareholder, which, of course, was an absolutely impossible thing for a Soviet citizen. Chelomei sent the Swiss a thank-you letter saying he was sorry he couldn't join in and that he held no grudge against them whatsoever... People of Chelomei's stature live for the sake of work and nothing but work. Always living on the edge, he died a sudden death leaving behind his brainchild, the Mashinostroyeniye R&D Association, which keeps alive the innovative traditions laid down by its Chief Designer. |