Леонід Каденюк – перший космонавт України (за матеріалами національного музею історії України)

Abstract

У статті висвітлено біографію першого космонавта України Леоніда Костянтиновича Каденюка. На основі матеріалів Національного музею історії України зроблено спробу проаналізувати участь першого космонавта у міжнародних наукових експериментах під час перебування на навколоземній орбіті на американському космічному кораблі багаторазового використання «Space Shuttle Columbia» . Висвітлено основні етапи проведення українсько-американських досліджень під час місії STS-87. Визначено історичний внесок Леоніда Каденюка у розвиток української науки та космонавтики.

Leonid Kadenyuk was the first astronaut of independent Ukraine. He began his service in the Soviet Air Forces and was selected in 1976 for the Soviet Cosmonaut Corps being on a team of test pilots of the Soviet new space shuttle Buran. In 1995 during the preparation of the first Ukrainian space mission, he volunteered to take part and returned to his homeland. There were two main candidates for the mission, the other being Yaroslav Pustovyi, a civil Ukrainian scientist in space research . Kadeniuk was chosen as better-trained and accustomed to space mission organization. He flew on NASA’s Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as part of the international mission STS-87. The mission goals were to conduct experiments using the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP-4), conduct two EVAs, and deploy the SPARTAN-201 experiment. Mid-deck eperiments included the Middeck Glovebox Payload and the Collaborative Ukrainian Experiment(CUE). The CUE was a mid-deck payload designed to study the effects of microgravity on plant growth. The CUE is composed of a group of experiments that will be flown in the Plant Growth Facility (PGF) and in the Biological Research in Canisters (BRIC). Investigators in Ukraine and the United States selected the experiments as a model for scientific collaboration between the two countries. The PGF supported plant growth for up to 30 days by providing acceptable environmental conditions for normal plant growth. The PGF is composed of the following subsystems: Control and Data Management Subsystems, Flueorescent Light Module, Atmospheric Control Module, Plant Growth Chambers, Support Structure Assembly and the Genetic External Shell. The complete PGF replaced one mid-deck locker and operated on 28 V direct current power. The plant specimen studied in the PGF was Brassica rapa.