Mirosław Hermaszewski, who was the primary, and thus far, solely citizen of Poland to fly into space, has died on the age of 81.
Hermaszewski’s death on Monday (opens in new tab) (Dec. 12) was confirmed by his son-in-law, Ryszard Czarnecki, a member of the European Parliament, in a post on Twitter (opens in new tab).
“On behalf of the household, I verify the very unhappy information concerning the dying of Common Miroslaw Hermaszewski — the primary Polish cosmonaut, an important pilot, a great husband and father, and a beloved grandfather,” Czarnecki tweeted. “He left for everlasting watch.”
Associated: Russian and Soviet space stations throughout history
As a pilot within the Polish Air Drive, Hermaszewski was chosen as certainly one of 500 candidates to probably develop into his nation’s first spaceman — solely he didn’t understand it on the time. Initially saved at nighttime about what he and his fellow pilots have been being examined for, it was not till the group was narrowed did Hermaszewski be taught the place the method was main.
Lastly, in November 1976, Hermaszewski, collectively along with his fellow countryman Zenon Jankowski, was chosen with different finalists from Germany and Czechoslovakia to hitch the Interkosmos program, a Soviet initiative that invited allies to coach and launch their residents on Russian space missions.
After two years of fundamental coaching on the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Coaching Heart in Star Metropolis, Russia, Hermaszewski was assigned to fly with Soviet cosmonaut Pyotr Klimuk on Soyuz 30, an 8-day mission to the Salyut 6 space station.
“I, a citizen of the Polish Folks’s Republic, really feel honored being granted the chance to hold out a spaceflight on the Soviet ship Soyuz 30 and the orbital station Salyut 6. The arrogance entrusted in me I cannot disappoint,” mentioned Hermaszewski simply minutes earlier than he and Klimuk lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on June 27, 1978.
Launching on the second mission within the Interkosmos program, Hermaszewski grew to become the 97th particular person to fly into space and the 89th to orbit Earth (in response to the Affiliation of Area Explorers’ Registry of Space Travelers (opens in new tab)). After docking with the single-module Salyut station, Hermaszewski and Klimuk joined Vladimir Kovalyonok and Aleksandr Ivanchenkov on board the outpost.
Throughout his time in orbit, Hermaszewski helped conduct 11 science experiments, together with rising crystals and assessing why some meals tasted higher than others in microgravity. He additionally photographed Earth, and Poland particularly, though cloud cowl over his nation largely hindered taking pictures. He additionally measured his lung capability and his coronary heart beat, each throughout train and whereas sporting a strain swimsuit.
Hermaszewski and Klimuk departed Salyut 6 on Soyuz 30 and returned to Earth on July 5, 1978. On his one and solely spaceflight, Hermaszewski logged 7 days and 22 minutes in space.
Miroslaw “Mirek” Hermaszewski was born on Sept. 15, 1941, in Lipniki, previously of Poland however on the time and now positioned in Ukraine. He earned his pilot’s license in 1961 and commenced his research to develop into a fighter pilot on the “College of Eaglets” in Dęblin, Poland. Graduating on the high of his class, Hermaszewski was assigned to an air protection regiment in Poznań and continued his coaching to fly the MiG-15 jet fighter. In 1971, he graduated from the Karol Świerczewski Navy Academy.
At first ordered to return to Warsaw after his spaceflight was full, he was later appointed the commander of the Fighter Pilots College in Dęblin and by 1987, grew to become director of the establishment. Hermaszewski was promoted to the rank of brigadier common in 1988 and three years later, served because the second-in-command of the Polish Air Drive. He continued flying jets till 2005 when he retired from the service, having logged greater than 2,000 hours flying time.
Hermaszewski twice staged unsuccessful runs for a seat within the Polish parliament, however was elected in a neighborhood election to the Mazovian Regional Meeting in 2002.
In 2009, Hermaszewski launched his autobiography, “Ciężar nieważkości. Opowieść pilota-kosmonauty” (“The Weight of Weightlessness. Story of a Pilot-Cosmonaut”). His likeness has appeared on Polish and worldwide postage stamps, pins and patches, and medallions.
Having worn the primary Polish-made digital watch into space, commemorative variations impressed by the timepiece have been later produced and offered to the general public (“Kosmonauta” by the watchmaking firm G. Gerlach).
For his service to his nation and to the Soviet space program, Hermaszewski was honored with many medals and awards, together with the Gold Star Hero of the Soviet Union and the Order of Lenin.
He was married to Emilia (née Łazar) Hermaszewska in 1966 and collectively they’d two kids, Mirosław and Emilia, and 4 grandchildren.
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