Konstantin Feoktistov, a Soviet Spacecraft Engineer, Dies at 83
Matthew Kruk
Konstantin Feoktistov, a Soviet Spacecraft Engineer, Dies at 83
By CLIFFORD J. LEVY
MOSCOW - Konstantin P. Feoktistov, a Soviet engineer who was one of the
first civilian astronauts and a prominent spacecraft designer, died on
Saturday in Moscow, the Russian space agency said. He was 83.
Mr. Feoktistov, for whom a crater was named on the Moon, was also the
only Soviet astronaut who was not a member of the Communist Party, the
agency said.
In October 1964, he flew on the first space flight that had more than
one astronaut and carried civilians. He was crowded with two others, a
doctor and a military commander, into a small spacecraft called the
Voskhod (Sunrise). Aloft for a day, the spacecraft orbited the Earth
numerous times while crew members conducted experiments on fruit flies
and plants. They also took blood and made measurements to determine how
humans reacted to being in space.
The mission was considered a major Soviet triumph, and Soviet television
showed both live and recorded footage of the three astronauts.
"Can you hear me?" an announcer on the ground asked Mr. Feoktistov. When
he did not seem to react, the announcer added, "I want to see you
smile." Mr. Feoktistov then grinned widely.
The astronauts exchanged greetings with the Soviet leader, Nikita S.
Khrushchev.
The fact that the Voskhod carried civilians was called an achievement
that heralded a new era of space travel. The Russian space agency said
the expedition made Mr. Feoktistov "the first spacecraft designer to
have tested his brainchild under real conditions."
Mr. Feoktistov never joined the Communist Party, much to the irritation
of the authorities. At one point, his chances of taking part in the
Voskhod mission were said to have been threatened because he snubbed the
party, but he was allowed on in the end.
Mr. Feoktistov was born on Feb. 7, 1926, in Voronezh in southwestern
Russia, near Ukraine. He fought and was wounded in World War II.
Before becoming an astronaut, he was one of the earliest designers of
Soviet spacecraft. In a report in the late 1950s, "A Long-Range Program
to Master Outer Space," he described how the Soviet Union should explore
Earth's orbit, then the Moon, Venus and Mars. He also sketched plans for
the first craft for human flight and a proposed landing technique.
After his flight in 1964, Mr. Feoktistov continued to work on the space
program as a designer of space vehicles and a senior administrator. He
also was a professor in Moscow. No information was immediately available
on survivors.
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