The Ukrainian Space

Throughout many centuries the astronomers have been studying the endless space of the Universe, observing the sky from the Earth. Due to space technology the astronomy achieved extraordinary success. Among the glorious creators of the rocket and space technology there were as well and there are plenty of Ukrainian specialists. Unfortunately, all the achievements of the Soviet space technology have lately been somehow miraculously “privatized” solely by Russia. Russia tends to forget that actually plenty of the Soviet space success has also been the Ukrainian space success. Having read this book, you will find out a lot about a significant contribution of the Ukrainians into space exploration. Among the Chief and General Structural Engineers there were circa 20 Ukrainians. Thanks to our space geniuses — Y. Kondratiuk, S. Koroliov, V. Hlushko, M. Yangel, V. Chelomey, G. Lozyno-Lozynky etc. we have every reason to be proud of the Ukrainian past and present space achievements.

We hope that the metaphorical title, “The Ukrainian Space” will not be considered an infringement on something that fortunately does not belong to people…
This is a book for a wide readership.

Versos and Rectos

7 facts of the Ukrainian space:

1. According to the leading French space magazine, among the five greatest Soviet Chief and General Structural Engineers there were four Ukrainians: S. Koroliov, M. Yangel, V. Chelomey and V. Hlushko.
   
2. Serhiy Koroliov’s favorite song was a famous Ukrainian song “I am looking at the sky and thinking why can’t I fly like a falcon?..” This song became one of the incentives that roused the space interest of the future creator of the first Rocket which took a human to space. When Koroliov launched the Rocket with the first Ukrainian cosmonaut Pavlo Popovych onboard, Popovych sang there the Chief Structural Engineer’s favorite song “I am looking at the sky…” for him.
   
3. Among over thirty Soviet Chief and General Structural Engineers there were circa 20 Ukrainians.
   
4. The first Soviet Rocket launch facility “Kapustin Yar” had been built and guided for over 30 years by a Ukrainian, Vasyl Vozniuk (born in Vinnytsia region). Koroliov also instructed him to find a place for a new, more powerful launch area, later known as “Baikonur Cosmodrome”. Moreover, General M. Hryhorenko from Luhansk region, Ukraine, had been in charge for its construction.
   
5. It so happened that the two most prominent Structural Engineers of the anti-ballistic missile systems (ABM), born in two neighboring regions of Ukraine (Zaporizhzhya region and Dnipropetrovsk region respectively) were fighting for the two biggest states: Hryhoriy Kysun’ko was developing Soviet ABM, and Edward Ginzton was creating ABM for the USA.
   
6. A unique RT-70 radio telescope in Yevpatoria takes part in international deep space investigations. It is able to catch, for example, a light from a match lit on the Moon.
   
7. Nowadays the leading Ukrainian space enterprises actively take part in over 50 big international space projects. The carrier rocket of the ESA “Vega” is equipped with the superpower Ukrainian jet engine. Ukraine together with the USA and Russia is creating the “Taurus-II” space rocket system which is to be launched from the US launching facilities in order to deliver cargo to the International Space Station.
   

Awards

• The 2009 Lviv Publishers’ Forum award for the best children’s book
• The Certificate of the Lviv Astronomical society