Today, October 24, 2021, it turns 61 from the day of the terrible tragedy in the history of space of space – on this day in 1960 at the 41st Platquin Polygon No. 5 of the USSR Ministry of Defense (today – Baikonur cosmodrome) The rocket burst rocket human. We honor the memory of those whose life was given to space!
October 24, 1960 at 18:45 During pre-scheduled work on the P-16, the R-16 was a premature launch of the second-stage marginal engine. He destroyed his torch of the first stage oxidizing agent, and then a tank of a fuel second stage. An explosion has occurred more than 100 tons of fuel components, air cylinders of the supervision of tanks. As a result of the explosion, a fire began. 74 people were killed in the fire, among them – the first commander of the rocket troops Marshal Mitrofan Nedel. 49 people were injured and burns, some of them were already died in the hospital.
3 years later, October 24, 1963, another tragedy happened on the cosmodrome. When testing the intercontinental ballistic missile of the R-9A due to the occurrence of a spark in a gas-free atmosphere, a fire broke out in the mine of starting position No. 70, 8 people died. Couples of kerosene and oxygen were formed as a result of refueling the training rocket fuel on the eve.
Since then, October 24 has become a day when rockets do not start. On the Baikonur cosmodrome, all work with carrier rockets and spacecraft, people will grieve, remember colleagues, lay wreaths to the fraternal grave of the dead, to the monument on the site of the former starting platform P-16.
The name of Mitrofan is called one of the streets of the city of Baikonur, he has a monument, and his name was assigned to the Baikonur Electrojudious Communications Technical School. The names of the victims of Evgeny Reashev and Alexander Nosov also named city streets.
In memory of the tragedies of the 1960s and 1963 years on Baikonur, as well as the 1973th and 1980s at the Plesetsk polygon, when 57 people were killed in the testing and space technology tests, October 24 in the RVSH Announced the day of memory of rackets according to the order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Rocket Forces of Strategic Destinations.
Space development is a fantastically difficult task. Space researchers consciously take risks, some of them gave their lives for it. We will always remember the names of these heroes and to realize the importance and danger of their work.