The second more

Mitrovan Ivanovich Nederin, commander-in-chief of the Strategic Rocket Forces, died in 1960 during an ICBM test at the Tyuratam Scientific Research Test Site, when the P16 ICBM was launched in an accident and unfortunately died in the fire, becoming the first Soviet marshal to die in an accident. At that time, the deputy director of the Tyuratam Proving Ground Nosov, who died in an accident, the heads of the Administration of the Tyuratam Proving Ground Grigoryants and Ostashov. Deputy Chairman of the State Missile Test Committee Grishin, Main Designer of the Missile Control System Konopurev, Deputy Chief Designer of the 586 Special Design Bureau Berlin and Kontsevo, Deputy Chief Designer of the Grushko Design Bureau Felsov ......"

"Comrade Vladimir Mikhailovich Komarov, the first pilot to go into space several times and the first Soviet cosmonaut to die in manned spaceflight, died in the Soyuz accident in April 1967."

It was supposed to be a celebration party to celebrate the successful launch of the Lotus satellite, but Yanayev's speech seemed a little unreasonable. He did not praise the success of the Soviet space sector, but uncharacteristically recounted the failed missile launches. The joy that had been hanging on people's faces slowly subsided, and they listened carefully to Yanayev's speech, and saw the face of the communist leader, which was difficult to hide.

"I would like to talk about the death of Comrade Komarov, when the local personnel examined the Soyuz-1 spacecraft and found more than 200 structural problems that would make the spacecraft's flight in space dangerous. However, no one dared to report these problems to the then Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev, fearing that he would be demoted or expelled. As a result, the mission proceeded as planned, which ultimately led to the tragedy. ”

"And the first commander-in-chief of the Strategic Rocket Forces, Negerin, in order to take the lead in the race with the United States, and at the same time repay Khrushchev for his kindness in promoting himself to the post of artillery commander last year, refused the advice of the commander-in-chief of the Baikonur launch site to postpone the launch in the face of some failures in the preparation of the ICBM missile launch. In order to launch as soon as possible and buy time, the chief engineer had to illegally allow the inspection of various systems to be carried out simultaneously and in parallel, instead of one by one as required, which eventually led to the accident. ”

There was silence all around, and Yanayev's voice was not very loud, but it had a terrifying power that made everyone listen to him silently as he finished speaking.

"Here, I would like to explain to you that the Soviet aerospace sector, as a pillar industry, has an immeasurable position and prospects, but I also do not want you to go to the Khrushchev and Brezhnev periods, where you chose to turn a blind eye to the tragedy that could have been avoided at the expense of other people's lives for the sake of competition. In the same way, I do not want to see the tragedy of Comrade Nederin and Komarov repeated. ”

Yanayev picked up the bouquet of flowers on the stage and said to everyone, "That's why I chose to come here with a bouquet of flowers, to apologize to the heroes who died in the space accident, and to apologize for the mistakes we have made." Although they are buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery with the treatment of a state funeral, I hope that their souls wandering in Baikonur will be laid to rest. ”

Apologize? General Secretary Yanayev actually apologized for the mistakes made by the previous leaders?

No one dared to question Yanayev's decision, and no one dared to stop Yanayev from doing it. In the stunned eyes of the others, Yanayev walked directly out of the launch center and walked towards the cemetery where the ruins of the aircraft were filled. The Buran still lies quietly in the warehouse, losing its former glory, the massive abandoned engine of the N1 rocket half-buried in the loess. The glory of the past has gone with the wind, but the lessons learned from their failures have become the driving force that guides the Soviet space industry to continue to move forward.

"They used to be heroes." Minister Rykoputev, who was standing beside Yanayev, said slowly.

Yanayev placed the bouquet in front of the stele, which was erected in 1995 to commemorate the heroes who died in the history of Soviet aviation. The names of the victims of each accident are engraved on the stele, and the tragic accident in 1960 alone killed more than 90 people.

The dense stone monuments record the tragic sacrifices in the history of Soviet aviation, which, like the Chernobyl nuclear accident, have been a wake-up call for the entire country.

Yanayev refuted Minister Rykoputev's claim, "They were heroes, they are heroes, and they will be heroes of the Soviet Union, although they sleep under the sand, and their names are unknown, but history cannot erase the merits of these people." ”

Yanayev stared at the name on the tombstone, the youngest victim was only 22 years old, a soldier who had been in the army for less than two years, and the immature face on the black and white photo made Yanayev look a little dazzling.

He said to himself, "Don't we go up in the face of accidents and let the people go?" ”

"Comrade Rykoptef, even if it's a favor for me." Yanayev turned his head, his eyes looked very serious, and he said word by word, "Even if it's for the sake of this country, do me a favor." ”

"General Secretary Yanayev, what do you want me to help with?" The general secretary's sudden change of attitude made Rykoptev a little uncomfortable, but he still agreed to it.

Pointing to the name on the tombstone, Yanayev said slowly, "The Soviet Union no longer needs such heroes." ”

Yanayev turned around, looked at the wreckage of the rocket launch buried in the yellow sand, and said seriously, "Why is it necessary to portray a Soviet hero in such a cruel way?" Many accidents are obviously avoidable, just because of the fear of accountability from the top? Afraid of being demoted, fired? Would you rather fill it with human life than create one Soviet-style miracle after another? IMHO, if anyone had such thoughts, I would be the first to let him roll off that position. ”

Yanayev's words made Minister Rykoputev break out in a cold sweat, and it was the first time he had encountered a national leader who told him such things so bluntly that he could not pick on the surface. At the same time, he also understood why the guards stayed away from Yanayev and himself, in order to create an environment for secret conversation.

"That's why I say that there are enough people who have been awarded the Order of Heroes in the history of the USSR. I don't want to see other family members receive that medal of heroism, I don't want to see a crying mother, a heartbroken wife, and a child who has lost a father, and I've had enough of it. ”

Yanayev patted Rykoptev on the shoulder, "I hope you can take care of yourself, there are enough names on this stele, there is almost no place for it, don't let me see new names appear on it." ”

Yanayev turned to leave, leaving Minister Rykoptev alone and staring at the stele in a daze. (To be continued.) )