Yuri Kondratyuk
The name of our countryman Yuri Kondratyuk, a follower, supporter and founder of cosmism, pioneer of astronautics and spaceflight, is written with gold letters in the hall of fame of NASA Space Museum in the U.S. (Alamatordo). In the world of science a route, which first led man to the Moon and a crater on the reverse side of this satellite of the Earth, is called "Kondratyuk's route".
The birth name of the scientist is Olexandr Shargey. He was born in Poltava in 4 Stretenska Street. He was brought up by his grandmother and grandfather.
When it was time to go to gymnasium, he was accepted immediately to the third grade, because he demonstrated high
knowledge. Back in gymnasium, he started a special notebook and wrote in it his first space projects. While they began to construct and lit up wooden planes, which were called "shelves", student of high-school Olexandr Shargey has already sent mentally first space rocket of his own design. The schematic diagram of demating, and after visiting the Moon, coupling of takeoff and landing module with a multiprobe, was invented by Alexander when he was 17 - in 1914. He made it completely by himself, without even knowing the works of Tsiolkovsky.
Graduating from the gimnasium, he continued his studies at St. Petersburg Polytechnic Institute. In 1916 a student Olexandr G. Shargey was mobilized to active duty. The First World War was on. Instead of higher mathematics, he had to study military science in the school of ensigns.
Before going to the front, Olexandr was complementing his "space" notebooks in the apartment of his stepmother, who lived in St. Petersburg. The spacecraft has turning around mirrors with the receivers of concentrated solar heat, with a help of which water is decomposed into oxygen and hydrogen and is converted into fuel.
On the Transcaucasian front the theorist of space was commanding a machine-gun platoon. A revolution that began in the state, has grown into a civil war. The front collapsed, and the ensign Shargey returns home.
But on the way home he is mobilized to the army of General Kornilov, and on his arrival in Kiev to Denikin, Olexandr runs away and hides for a long time, because for the new government - he is a class enemy, the officer of Tzar army. For some time he worked as labourer, fireman. He lived very modestly, he walked in one boot and one shoe, but for him it meant nothing. Hiding in the cellar he continued to work, specifying his ideas on the basis of old notebooks. He developed a multistage rocket, space suit, rocket controlled by a gyroscope.
This manuscript, soaked in the engine oil, then came to the Library of Congress, from there - into the project "Apollo" and opened for mankind the way to another world.
The way to higher education has been closed. Life of the boy and his family was constantly under the threat, so to save the stepson from the red terror (as well as herself and her daughter), his stepmother persuaded him to change his surname. So in 1921 Olexandr Shargey disappeared and appeared Yuri Kondratyuk. The mystery of the true name of Y. Kondratyuk persisted until 1977, when his sister, Nina Shargey before her death, gave written testimony to the Commission of CC KPU.
If there were no such tragic circumstances, the life of Alexander Shargey could have turned out differently. Manuscript was sent to Moscow and received excellent reviews as a new word in the world of science of space flight. But publish a book of his life Kondratyuk must at his own expense.
He made discoveries not only in space researches but also in finding the alternative energy sources, construction of the huge elevator without nails. Incidentally, while working on the last project he was accused of wrecking, imprisoned, and then transferred to the planning office, the so-called "sharashka". Here he won contest creating a project of wind power station and defeated two specialized research institutes. He drew interest of the People's commissar of heavy industry Sergo Ordzhonikidze, and latter has made Kondratyuk released earlier. Going to 
Kharkov the scientist stopped in Moscow, where he met Sergii Korolev, who offered him the vacant position of the main theoretician of GRRM - the cradle of the future Soviet space research.
For the further development of project of the Crimean wind power station and preparation of the working drawings, the Kharkiv team was moved to Moscow, where there was created the project office for this task. The chief engineer was appointed P. Gorchakov, his deputy - Yuri Kondratyuk, in addition, the group included such engineers as M. Nikitin, B. Zlobin, K. Shamansky. They were associates and friends of Yuri Kondratyuk until the beginning of the war.
While developing the wind-power station were put into action many new design solutions in building structures, in synchronization of mechanisms work, and resolved the issue of parallel working of wind-power station with local power line. It was hard, but work was progressing well.
In 1936 began the practical implementation of working drawings: on the Beden-Kir was built the heel, in which was supposed to be built the slewing tower of wind-power station. Trouble arose suddenly. February 18, 1937 died tragically the chief curator – Sergo Ordzhonikidze.
Project and construction of the Crimean wind-power station was put on ice, and the design group was reformed in the experimental design office to create a low-power wind electric installation, Y. Kondratyuk was appointed as chief. Here he worked until the war began.
Engineers N. Nikitin and B. Zlobin suggested a lot of constructive solutions for the construction of the Ostankino television tower, which created Y. Kondratyuk for the construction of wind-power station. Thus, Y. Kondratyuk made a significant contribution to the construction of the Ostankino television tower.
Peaceful constructive work of engineer genius, you can say, self-taught, was interrupted by the war. Yuri had "armor" and was not obliged to go to the front. But he was enlisted in the Moscow militia. Since he has not been registered in the military commissariat, as a military expert he was enrolled a private soldier in respect of signal troop of the 21st Panzer division of national levy.
In the certificate of CAMD USSR № 9/15 333 of 13.07.1993, there was stated: "The private soldier of infantry regiment 1281 of 60th Infantry Division Yuri Kondratyuk...died 02/25/1942, in Krivtsov village of Volkhov district, Orel region, place of burial is not indicated. Reason: TSAMO... e. 51/27 4-93 G. Head Abramov".
Even in the lifetime of Yuri Kondratyuk, Academician V. Vetchinkin in the comment to his book "The Conquest of interplanetary space" wrote: "This book undoubtedly represents the most comprehensive study of interplanetary travel comparing with all previously written. The book will serve as an indispensible guide for all dealing with rocket flights".
Academician, Hero of Socialist Labor V. Glushko, who was actively involved in developing of rocket technology, wrote that together with the works of Tsiolkovsky "with great interest, we were studing rich in new ideas wonderful book by Y. Kondratyuk".
Despite the large contribution of Y. Kondratyuk in scientific space researches, nobody knew him before the first rocket was launched into space.
With the launch of the Soviet Union's first artificial satellite of Earth on Oct. 4, 1957 were launched dreams of scientist
Y. Kondratyuk.
There was a competition for supremacy in space exploration between the Soviet Union and the U.S. in post-war period.
American scientists found in the Library of Congress book of Y. Kondratyuk, in which were designed and developed the trajectory (Kondratyuk's route), the orbital laboratories, the landing of space vehicles on the Moon and other planets of solar system, the calculations of human flight to other planets, what should be the fuel for rockets, astronaut spacesuit and much more.
Applying their own achievements and best practice of Y. Kondratyuk, July 16, 1969, Americans launched the spacecraft "Apollo", and July 20, it landed on the Moon with the crew that performed the diagnostic studies and brought the samples of lunar soil to Earth.
The monument with an inscription of the names of scientists and astronauts involved in the flight to the moon was errected in launching area in Florida, there is also the name of our countryman Y. Kondratyuk.
Many research works were written and movies made about Yuri Kondratyuk. Gradually grows the value of his scientific work in space exploration.
Anatoly Datsenko, cousin of Yuri Kondratyuk, poltavite, lieutenant-colonel, a teacher of Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, made a significant contribution to the study and establishment of the historical truth about the life of Y. Kondratyuk.
Museum of Aviation and Astronautics named after Y. Kondratyuk was established In Poltava (initially they wanted to create a museum of Kondratyuk). Near the museum was installed a memorial sign in honor of the eminent scientist. Poltava National Technical University and one of the city streets bear his name.
Still the death of Y. Kondratyuk caused a grate sorrow together with mistery.
