Mars Rafikov
Mars Zakirovich Rafikov | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 29 September 1933 Dzhalal-Abad, Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic |
| Died | 23 July 2000 (aged 66) |
| Nationality | Soviet |
| Occupation | Jet fighter pilot |
| Space career | |
| Cosmonaut | |
| Rank | Soviet Air Force |
| Selection | Air Force Group 1 |
Mars Zakirovich Rafikov (Russian: Марс Закирович Рафиков, 29 September 1933 – 23 July 2000) was a Soviet cosmonaut who was dismissed from the Soviet space program for disciplinary reasons.
Career[]
Senior Lieutenant Rafikov, age 26, was selected as one of the original 20 cosmonauts on 7 March 1960 along with Yuri Gagarin.
On 24 March 1962, Rafikov was dismissed from the cosmonaut corps, officially for "a variety of offenses, including womanizing and 'gallivanting' in Moscow restaurants, and so forth".[1] Other cosmonauts (notably Gagarin) had exhibited similar behavior, but could not be officially disciplined because of their stature and international reputation. Gherman Titov later suggested that the real reason for his dismissal was because he and his wife had divorced.[2]
He remained in the military, serving as a pilot in the Soviet–Afghan War.[3]
To protect the image of the space program, efforts were made to cover up the reason for Rafikov's dismissal. His image, like that of others who were dismissed, was airbrushed out of cosmonaut photos. This airbrushing led to speculation about "lost cosmonauts" even though the actual reasons were often mundane.[4]
References[]
- ^ Asif Siddiqi, "Sputnik and the Soviet Space Challenge", 2000, p. 374
- ^ http://www.cdi.org/russia/johnson/3264.html#4 Archived 2006-03-17 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Cosmonaut Biography: Mars Rafikov".
- ^ http://www.straightdope.com/columns/030117.html[dead link]
External links[]
- Details of the Soviet training program and launch
- Biographical details
- Titov recounts about disappearing cosmonauts
- Straight Dope entry about lost cosmonauts
 | This article about an astronaut is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
 | This Kazakhstani biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
 | This Kyrgyzstani biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
 | This Russian biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by . |
- 1933 births
- 2000 deaths
- Soviet cosmonauts
- Soviet Air Force officers
- Soviet military personnel of the Soviet–Afghan War
- Syzran Higher Military Aviation School alumni
- Astronaut stubs
- Kazakhstani people stubs
- Kyrgyzstani people stubs
- Russian people stubs