Flights into the Past and Future: Space Connections of the National Aviation University

On December 11, 2023, in Kyiv, at the Ivan Kotlyarevsky Library, a presentation of the book by the renowned local historian Serhiy Karamash titled "First Ukrainian cosmonaut Pavlo Popovych in Ukraine, Kyiv, at the 24th school in Kyiv" took place. During the presentation, speakers included the curator of the collections of the NAU History Museum Olena Lavrynenko, writer and local historian Valeriy Lysenko, poet Oleksandr Vasilyev, candidate of historical sciences, associate professor Serhiy Virovyi, head of the sector of the State Archive of Kyiv Petro Kolotov, and other participants.

The presentations highlighted the close ties between the National Aviation University and the space industry, particularly with Pavlo Popovych, the first Ukrainian in space.

Pavlo Romanovych had visited our educational institution multiple times, sharing fascinating stories about space flights and astronaut training. The NAU History Museum preserves not only his books and photographs but also personal belongings. On the occasion of World Cosmonautics Day, the museum always prepares thematic exhibitions unveiling the multifaceted nature of space events.

Do many Kyiv residents and city guests know that there is an Alley of Cosmonauts on the university grounds?

In the 1960s, during the Soviet Union's manned moon missions program, our university was tasked with developing unique training equipment for astronaut preparation. Academician Oleksandr Kukhtenko led the project, involving scientists and professors like M. Kirsenko, S. Ungunryan, V. Azarskov, and others. Despite the challenge of lacking its experimental and production base, the university successfully completed the task, constructing the CF-18 simulator. Astronauts conducted their initial training on it in Kyiv.

Today, the university maintains fruitful connections with space conquerors. Among them is the American astronaut of Ukrainian descent, Haydemari Stefanyshyn-Piper. Perhaps, among our students and graduates, new space researchers will emerge, influenced by Serhiy Karamash's book.

1. Participants' photos
2. The author of the book S. Karamash and the head of the archive department P. M. Kolotov
3. H. Stefanyshyn-Piper