On
26 August 2001 the Koroliov Rocket Space Corporation (RSC) ENERGIA
celebrated its 55th anniversary. On the occasion of the celebrations the
president of the corporation, academician Yury Semionov made the following
speech.
MY DEAR COLLEAGUES, FRIENDS, VETERANS!
Our team was participating
in the creation of the home space technology as well as of the world space
flight science. Beginning from the date of its foundation the
enterprise, which incorporates several departments from Section 3 till
Koroliov RSC ENERGIA, has been remaining one of the widely avowed leaders
in this high-technology sphere of human activity. On 26 August, 2001, we
celebrate our 55th anniversary and we are proud of the achievement
attained 40 years ago at which time we had prepared and realized the
flights of the first Earth's envoys into Space - Yury Alekseevich Gagarin
and German Stepanovitch Titov. All the past years have been a difficult
and a very significant mastering of space technologies and assimilating of
new knowledge and experience. The results obtained and the findings gained
are of great importance today for the world community in realization of a
new long-term space project aimed at the International Space Station work.
The success achieved became possible owing to maintaining traditions
which were laid by the founder of our enterprise, Sergei Pavlovitch
KOROLIOV. The traditions imply the greatest safety and reliability of
rocket and space technique, all-round approach to solving the most
intricate scientific and engineering problems, quest of new ways, creative
efforts of people, their high responsibility, and keeping the main stream
line. It is the adherence to traditions that provided outstanding
achievements and recognition of the Corporation as a leading enterprise in
the world in all areas connected with space technologies: creation and
employment of piloted space devices, transport means of launching vehicles
into space, different specialized satellite complexes, introduction of
space technologies into production of everyday items. The past 5-year
period was the most difficult for our enterprise. For this period, 1996 -
2001, our Corporation was gradually, step by step, accomplishing its
engagements toward the State and foreign partners, investments being
permanently insufficient. All the achievements have been realized owing to
the selfless labour of our collaborators who have got enormous experience
in getting over troubles and solving complicated problems. There were
developed and effectuated many large scale space projects, among them the
universal space rocket-transport system ENERGIA - BURAN, space rocket
complex MORSKOI START ("see start"), Salut-kind orbital stations, and,
finally, the unique orbital complex MIR. For the unprecedented 15 years of
its employment, MIR became an internationale scientific laboratory and a
workshop of high-skilled personnel, not only for the Russian space rocket
industry but also for a number of other countries. Successful developments
of our enterprise were born and supported owing to participation of many
thousands of workers employed in many adjacent enterprises of the branch.
They have been making a significant contribution into designing, working
out, testing and using both the space rocket-technology and production of
wide everyday profile. On the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the
Corporation I would like to express, on behalf of the enterprise leaders,
the earnest gratitude to all our collaborators and workers of adjacent
institutions. All of them, while working in time of political and
economical perturbations of the past period, have always been so tolerant
and prone to understanding problems of technological and financial
character.
On this momentous day I would like to thank sincerely all
friends and comrades for the labour, creative quest and solving the most
intricate practical tasks, concerning not only science, technology and
production; financial part, economics, safety and security; ensuring with
personnel, safe keeping of intellectual privacy; but also areas of
building, medical and social spheres. I wish all the workers of the
enterprise and dear veterans be strong, healthy and happy; have great
success in their creative work and financial prosperity; be lucky in
overcoming problems and troubles of the current period. I congratulate you
with the momentous 55th anniversary which is so significant not only for
our collective body but also for everybody who is making efforts to
maintain piloted spacetechnique in Russia! Let the most audacious projects
of our illustrious team, RSC ENERGIA named after S.P.Koroliov, be realized
in the name of human progress!
The President of Koroliov RSC ENERGIA,
General Designer, RAS academician
Yu.P.SEMIONOV
The day before the celebration, RSC ENERGIA was visited by the
plenipotentiary of the Russian President in the Central Federal region,
G.S.Poltavchenko, accompanied by an escort. The visit was aimed at
investiture of government awards and honorary medals to a large number of
the Corporation workers. According to decrees of Russian Federation
President, V.V.Putin, they were awarded for their long-term honest labour
and great contribution in constructing and launching service module ZVEZDA
("star") assigned for the International Space Station (ISS). At the
procedure of award investiture to the leading specialists and officials
working at the Main Designing Bureau and at the experimental industrial
works there were also the General Director of "Rosaviakosmoc" Yu.N.Koptev,
the mayor of the town of Koroliov A.F.Morozenko, the representatives of
the Moscow region governor and of the Administration of the town of
Koroliov. 44 people were rewarded, among them one RSC ENERGIA member
received the Forth Class order "For the service before the Fatherland",
three people - the order of Honour, three - the order of Friedship,
sixteen - the First and the Second Class medals "For the service before
the Fatherland", one - the token "Honoured economist of the Russian
Federation", four - the token "Honoured designer of the Russian
Federation", sixteen - the token "Honoured industrial engineer of the
Russian Federation". In his opening address G.S.Poltavchenko, a
representative of the Russian president, appreciated highly the work of
the enterprise specialists, those participating in ISS development
including. After the rewarding ceremony there was a greeting of
A.G.Gonchar, the deputy minister for industry of the Moscow region, on
behalf of the Moscow region governor B.V.Gromov. He congratulated those
who received awards, as well ashe whole collective body of the
enterprise, with the 55th anniversary and presented a diploma to the
Corporation president Yu.P.Semionov and a memorable present to the RSC
ENERGIA collective body.
Photos from the Buran site
Space News from Alexander Zheleznyakov
Transleated by Nataliya Lipunova