Mirosław Hermaszewski
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| Mirosław Hermaszewski | |
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| Intercosmos Cosmonaut | |
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| Born | September 15, 1941 Lipniki, Volhynia, Poland |
| Other occupation | Pilot |
| Rank | Brigadier General, Polish Air Force |
| Time in space | 7d 22h 02m |
| Selection | 1976 Intercosmos Group |
| Missions | Soyuz 30 |
Mirosław Hermaszewski (born September 15, 1941), is a retired Polish Air Force officer. He became the first (and to this day remains the only) Pole in space when he flew aboard the Soyuz 30 spacecraft in 1978.
Mirosław Hermaszewski was born in Lipniki, Wolynian Voivodship. He is a survivor of Massacres of Poles in Volhynia, during which Ukrainian nationalists murdered 19 members of his family, including his father.
In 1965 he graduated from the military pilot school in Dęblin. In 1978 he was chosen from almost 500 Polish pilots to take part in the Intercosmos space program. Together with Pyotr Klimuk he spent almost eight days onboard the Salyut space station (from 17:27, June 27, 1978 'til 16:31, July 5). During their time in orbit, they carried out experiments on geoscience and photographed the Earth's surface.
They landed 300 km west of Tselinograd. He was awarded with the Hero of the Soviet Union title for that flight, one of only eight non-Soviet citizens to receive the award.
During the martial law in Poland Hermaszewski was a member of the Military Council of National Salvation (Wojskowa Rada Ocalenia Narodowego, WRON), a military quasi-government. After that he was a commander of the Fighter Pilots School in Dęblin. In 1988 he was promoted to general.
Between 1991 and 1992, Hermaszewski served as a second-in-command of the Headquarters of the Airforce. He is currently retired.
Mirosław Hermaszewski enjoys science fiction novels, hunting, sailing and various other sports. He is married to Emilia Hermaszewska and has two children, Miroslaw (born 1966) and Emilia (born 1974).
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Circumstances of space travel of the first Pole in a documentary by Maciej Odolinski
- Spacefacts biography of Mirosław Hermaszewski
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