Nikolai Bugaev (Soviet scientist)

Nikolai Ivanovich Bugaev[a] (27 May 1923 – 13 December 2003) was a Soviet scientist and military veteran. He is best known as the founder, organizer, and head of the USSR's Command and Measuring Complex Center (CMC).[b][2] For his contributions and accomplishments in the field of science and technology, he was honored with the Lenin Prize, the highest accolade bestowed upon individuals in the USSR.[3]

Nikolai Ivanovich Bugaev
Никола́й Ива́нович Буга́ев
Nikolay Bugaev (left), photo with the lunar rover
Head of the Command and Measuring Complex Center
Preceded byposition established
Personal details
Born(1923-05-27)May 27, 1923
Nova Praha, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
DiedDecember 13, 2003(2003-12-13) (aged 80)
Moscow, Russia
Resting placeTroyekurovskoye Cemetery, Moscow
Political partyCPSU
Parents
  • Ivan Nikolaevich Bugaev (father)
  • Anna Yakovlevna Bugaeva (mother)
EducationBudyonny Military Academy of the Signal Corps
Known fororganization and management of the Command and Measuring Complex Center, creation and operation of long-range space communication systems
AwardsOrder of Lenin (3)
Order of the Red Star (4)
Order of the Patriotic War (1st class and 2nd class)
Order "For Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR" (1st, 2nd and 3rd classes)
USSR State Prize (2)

Early life

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Bugaev was born on 27 May 1923 in Nova Praha, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union.[2][4] Bugaev's father, Ivan Nikolaevich Bugaev, was the proprietor of a flour mill, bestowed upon him by a decree of Tsar Nicholas II in acknowledgment of his deeds during the World War I. Ivan Nikolaevich was also honored with two Crosses of St. George for his exploits. Bugaev's mother, Anna Yakovlevna, owned a small sewing workshop.[5] In addition to Nikolai, the family included three younger sisters.

Military career

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After graduating from secondary school, Nikolai Bugaev, being an excellent student, was enrolled in the Oryol Infantry School on 17 February 1940 without the need for entrance exams.[2] In June 1941, Bugaev, holding the rank of Lieutenant, was assigned to oversee the commanding of a platoon within the 120th Infantry Division in the Western direction.[6] On 24 July 1941, he received his first battle injury.[6] In September 1941, Bugaev was appointed as the commander of a company within the 43rd Army, which was under the leadership of General K.D. Golubev. On 12 November 1941, Bugaev suffered a second, more severe injury near Naro-Fominsk.[6]

Following his recovery from injuries sustained during the war, Bugaev was assigned to the Airborne Forces, specifically the 106 Tula Guards Division named after Kutuzov, in June 1942.[6] He was awarded the rank of Senior lieutenant.

During his service, Bugaev participated in the first Dnieper airborne operation, where he was wounded for the third time and until the beginning of 1945 was in the reserve of the Airborne Forces. In the spring of that year, he participated in the landing and liberation of Czechoslovakia. In May 1946, he was awarded the rank of Captain.

After the end of the Great Patriotic War, Bugaev became an instructor of airborne troops, in 1946. He suffered an injury to his previously wounded leg during a night-long jump. Consequently, he was prohibited from engaging in further jumps. As a result, Bugaev switched to staff-related work.

Education and work

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In 1951, Bugaev completed his high school education and enrolled at the Budyonny Military Academy of the Signal Corps in Leningrad.[7][2] He graduated from the academy in the spring of 1957 and was appointed as the head of a point in Eastern Siberia (known as 'Bugaev's point').[7] Bugaev faced challenges in settling in the uninhabited area and dealing with the harsh climate, which complicated his work. However, he successfully managed the tasks by assembling a dedicated team, ensuring the smooth operation of the point with the initial employees in 1957-1958, and making efforts to enhance the living conditions for the workers.[7]

"Frankly speaking, it was still a bit difficult there. I had to be convinced of this, when for business purposes during the winter I visited the 'Bugaev's point', as it was referred to at the Command and Measuring Complex Center. Not only the bodies of the equipment machines were frozen through, but also the walls of the wooden residential houses. Some engineers lived there with young children, just like their chief, whose two young sons, along with their parents, bravely endured the Siberian winters."[8]

In 1959, Bugaev was awarded the rank of Colonel.[7] From 1959 to 1973, he served as the commander of the 10th Scientific Measuring Point. In October 1959, Bugaev had a personal meeting with Korolev S.P. He was honored as a laureate of the State Prize for the Lunar Program in 1965 and the State Prize for the Manned Space Program in 1968.

From 1965 to 1972, Bugaev collaborated with the NPO Lavochkin under the leadership of N.G. Babakin on the deep space exploration program involving the Moon, Venus, and Mars.

In July 1973, Bugaev was appointed as the Chief Engineer of the CMC (Command and Measuring Complex) and received the Lenin Prize.[3][6] He was promoted to the rank of Major General in May 1977. In June 1977, Nikolai Bugaev was transferred to the military reserve with the privilege of wearing a military uniform.[1]

Personal life

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During his recovery from injuries Bugaev met his future wife in the city of Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod). On 1 February 1946, they were married and went on to have two children: Yuri (born 28 November 1946) and Alexander (born 6 March 1952). Yuri married Irina and had a daughter named Natasha, while Alexander married Valentina and had a son named Sergey and a daughter named Elena. Bugaev passed away on 17 December 2003 and was laid to rest at the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery in Moscow.[7]

Awards and honors

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Further reading

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  • Pokrovsky, Boris Anatolievich (1996). Космос начинается на Земле [Space begins on Earth] (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Patriot. pp. 247–250. ISBN 5-7030-0827-1.
  • Pokrovsky, Boris Anatolievich (1985). Я — «Заря» [I am the Dawn] (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Mashinostroyeniye.
  • Kushnarev, Andrey Anatolyevich; Bugaev, Alexander Nikolaevich; Alexander, Ellen (2021). Николай Бугаев. "Радист космической эры" [Nikolai Bugaev: The Radioman of Cosmos Era]. Informal biographies (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Major. p. 192. ISBN 978-5-98551-286-1.

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Russian: Никола́й Ива́нович Буга́ев
  2. ^ The Command and Measuring Complex Center (Russian: Центр Командно-измерительного комплекса) was responsible for the flight control of all Soviet spacecraft launched for military purposes.[1]
  3. ^ For significant personal contribution to the development of trade and economic ties of Ukraine and on the occasion of the end of the Year of Ukraine in the Russian Federation (10 December 2002).[10]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b Pokrovsky, Boris Anatolievich (1985). Я — «Заря» [I am the Dawn] (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Mashinostroyeniye.
  2. ^ a b c d "Бугаев Николай Иванович" [Bugaev Nikolai Ivanovich]. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (Military Encyclopedia Dictionary) (in Russian). Retrieved 6 February 2024. Бугаев Николай Иванович (27.05.1923, с. Новая Прага, Ново-Пражского р-на Кировоградской обл., Украина - 17.12.2003, г. Москва; похоронен на Троекуровском кладбище), полковник (1959), военный специалист и руководитель в области обеспечения работ наземных командно-измерительных пунктов (КИП). В Вооруженных Силах с 1941 по 1977. Участник Великой Отечественной Войны. Окончил Орловское пехотное училище (1941) и Военную академию связи им. С.М. Буденного (1957).
  3. ^ a b Pokrovsky, Boris Anatolievich (1996). Космос начинается на Земле [Space begins on Earth] (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Patriot. p. 248. ISBN 5-7030-0827-1. За успешную работу по руководству коллективом ведущего измерительного пункта Н.И.Бугаев был повышен в должности. В 1972 году он стал главным инженером всего Командно-измерительного комплекса и лауреатом Ленинской премии.
  4. ^ Kushnarev, Andrey Anatolyevich; Bugaev, Alexander Nikolaevich; Alexander, Ellen (2021). Николай Бугаев. "Радист космической эры" [Nikolai Bugaev: The Radioman of Cosmos Era]. Informal biographies (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Major. ISBN 978-5-98551-286-1. Nikolai Ivanovich Bugaev came into the world in the Soviet Union, more specifically, in the village of Novaya Praga in the Yelisavetgrad District of the Nikolaev Province of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
  5. ^ Kushnarev, Andrey Anatolyevich; Bugaev, Alexander Nikolaevich; Alexander, Ellen (2021). Николай Бугаев. "Радист космической эры" [Nikolai Bugaev: The Radioman of Cosmos Era]. Informal biographies (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Major. ISBN 978-5-98551-286-1. Ivan Nikolaevich Bugaev returned from the imperialist war with distinctions: two George Crosses were no small matter. Moreover, an imperial decree awarded him a flour mill. <...> Ivan Nikolaievich's wife, Anna Yakovlevna, operated a small sewing shop, providing a modest but steady income.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Бугаев Николай Иванович" [Bugaev Nikolai Ivanovich]. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (Military Encyclopedia Dictionary) (in Russian). Retrieved 18 February 2024. В 1941 командир взвода на Западном фронте. Дважды ранен.<...> После войны - начальник отделения кадров Гвардейской воздушно-десантной Краснознаменной ордена Кутузова дивизии.<...> После окончания академии - главный инженер - начальник управления испытаний и эксплуатации командно-измерительных средств и автоматизированной системы управления командно-измерительного комплекса (1973-1977). Обеспечил становление и развитие возглавляемых им КИПов.
  7. ^ a b c d e Pokrovsky, Boris Anatolievich (1996). Космос начинается на Земле [Space begins on Earth] (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Patriot. pp. 247–248. ISBN 5-7030-0827-1. После войны он закончил Военную академию связи и был назначен начальником пункта в Восточной Сибири. Трудности обустройства на необжитом месте и суровый климат серьезно осложняли работу. Но бывший воин успешно справился с нелегкими задачами: сколотил трудолюбивый коллектив, организовал четкую работу пункта с первыми сотрудниками в 1957 - 1958 годах и по возможности наладил бытовые условия работы и жизни людей.
  8. ^ Pokrovsky, Boris Anatolievich (1996). Космос начинается на Земле [Space begins on Earth] (in Russian). Moscow, Russia: Patriot. p. 248. ISBN 5-7030-0827-1. Откровенно говоря, там все-таки было трудновато. В этом пришлось убедиться и мне, когда я зимой побывал по служебным делам на "пункте Бугаева", как его называли в Центре КИКа. Насквозь промерзали не только кузова аппаратных машин, но и стены деревянных жилых домов. А ведь некоторые инженеры жили там с маленькими детьми, впрочем, как и их начальник, два малолетних сынишки которого вместе с родителями стойко преодолевали сибирские зимы.
  9. ^ a b c d "Бугаев Николай Иванович" [Bugaev Nikolai Ivanovich]. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (Military Encyclopedia Dictionary) (in Russian). Retrieved 18 February 2024. Награжден: орденами Ленина (1970), Отечественной войны 1 ст. (1985), Красной Звезды, «За службу Родине в Вооруженных Силах СССР» 3 ст. и медалями.
  10. ^ "Про нагородження Почесною грамотою Кабінету Міністрів України". The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (in Ukrainian). 10 December 2002. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024. Retrieved 18 February 2024. За значний особистий внесок у розвиток торговельно-економічних зв'язків України та з нагоди завершення Року України в Російській Федерації.