Portal:Space exploration/Biography/Week 41 2007

Konstantin Petrovich Feoktistov (Russian: Константин Петрович Феоктистов; born February 7, 1926 in Voronezh) is a space engineer and former cosmonaut.

Feoktistov served in the Red Army in World War II and narrowly avoided death after being captured by the Wehrmacht. Commanded to stand at the edge of a pit, he was to be executed by firing squad along with other prisoners. However, the bullet only grazed his throat, and Feoktistov was later able to crawl out of the pit of corpses and make his way to Soviet lines.

He joined Mikhail Tikhonravov's OKB (design bureau), and in 1955 formed part of the team that would go on to design the Sputnik, Vostok, Voskhod, and Soyuz spacecraft under the leadership of Sergey Korolev.

In 1964 Feoktistov was selected as part of a group of engineers for cosmonaut training, and was eventually assigned to the multi-disciplinary Voskhod 1 crew. He is presently (2003) deputy head of the mission control centre at Baikonur.

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