Vladimir Grigoryevich Sergeyev - the outstanding designer of control systems of rocketry, twice Hero of Socialist Work, the winner of Lenin and State awards, the Doctor of Engineering, the academician of National academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Under his management and with his direct participation four generations of highly effective control systems of fighting carrier rockets, spacecrafts and the space-rocket snow-storm complex were created. Chief designers of these rockets and spacecrafts are well known today: Sergey Pavlovich Korolev, Mikhail Kuzmich Yangel, Vladimir Nikolaevich Chelomey, Vladimir Fedorovich Utkin, Mikhail Fedorovich Reshetnev, Dmitry Alekseevich Polukhin, Vyacheslav Mikhaylovich Kovtunenko. Actually and Vladimir Grigoryevich Sergeyev also already became person legend in a cohort of founders of the missile and space equipment.
Vladimir Sergeyev was born on March 5, 1914 in Moscow in a family of the worker. In 1930 he ended 7 classes, then - factory school. In September 1934 he entered the Moscow institute of communications engineers (now the Moscow technical university of communication and informatics) which finished in August, 1940. In September-November, 1939 he served in Red Army the commander of a platoon of communication.
As the military operator passed front roads of the Great Patriotic War, Soviet-Japanese war of 1945, and also service in the ranks of the Soviet Army till 1947. For bravery and courage in the years of war he was awarded with four fighting awards.
In March 1947 he was invalided out, in June of the same year he came to NII-885 of the Ministry of the industry of means of communication where worked at positions of the junior researcher, the senior engineer, the head of group, the chief of laboratory, the deputy chief of department, the chief of laboratories. He worked under the leadership of outstanding scientists and designers of control systems all this years- Nikolay Alekseevich Pilyugin and Mikhail Sergeyevich Ryazansky. Vladimir Grigoryevich directly took part in creation of special electronic devices for rockets and the first artificial satellites of Earth. Here only separate strokes to its creative portrait and recognitions of achievements.
In December 1957 Vladimir Sergeyev was awarded with the ranks of the winner of the Lenin award. His surname was in the list of winners near Sergey Pavlovich Korolev. It testified to his big personal contribution to creation of the first control systems of the missile and space equipment.
On October 24, 1960 on Baikonur Cosmodrome was a tragedy - R-16 intercontinental ballistic missile (IBM) explosion. Among 74 people of victims there was a commander-in-chief of Rocket strategic forces Mitrofan Ivanovich Nedelin and the chief designer of a control system of the rocket Boris Mikhaylovich Konoplev. It was entrusted to continue Boris Konoplev's business to Vladimir Sergeyev - he became the chief designer of CB No. 692 (then, in 1978, received NPO Elektropribor name). On this post V. Sergeyev successfully worked till 1986, having provided implementation of a number of the breakthrough projects of space-rocket branch of the state noted by the state.
For outstanding merits in technical ensuring starting of the first-ever spaceship with the person onboard on June 17, 1961 the rank of the Hero of Socialist Work was appropriated to him.
Modernization of a control system and transmition on MBR R-16 arms in 1967 are noted by the State award of the USSR. Control system of a strategic missile system of the second generation of R-36 with mine basing and a control system of a missile system of the third generation of SS-18 (received the name "Satan") provided high precision of aiming at the purpose, reliability, remote reprogramming of system, even in flight conditions.
For outstanding merits in creation of new equipment the rank of the Hero of Socialist Work was repeatedly appropriated on August 12, 1976 to V. G. Sergeyev.
V. G. Sergeyev's name still is a little known to the majority of citizens of Ukraine. All made it had a security classification. As well as that the academician Vladimir Grigoryevich Sergeyev lived and worked in Kharkov where he was the head of the superclose design office in which worked about 10 thousand experts. They created rockets as the fighting weapon and as space learning tool, designing for rockets one of their major components - a control system. Quarter of the century Vladimir Grigoryevich Sergeyev was the chief designer of "technical brains" terrible and most Soviet rockets.
"I am urged to do the weapon, and it has to be reliable", - quite so he defined the purpose of his activity. And so the formula of his successful work can sound. Components of this formula, undoubtedly, very high responsibility for results of activity of many collectives which were integrated by him into work over unique weapon, that was created for the first time in the world. One more compound of success formula of the academician Sergeyev was too high insistence to himself and to all participants of creative process, including scientists, designers, technologists, production workers. The compound of the formula of success was also an uncompromising stand in communication both with experts, and with the management when it was a question of quality providing and reliability of end products.
In the end of his career Sergeyev was unfairly and painfully offended. He directed all development which was just about to come to the end, and dreamed to start in the sky steered by its control system powerful, the Energiya-Buran complex rocket with a weighing of two tons. But successful starts at first "Energy", then it together with "Snow-storm" took place, unfortunately, without him. On October 20, 1986 he was exempted by the order of the minister of the general mechanical engineering O. Baklanov from duties of the general director and the chief designer of NPO Elektropribor. This discharging happened by the principle known "voluntary forcibly" without due consideration of well-deserved highest rewards of the state, 25 years given without the rest of constructed by it on a brick to unique rocket firm. Till last days of live he worked as the scientific consultant of NPO Elektropribor (since 1992 - JSC Hartron).
In 1999 Vladimir Grigoryevich Sergeyev became the Honourable citizen of Kharkov. In the house where he lived, the memorial board was established . By the current legislation of the Soviet Union, twice awarded an honorary title of the Hero, on his homeland the authorities had to establish a bust. But this bust to Vladimir Sergeyev in Moscow wasn't constructed. And only in independent Ukraine the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada on 100 anniversary celebration since the birth of the academician of NAN of Ukraine Vladimir Grigoryevich Sergeyev provided a construction in his honor of a monument in the city of Kharkov.