A book describing personalities and of the Soviet space programme their contributions.
Translated from the Russian
by G. G. Egorov

You can get the book here and here

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Contents

Part I

Chapter 1
Foresight 7
1.1. Extracts from an Autobiography 7
In the Old Little House on the Oka River 19
1.2. Life Must Be Lived with Enthusiasm 22
This Has Become My Aim 23
Feeling at Home on a Planet 26
Vim and Vigour 29

Part II

Chapter 1
Bound for the Stars 32
II.1. Chief Designer 32
A Collective Portrait Formed on the Basis of the Reminiscences of Relatives, Friends, and Colleagues 32
Instances of Fate 44
II.2. The Keldysh Orbits 50
Mstislav Keldysh 50
His Gift of Foresight 52
He Was Creating a Shield 56
The Generator of Ideas 59
II.3. The Take-Off 63
The More Work the Better 64
The Launch Begins at the Plant 69
He Knew Everyone’s Character 72
II.4. Oh, How I Want to Embrace the Earth, to Breathe, and Sing! 75
The Joy of Every Day 77
Isaev the Restless 81
No Right to Err 88
II.5. The Flowers of Baikonur 90
About Yangel 90
With Love as a Constant Value 92
Besides Rockets 99

Chapter II.6
The Machines of the Twenty First Century 104
With His Thoughts in the Future 105
A Man of Principle 109
Consideration Above All 111
At the Firing Positions 114

Chapter II.7
The Man Who Brought Venus Closer 118
About My Colleague 118
His Striking Enthusiasm 119
Setting About Daring Tasks 122
No Stint of Generosity 126

Chapter II.8
Near Gagarin 130
Before the Launch 130
A Journey to India 134
Back to the Sky 138

Part III
Nothing Whimsical 144

Chapter III.1
Confronting Space 144
In a Weightless World 145
‘Living’ Satellites 153
Lunch in Orbit 154
Verified by the North 155

Chapter III.2
Factories Beyond the Earth 156
One Hundred Space Professions 157
It Must Belong to Us All 164
The Comet’s Visiting Card 165

Chapter III.3
An Unusual Situation 167
The Offer 168
The Examination 170
The Exit 172

Chapter III.4
The Spaceship Pilot 176
The Launch After the Take-Off 176
The Aim I Chose 178
A Two-Point Landing 181
The Altitude 185

Chapter III.5
Three Hours of Uncertainty 188
The Failure to Dock 189
The Launch Throughout the Years 194

Why Do We Need the Space? 199