Vladimir Popovkin (1957-2014)

[Artyom.]

Vladimir Popovkin has died  ...

http://www.interfax.ru/381491

[fregate]

Vladimir Popovkin has died  ...

http://www.interfax.ru/381491

Rest in peace 

[B. Hendrickx]

Izvestiya quotes a Roskosmos official (Denis Lyskov) as saying that Popovkin’s disease (cancer) was most likely brought on by his exposure to toxic fumes after the Proton crash last July.

http://izvestia.ru/news/572644

“At the moment of the launch we were in a bunker several hundred kilometers from the launch pad. After the explosion of the rocket we remained in the bunker for a while until we received information that the air outside was safe to breathe. Vladimir Aleksandrovich [Popovkin] was the first to leave the bunker, he ordered his driver out of the car,  jumped in the car himself and drove to the crash site without taking any protective measures. He felt personally responsible for what had happened and simply didn’t think of protecting himself.
…
When Vladimir Aleksandrovich got ill, doctors concluded that the disease had been triggered by the hydrazine cloud. Asked later by his colleagues what he would have done if  he had known that his health would be jeopardized like that, he always answered that he would have done exactly the same …  It was very important to act quickly at that moment. In fact he sacrificed himself.”

Bart Hendrickx

[B. Hendrickx]

Correction : "we were in a bunker several hundred METERS from the launch pad"

[russianhalo117]

Correction : "we were in a bunker several hundred METERS from the launch pad"

This should be added to forum News section as this is important.

[B. Hendrickx]

Correction : "we were in a bunker several hundred METERS from the launch pad"

This should be added to forum News section as this is important.

Even though the story comes from a Roskosmos official, perhaps it should be taken with a pinch of salt. Can exposure to UDMH really have such drastic short-term effects?  Let's wait and see how this plays out in the Russian media the following days.

[JimO]

kommersant at http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2493733 reports he died in an Israeli cancer clinic after a month of treatment there. I can't find any other confirmation.


"О смерти Владимира Поповкина "Ъ" стало известно вчера около 12 часов дня от его близких друзей. По имеющимся данным, он умер в одной из израильских клиник, куда прилетел более месяца назад: последний год он боролся с тяжелым онкологическим заболеванием."

[russianhalo117]

kommersant at http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/2493733 reports he died in an Israeli cancer clinic after a month of treatment there. I can't find any other confirmation.


"О смерти Владимира Поповкина "Ъ" стало известно вчера около 12 часов дня от его близких друзей. По имеющимся данным, он умер в одной из израильских клиник, куда прилетел более месяца назад: последний год он боролся с тяжелым онкологическим заболеванием."

OFFICIAL ROSCOSMOS PR:

RUS LINK: http://www.roscosmos.ru/20699/

Новости Роскосмоса
На 57-м году ушел из жизни В.А.Поповкин
18.06.2014 15:46

18 июня 2014 года на 57-м году жизни после тяжелой болезни скончался Владимир Александрович Поповкин.

Вся жизнь Владимира Александровича была связана со службой в вооруженных силах и космосом. Родился он в Душанбе 25 сентября 1957 года. В 1979 году окончил Военный инженерный Краснознаменный институт имени А.Ф.Можайского в Ленинграде и начал службу на космодроме Байконур, на котором прошел путь от инженера отделения до начальника стартовой команды «Гагаринского старта». В 1986 году окончил Военную академию им. Ф.Э.Дзержинского с отличием и  продолжил службу в Управлении начальника космических средств Министерства обороны СССР.

С 1991 года В.А.Поповкин служил на различных должностях в Генеральном штабе, пройдя путь от старшего офицера-оператора до начальника направления одного из управлений Главного оперативного управления ГШ ВС России.

В 2001 году стал начальником штаба Космических войск и первым заместителем командующего Космическими войсками, а в июле 2008 года – начальником вооружения Вооруженных Сил и заместителем министра обороны РФ.

С марта 2004 года назначен командующим Космическими войсками.

В апреле 2011 года В.А.Поповкин назначен руководителем Федерального космического агентства России. В этой должности Владимир Александрович проработал до осени 2013 года.

Владимир Александрович награжден государственными и ведомственными наградами.

Коллектив Федерального космического агентства выражает глубочайшие соболезнования родным и близким Владимира Александровича. Светлая память.

Пресс-служба Роскосмоса

---------------------------
Rough Translation to English:

News Roscosmos
At the 57th year died V.A.Popovkin
06/18/2014 15:46

June 18, 2014 at the 57th year of life after a long illness died Vladimir Popovkin.

The whole life of Vladimir Alexandrovich was associated with service in the armed forces and the cosmos. He was born in Dushanbe September 25, 1957. In 1979 he graduated from the Military Engineering Institute named after AF Mozhaysky in Leningrad and began serving at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which has gone from the department to the chief engineer of the starting team, "Gagarin's start." In 1986 he graduated from the Military Academy. Dzerzhinsky with honors and continued to serve in the Office of the Chief of space means the Ministry of Defense.
Since 1991 V.A.Popovkin served in various positions in the General Staff, having risen from a senior officer to chief operator the direction of one of the offices of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of Russian Armed Forces.

In 2001 he became Chief of Staff of the Space Forces and First Deputy Commander of the Space Forces, and in July 2008 - Chief of Armaments of the Armed Forces and Deputy Defense Minister.

Since March 2004 he was appointed Commander of the Space Forces.

In April 2011 V.A.Popovkin appointed head of the Federal Space Agency of Russia. In this position, Vladimir worked until the fall of 2013.

Vladimir was awarded state and departmental awards.

The team of the Federal Space Agency expresses its deepest condolences to the family of Vladimir Alexandrovich. Cherished memory.

Roscosmos press service

[B. Hendrickx]

Several Russian media have picked up the story about Popovkin's disease being related to last year's Proton crash, but they all of them refer to last Wednesday's Izvestiya article quoting Roskosmos official Denis Lyskov.  Lyskov can be seen relating the story here :

http://lifenews.ru/news/135261

He describes Popovkin as "a workaholic in the positive sense of the word", suggesting that the high workload and stress may have contributed to his condition.

The article in Kommersant earlier referred to here by JimO says Popovkin's deteriorating health was the main reason for his replacement by Ostapenko last October (and not the numerous failures in the Russian space program and the resulting re-organisation of the Russian space industry) . In fact, this had already been suggested by some media reports at the time.

The same day Popovkin died, a 53-year old Khrunichev quality control manager (Gennadiy Lashkov) apparently committed suicide by jumping off the roof of the mechanical shop where he worked.  Inevitably, at least one Russian media outlet has linked both events :

http://www.kp.ru/daily/26245.4/3126245/

However, it would appear the suicide took place several hours before news of Popovkin's death broke.   Other reports link the suicide to wage cuts at Khrunichev in the wake of recent Proton failures.