19 Facts About Oleg Gazenko

Oleg Georgievich Gazenko was a Russian military officer in the former Soviet Air Force and a program manager in the Soviet space program.

Oleg Gazenko headed the Institute of Biomedical Problems in Moscow and was leading a Soviet mission to train animals in space.

Oleg Gazenko was born on December 12,1918, in the village of Mykolaivka, Stavropol Territory to George and Larissa Oleg Gazenko, nee Nikitin.

In 1941, Oleg Gazenko graduated from the Military Department of the 2nd Moscow Medical Institute as a medic 3rd rank.

In 1947, Oleg Gazenko was appointed to the Institute of Aviation Medicine of the Ministry of Defence.

From 1955 Oleg Gazenko worked in the Soviet space program, focusing his efforts on research in the field of space biology and medicine relevant to weightlessness and orbital flight.

Oleg Gazenko took a prominent part in a number of biological tests regarding space flight projects.

Oleg Gazenko trained and supervised the animals used in the Sputnik 2 project.

Oleg Gazenko continued his work as part of the team behind the Vostok program.

Oleg Gazenko supervised and trained the animals used in the 1960 Vostok prototype flight.

Oleg Gazenko was directly involved in training the first human cosmonauts of the Vostok 1 project, including Yuri Gagarin.

In 1969, by the decision of the Central Committee of the CPSU and the Council of Ministers Oleg Gazenko was assigned to the 3rd General Directorate of the Ministry of Health as Director of the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems.

From 1978 Oleg Gazenko was involved in developing the system of physiological, health, and psychological measures for crews in prolonged space flights and after return to Earth.

Oleg Gazenko initiated the Cosmos biosatellite nonhuman primate program, which has been highly successful since its genesis in 1979.

Oleg Gazenko recalls how difficult it was to decide to fly a primate for the first time.

Oleg Gazenko was elected president of the All-Union Physiological Society named Pavlov in 1987, and retired the following year with the rank of lieutenant-general in the medical services of the Soviet Air Force.

In 1998 Oleg Gazenko expressed regret for the manner of Laika's death:.

Oleg Gazenko had been appointed to the position of Academician in the Russian Academy of Science.

Oleg Gazenko died on November 17,2007; he is buried in the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery in Moscow.