This now adult woman always knew about him, the man who first conquered outer space, much more than the rest of the world. She looks a lot like him: the same kind eyes, the same open smile. The same calm and endurance. And this is no coincidence, because she is his eldest daughter. So, we get acquainted: Elena Gagarina, daughter of Yuri Gagarin - the first person to fly into space.
Childhood
Little Lenochka was the first daughter of Yuri Alekseevich and Valentina Ivanovna Gagarin. She was born in 1959. According to the recollections of the niece of Yuri Gagarin, Tamara Dmitrievna, the girl was very painful, and the alarmed parents even decided to christen her. Perhaps if the authorities found out about this, someone else could become the first astronaut.
Being older, Elena Gagarina often came under a hail of questions about her famous father. She was constantly asked about the first flight, about how she first learned about it. As a father told her about everything, did he share any impressions and feelings? But on that very day, Gagarina Elena Yuryevna was still too young, she was only two years old, therefore, naturally, she did not remember any of the great events of that day. But it has always been a part of her life, since childhood. She grew up with that. For a daughter, Yuri Gagarin has always been not only a beloved and loving dad, but also the first astronaut. Her whole life was connected with outer space and space exploration. Before and after never existed for her.
Daddy's memories
Elena Gagarina recalled that he hardly spoke to her about his famous 108 minutes. Perhaps because with a huge number of people he had to discuss this topic, and he was humanly tired. But he talked a lot about his childhood, about how he grew up in the Smolensk region, how the war came there. The Germans threw his whole family (two adults and four children) into the street, and for three years they lived in a dugout dug out in the garden.
It was very difficult, there was no food, the children were deprived of the opportunity to learn. In 1941 (little Jura was 7 years old) he went to first grade, but when the Germans occupied their area, the school was closed for three years. Education was resumed only in 1944, after the liberation of the region by the Soviet Army.
Gagarin was always interested in history and literature. He read poems to his daughters about the battle in Borodino, drove to this place. He studied the history of Samara, St. Petersburg, Moscow - the cities where he had studied. And when Gagarin was in Moscow, he attended lectures on art at the Pushkin Museum. He belonged to the generation that (historically) had very few opportunities. That is why, after the end of the war, such people were eagerly interested in absolutely everything.
Parents Meet
Yuri and Valentina met in Orenburg when Gagarin entered the Chkalov Flight School. There, at a dance, he met his future wife. At first glance, Valentina did not like him - her ears stick out, a hedgehog of hair on her head, and her head is kind of big. But at the end of the evening, he said goodbye until next Sunday, inviting her to ski. In her youth, Valentina was a real beauty: a chiseled figure, huge eyes. When she opened her thick braid, her hair literally spread along the floor.
They got married only four years later. Yuri after graduating from college left to serve in the North, and Valentina remained in the city to graduate from medical school. The young family moved to Chkalovskaya station only a year later. It was not far from Zvezdny, which at that time was just starting to build. It was there that the Gagarins first became parents.
Happy childhood
Despite the fact that Gagarin often made fascinating trips with his daughters - the eldest Elena and the younger Galina - he had a lot of friends. Almost every weekend he came up with something interesting. Gagarina Elena Yuryevna often recalled how her father and friends (all of them were great athletes) organized games - volleyball, football, hockey … Wives cooked food, and then all together, with the children, went all day to the forest to rest. So they spent their weekends: women, children and a company of men involved in sports.
In an interview, Elena Gagarina, whose biography is of interest to people still recalling the feat of her father with trepidation and respect, shared her childhood memories with reporters. Dad was a real family man. He liked to create a festive atmosphere at home, receiving guests. Everything was very good and had fun. Elena perfectly remembers that their house was always full of different people who came with dad.
Life in Star City
Elena Gagarina completely does not remember the apartment where the family lived until her dad flew into space. And this is not surprising: the girl was quite a baby. But she knows that the apartment was in Moscow. But after April 12, the family moved to a small town located near a military airfield, Chkalovsk. The Gagarins lived there for four years. And in Star City, which was intended for astronauts and other people involved in space, they moved after its construction was completed in 1966.
Little Helen and Galinka liked their new home. It was a wonderful place. When the family moved there, there were several houses, and the town itself was in the middle of the forest. Almost all summer it was possible to go for mushrooms and berries. Parents were not worried about the children, because it was a closed military zone. People living there worked very hard, sometimes it seemed that they were coming home just to sleep. But when at least a little free time was given out, men were engaged in a variety of sports - all the conditions for this existed.
Happiness
When Yuri Gagarin flew into Earth orbit, he immediately became a world celebrity. But he had to pay for it because he began to be at home very rarely. When he had any free moment, he was very fond of spending time with his wife and daughters. Gagarin's daughters were his greatest happiness in life, and no awards associated with space flight, even the most significant, could compare with this. Elena (yes, in fact, like Gagarin's youngest daughter - Galina) loved these evenings in company with dad, who strove to ensure that his children study well.
Poetry for daughters
Girls talked with dad about books and literature, dad read poetry to them. Yuri Alekseevich loved poetry, knew many poems by heart and with great pleasure read them to his daughters. To give dad a small gift, Lena and Galya also memorized these verses, and then read them.
Lena, like dad, enjoyed reading the lines of Pushkin, Isakovsky and Twardovsky. It was poetry related to war. At first, the girl simply wanted her dad to be glad of her introduction to the masters of poetry, but then she herself was seriously interested in it. As a child, she and her sister often heard dad out loud reading Saint Exupery and Lermontov very loudly. The girls then it was difficult to understand, but just like to listen to his dad's native voice liked.
The family of Elena Gagarina was very happy. Here, one always understood the other, knew how to hear and listen, care and empathize.
Letters from afar …
Very often Elena Gagarin was asked about the experiences in the family during the flight of the pope. She said that the father was really preparing his wife for the fact that he might not return, because the flight was extremely dangerous.
Valentina Gagarina received a letter from her husband before the first flight. But then, when it was all over, besides so triumphantly, he really didn’t want the lines to be read by Valya. After all, Gagarin wrote as if misfortune had almost happened. And he asked his Valyusha, so that in no case would she be left alone. Elena Yurievna learned its contents after many years. Despite the fact that the great astronaut asked to throw away the letter, Valentina Gagarina did not. She kept it, like many other letters that they wrote to each other at the beginning of their family life. These letters are few, and almost all of them relate to the time when Gagarin was a pilot in the Far North, and his wife studied. Valentina could not come to him then, so they exchanged touching messages. Elena has always kindly envied such tender and caring relations of her parents.
Life path of the eldest daughter of Gagarin
After graduation, Elena Gagarina became a student of the History Department of Moscow State University (Department of Fine Arts). She studied very well and often remembered dad, who dreamed that his girls had a decent education. Having received a diploma from Moscow State University, Elena Yuryevna got a job at the Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin. Fifteen years ago, in 2001, just on the day of the fortieth anniversary of a huge world-wide event - the first manned flight into space, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin congratulated her on assuming the post of director of the Moscow Kremlin Museum-Reserve.
Naturally, this appointment caused a lot of discussion, gossip and reflection. It was said that a high position was obtained by Elena Yuryevna not without “interference” with the famous surname. Gagarina did not pay attention to these words and has been quite successfully working in this position until now. Once, the ubiquitous journalists asked her what her father would say if he saw his eldest daughter in this workplace with such a significant position? Elena Yuryevna answered very briefly that dad would have simply sympathized with her.
Continuers
Both daughters of Gagarin - both Elena and Galina - are candidates of science.
I really wanted to adequately carry my father's last name Elena Gagarina. Her husband supported her decision to leave her maiden name after marriage. So she wanted to keep the memory of her father. I wanted her part to always remain with her.
The personal life of Elena Gagarina was not bad. She got married, gave birth to a daughter, Ekaterina, who bears the name of her father - Karavaev. Katyusha, too, like her mother, studied at Moscow State University. Now she came to work under the vaults of the same Moscow Kremlin Museum-Reserve.
