Academician Korolyov is a famous scientist and founder of practical cosmonautics. He was a major figure in the development of the Russian space program. Korolyov was born in 1906 in the small Ukrainian town of Zhitomir into a family of teachers. In 1922, when he was 15, Korolyov went to study at a vocational building school in Odessa, where he received his secondary education as a builder.Korolyov was greatly interested in mathematics and literature. In 1923 he joined Glider Pilots’ Club, where he learned to construct gliders and to fly them. In 1925 Korolyov began to study aviation and mathematics at the Kiev Polytechnical Institute. However, he had to work in the evening. He had different jobs: as a building worker, at the post office and he even played very small roles in films.After two years in Kiev Korolyov came to Moscow, where he worked at an aeroplane factory in the day-time and studied at the Moscow Higher Technical School in the evening. While studying there Korolyov became interested in Tsiolkovsky’s ideas on space travel. After his graduation in 1930 Korolyov became an aviation engineer. He also finished the Moscow Pilot School. During the Great Patriotic War S. P. Korolyov constructed a jet engine for aeroplanes and rockets.Korolyov was responsible for many of Russia’s well-known achievements in space exploration. He was the chief constructor of the first man-made sputnik of the Earth, which was launched into space on October 4, 1957. Then dogs were sent into space and only then Yuri Gagarin, the first cosmonaut in the world launched into space in the spaceship “Vostok” on April 12, 1961. Then followed rockets to the Moon, Mars and Venus.Korolyov was also responsible for leaving behind a group of dedicated and highly trained scientists and engineers. For his brilliant work in the name of science and progress he was awarded two Gold Stars of the Hero of Socialist