Mirosław Hermaszewski

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Mirosław Hermaszewski
Miroslaw H.jpg
Intercosmos Cosmonaut
Nationality Polish
Born (1941-09-15) September 15, 1941 (age 72)
Lipniki, Volhynia, Reichskommissariat Ukraine, Greater German Reich
Other occupation
Rank Brigadier General, Polish Air Force
Time in space
7d 22h 02m
Selection 1976 Intercosmos Group
Missions Soyuz 30
Mission insignia
Soyuz-30 patch.png

Mirosław Hermaszewski (born September 15, 1941), is a retired Polish Air Force officer and cosmonaut. He became the first (and to this day remains the only) Polish national in space when he flew aboard the Soyuz 30 spacecraft in 1978.

Early life[edit]

Mirosław Hermaszewski was born into a Polish family in Lipniki, Volhynia, formerly in Poland (Wołyń Voivodeship) but at the time part of the Reichskommissariat Ukraine, in present day - Ukraine. He is a survivor of the Volhynian massacres during World War II, during which Ukrainian nationalists murdered 19 members of his family, including his father.[citation needed]

Intercosmos program[edit]

In 1965, he graduated from the military pilot school in Dęblin. In 1978, he was chosen from almost 500 Polish pilots to take part in the Intercosmos space program. Together with Pyotr Klimuk, he spent almost eight days on board the Salyut 6 space station (from 17:27, June 27, 1978 'til 16:31, July 5). During their time in orbit, they carried out geoscience experiments and photographed the Earth.

They landed 300 km west of Tselinograd. He was awarded with the Hero of the Soviet Union title for that flight.


During the period of martial law in Poland, Hermaszewski was a member of the Military Council of National Salvation (Wojskowa Rada Ocalenia Narodowego, WRON), a military quasi-government.[citation needed] Later, he was a commander of the Fighter Pilots School in Dęblin. In 1988, he was promoted to general.

Between 1991 and 1992, Hermaszewski served as a second-in-command of the Headquarters of the Airforce.[citation needed] He is currently retired.

He is married to Emilia Hermaszewska and has two children, Miroslaw (born 1966) and Emilia (born 1974).[citation needed]

See also[edit]

External links[edit]