Editing Vladimir Komarov (section)

==Cosmonaut selection==

===Air Force Group One===
In September 1959, Komarov was promoted to engineer-captain and invited to participate in the selection process for cosmonaut candidate along with approximately 3,000 other pilots.<ref>Burgess and Hall, p. 54</ref> He was one of twenty candidates selected for "Air Force Group One"; he and the others reported to the newly formed TsPK ([[Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center]]) just outside [[Moscow]] for assignment on 13 March 1960.

Although eminently qualified, Komarov was not chosen in the top six candidates, because he did not meet the age, height, and weight restrictions specified by the Chief Designer of Russia's space program, [[Sergei Korolev]]. "If the criteria had been different," the cosmonaut trainer Mark Gallai noted in an interview, "Certainly Komarov, who was very intelligent, would have been in the group. He had Air Force Academy flight experience. He greatly influenced the design of the 'Vostok' and [the] 'Voskhod'."<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Harford | first1 = James | title = Korolev | publisher = John Wiley & Sons | year = 1997 | page = 165| isbn = 0-471-32721-2}}</ref> At age 32, Komarov was the second oldest of the pilots chosen; Korolev had specified a maximum age of 27. Only two members of the first group, [[Pavel Belyayev]] ([[Voskhod 2]]) and Komarov himself, were also graduates of the [[Soviet military academies|Soviet Air Force Academy]]. In addition, only Komarov had experience as a flight test engineer on new aircraft.<ref>Hall and Shayler, p. 109</ref>

===Training===
Shortly after beginning his training Komarov was hospitalised for a minor operation in May 1960, which left him medically unfit for physical training for approximately six months. At the time, the selection criteria placed a heavy emphasis on the physical condition of cosmonauts and any imperfection led to instant disqualification. Since Komarov already held engineering qualifications, he was allowed to remain in the program after assuring the administration he would be able to catch up. He continued with the required academic studies while recovering.<ref>Hall and Shayler, p. 125</ref> He returned to training in October, because his recovery was more rapid than medical staff had expected. During that time he assisted his younger peers with their academic studies; earning him the casual nickname of "The Professor," which he shared with Belyayev, who was two years his senior. In 1961 the first space flights began. By 1962, Komarov was the third-highest-paid cosmonaut, due to his qualifications, rank and experience. He earned 528 [[Soviet ruble|ruble]]s a month, with only cosmonauts 1 and 2, [[Yuri Gagarin]] and [[Gherman Titov]], being more highly paid.<ref>Kamanin Diary, 16 March 1962</ref>

When [[Georgi Shonin]] demonstrated an unacceptable level of [[g-force]] susceptibility in the centrifuge, Komarov replaced him in May 1962 for planned dual Vostok missions.<ref>Hall and Shayler, p. 181</ref>
Komarov was selected as back up for [[Pavel Popovich]] ([[Vostok 4]]), but subsequent routine [[ECG]] testing of Komarov revealed a heart irregularity and he was pulled from the program and replaced by [[Boris Volynov]].<ref>Hall and Shayler, pp. 182–83</ref> The same heart irregularity grounded American astronaut [[Deke Slayton]]. After Komarov persistently lobbied medical and military personnel for re-admittance to the program, they allowed him to return to training.

In 1963, cosmonaut training was conducted in six Groups, with Komarov being selected in Group 2 with [[Valery Bykovsky]] and Volynov.<ref>Kamanin Diary, 1 February 1963</ref> This group was to train for missions of up to five days in duration scheduled for the latter part of 1963. In May 1963, Alekseyev proposed to [[Nikolai Kamanin|General Kamanin]] that Komarov be named backup for [[Vostok 5]] rather than [[Yevgeny Khrunov|Khrunov]] because his suit was ready.<ref>Kamanin Diary, 9 May 1963</ref> Komarov was later named in a further group for planned missions in 1964 with Belyaev, Shonin, Khrunov, [[Dmitri Zaikin|Zaikin]], [[Viktor Gorbatko|Gorbatko]], Volynov, and [[Alexei Leonov|Leonov]]. The training groups were formed for later Vostok missions (Vostok 7–13), but no actual crews were assigned and the missions did not occur under the auspices of the original Vostok program.<ref>Hall and Shayler, p. 215</ref> In December 1963, Komarov was shortlisted for flight by Kamanin with Volynov and Leonov, having completed two years of training.

In April 1964 Komarov was declared space-flight ready with Bykovsky, Popovich, Titov, Volynov, Leonov, Khrunov, Belyayev, and [[Lev Demin]].<ref>Kamanin Diary, 24 April 1964</ref> From this group the commander of the planned Voskhod mission scheduled for late 1964 would be chosen. In May the group was reduced to Volynov, Komarov, Leonov and Khrunov.<ref>Kamanin Diary, 24 May 1964</ref>

During training, Komarov lived at the TsPK with his wife Valentina and their two children Yevgeny and Irina. There, he enjoyed hunting, cross country skiing, ice hockey, and other social activities with his fellow trainees in their leisure time. Komarov was well liked by his peers, who referred to him as ''Volodya'' (a diminutive of his first name). Pavel Popovich noted that Komarov was respected for his humility and experience: "he was already an engineer when he joined us, but he never looked down on the others. He was warm-hearted, purposeful and industrious. Volodya's prestige was so high that people came to him to discuss all questions: personal as well as questions of our work."<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Burgess | first1 = Colin | last2 = Doolan | first2 = Kate | last3 = Vis | first3 = Bert | title = Fallen Astronauts | url = https://archive.org/details/fallenastronauts00burg_078 | url-access = limited | publisher = University of Nebraska Press | year = 2003 | pages = [https://archive.org/details/fallenastronauts00burg_078/page/n194 169] |  isbn = 0-8032-6212-4}}</ref>
Fellow cosmonaut Alexei Leonov described him as "very serious. He was a first-class test pilot."<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Scott | first1 = David | last2 = Leonov | first2 = Alexei | title = Two Sides of the Moon | year= 2004 | page = [https://archive.org/details/twosidesofmoon00scot/page/195 195] | publisher = Macmillan | isbn = 0-312-30865-5 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/twosidesofmoon00scot/page/195 }}</ref>