Prokof'yev Vladimir Konstantinovich 

General data:

16.02.1898 - 03.01.1993

Place of birth: Stare Verebya village, Ingermanland Province, Russian Empire

Studied in: Leningrad State University (since 1991 St. Petersburg State University) (1916-1924); Michailovcky Artillery College, Petrograd city, Russian Empire (since 2015 Mikhailovsky Order of Zhukov Military Artillery Academy, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation) (1917);

Key interests: solar physics, instruments and devices, philosophy, space missions, popularization of astronomy. ScD Thesis: The scientific degree of Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences was awarded without the defense of a thesis (1935 );

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Biography:

He was born on February 16, 1898 according to the Gregorian calendar in the Old Sparrow village of of the Ingermanland Province of the Russian Empire (now Malovishera District of the Novogorod Region of the Russian Federation) in the large family of a village teacher. The boy was the first born in a family of six children.

In 1908, the boy entered the Laryn gymnasium. He studied excellently, immediately became the best student of the gymnasium and therefore received the right to free education. In 1916, he graduated from the Petrograd Gymnasium with a gold medal. using a small three-inch telescope, he observed the Sun for two months in the spring of 1916 and sketched sunspots. In 1915-1916, he systematically sent his notes, solutions to problems and his own problems to "Mathematical Sheet", which was published in Revel (now Tallinn).

During 1916-1924 (with a break) he studied at the Physics Faculty of Leningrad State University.

in January 1917 he entered the Mikhailovsky Artillery School in Petrograd city. In August 1917, after graduating from school, he was sent to the Caucasian Front with the rank of ensign. He was demobilized in June 1918. Returning to Petrograd, on August 31, 1918, he was arrested as a former officer in connection with the murder of Uritsky and the attempt on Lenin. He sat in the Peter and Paul Fortress, and was later released. The documents read: "Released at the end of November 1918 without charges and without consequences."

He was renewed as a 1st-year student and began attending lectures at the university. At the beginning of January 1919, a group of 12 physics students was invited to work as "laboratory assistants in workshops" at the newly created State Optical Institute, which included V. K. Prokofiev.

In July 1919, he was mobilized into the Red Army and sent to Kponstadt.

Anti-aircraft guns were given the task of accurately determining the flight height of enemy aircraft. He completed a series of works on the creation of optical rangefinders. At the request of the director of the State Optical Institute, D. S. Rozhdestvensky Volodymyr, at the end of December 1919, the command sent him out of the army for 6 months to continue his studies and later regularly released him to participate in scientific seminars.

In the fall of 1920, he took part in the work of the second congress of the Russian Association of Physicists in Moscow.

On February 20, 1921, he was finally able to return to the State Optical Institute and continue his studies at the university. In the summer of 1921, V.K. Prokofiev received from D.S. Rozhdestvensky's first scientific task. From that time, his research work began. Already on September 17-22, 1922, at the third congress of the Russian Association of Physicists in Nizhny Hovgopod, he made his first scientific

report.

In 1935 (according to other data, in 1936) he was awarded the scientific degree of Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences without a dissertation defense.

During 1919-1959, he worked at the State Optical Institute, where on October 1, 1924, V.K. Prokofiev was appointed an intern, since 1928 he has been working as a physicist, since 1930 he has been a part-time scientific secretary of the applied optics department, since 1932 he has been the deputy head of the spectroscopy sector, and on January 1, 1935 he was appointed head of the spectral analysis group, which In 1937, it was reorganized in laboratory of spectral analysis, in October 1951 he became the head of scientific department No. 4 and laboratory No. 20 for spectral analysis.

Organized spectral analysis laboratories at enterprises of the aircraft industry, machine building, non-ferrous and ferrous metallurgy, and geology. Conducted research on solar radiation from high-altitude rockets with the instruments of the State Optical Institute in August 1951.

Simultaneously with his work at the State Optical Institute, he will actively conduct teaching activities. Back in Kronstadt city, he voluntarily gave lectures on physics and astronomy for Red Army soldiers. During 1925-1932 he taught at the Leningrad State University, during 1930-1937 he lectured at the Artillery Academy of the Red Army named after E. Dzerzhinsky. During 1946-1958, he headed the department at the Leningrad Institute of Precision Mechanics and Optics. He was the editor of two (1933 and 1934) editions of the book "Optics in Military Affairs". Three editions (1930, 1934 and 1935) of the book "Steeoscopic vision, teaching methods and working with stereo rangefinders" survived. Tables of training firings compiled by V. K. Prokofiev, published in 1934 in the publication "Aircraft Artillery Shooting Course", were used to train soldiers for many decades.

The Great Patriotic War of the USSR against fascist Germany, which is part of World War II, forced the entire industry of the country to be rebuilt. The echelon with employees of the State Optical Institute, their families and equipment left Leningrad on August 7, 1941. A week later they arrived in Yoshkar-Ola city. And a month later, the DOI laboratories were up and running and intensive work began. Prokofiev spent a lot of time on business trips, ensuring the establishment of work on spectral analysis at factories and enterprises of the country. He provided consultations in the laboratories of spectral analysis and gave lectures on physics at the Academy of Chemical Protection and on spectral analysis at the Moscow Aviation Institute.

In 1944, he received the title of professor of physics.

After the end of the war, from August 1945 to August 1946, he was in Germany in the city of Jena as part of a group of employees of the State Optical Institute in order to get acquainted with the spectral devices of the Zeiss company.

In 1957, he became an employee of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, where he worked as a senior researcher from 1959, during 1962-1970 he was the head of the department of experimental astrophysics. Here he conducted extra-atmospheric studies of the Sun, stars and other bodies.

In 1958, a laboratory for the manufacture of devices for artificial Earth satellites and space vehicles was created at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory.

Since 1961, he was a member of the International Astronomical Union. During 1967-1970, he was the vice-president of commission No. 44 on space research of the International Astronomical Union, and during 1970-1973 he held the position of president.

In 1966, he was elected a corresponding member, and in 1974, a full member of the International Astronomical Union.

He was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor in 1943, 1951, 1954, 1963, the Order of Lenin in 1953, the Order of the Red Star in 1967. He became a laureate of the Stalin Prize in 1950, 3rd degree for the development and introduction into industry of new methods of spectral analysis of metals and alloys, the State Prize of the USSR in 1971 together with P.P. Dobronravin, and V.B. Nikon for the successful use of operational method A to determine the coordinates of distant space objects "Luna-13", "Kosmos-159", "Molniya-1", "Zond-4", "Luna-14", "Zond-6" .B. North for the direct reading of the coordinates of the observed artificial satellite of the Earth. In 1958, he received the title of Honored Worker of Science and Technology of the RSFSR. He also received several medals.

He died on January 3, 1993 in the Nauchniy village.

V.K. Prokofiev is a specialist in the field of astronomical instrument construction and extra-atmospheric astronomy. He is the author of 170 works and books.

In 1986, minor planet #3159 was named Prokofev.

In 1944-1945, V.K. Prokofiev together with the designer I.A. Teltevsky developed and manufactured the first quartz spectrograph ISP-22.

In 1960, the third artificial satellite of the Earth, developed by V.K. Prokofiev device for studies of solar radiation in the line of ionized helium He II λ=304 Å. A similar device worked on the Cosmos-166 satellite in 1967. An increase in ultraviolet radiation was detected with an increase in the area of ​​active formations on the Sun. Astrophotometers of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory were installed on the artificial satellite of the Earth "Cosmos-51" in 1964 and on the artificial satellite of the Earth "Cosmos-215" in 1968. Two telescopes D=50mm, F=180mm with quartz lenses and light filters for wavelengths of 2300 and 2750 Å were installed on the artificial Earth satellite "Cosmos-215". UV fluxes were measured for 36 stars. In 1973, on the Lunar Rover-2 by the astrophotometer of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatorya strong glow of the Moon's dusty atmosphere was detected. Solar the "OST-1" telescope worked at the "Salyut-4" station in 1975. V.K. Prokofiev developed the optical scheme of the ultraviolet spectrometer "Galaxy", which worked on the artificial satellite of the Earth "Prognoz-6" in 1977-1978 and the artificial satellite of the Earth "Prognoz-7" in 1978. More than 4000 spectra were obtained in the range of 1150 -1900 Å. In 1983, he participated in the development of the spectral equipment of the Astron star telescope for the research of the spectra of stars and galaxies in the region 1150-3500 Å.

The scientist paid great attention to the work of the Small Academy of Sciences of the Crimea. For more than 20 years, he was the head of the philosophical seminar of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory.

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Main publications:
  1. Телевизионные многоцветные наблюдения Юпитера Ио в ноябре 1974 г. / А. Н. Абраменко, В. В. Прокофьева, В. К. Прокофьев // Астрон. вестник.- 1976.- Т. 10, № 4.- С. 195 - 199.
  2. Color - television observations of Jupiter’s satellite Io in November 1974 / A. N. Abramenko, V. V. Prokof’eva, V. K. Prokof’ev // Solar System Research.- 1976.- Vol. 10.- P. 156
  3. Observations of resonance-line in the solar EUV / J. O. Stenflo, D. Dravins, J. A. Ohman,.. A.V. Bruns, V. K. Prokof’ev, A. Severny et al. // Reports from the Obs. Lund.- 1977.- No. 12.- P. 147 – 160.
  4. On the contribution of solar activity to the ultraviolet spectrum of the Sun / A. V. Bruns, V. K. Prokof’ev, A. B. Severny // Ultraviolet stellar spectra and related ground-based observations: IAU Symp. No. 36.- Dordrecht, 1970.- P. 256 – 259 .

Sources:
  1  Материалы конференции “Физика небесных тел”, посвященной 60-летию со дня образования Крымской астрофизической обсерватории // Изв. Крым. астрофиз. обсерватории.—2007.—103, вып 3.—260 с.
  2  Материалы международной научной конференции «100 летие: прошлое, настоящее и будущее Крымской астрофизической обсерватории» // Изв. Крым. астрофиз. обсерватории.—2008.—104, вып. 5.—С. 5—160.
  3  Астрономы России 1917-2017/ науч. ред. А.М.Черепащук, Казань, Казан. фед. ун-т, 2017.- 568с- C.387
  4  Академік Андрій Борисович Сєверний/Валентина Прокоф'єва-Михайловська//Світогляд №3 (41), 2013 -80 с.-С. 21, 22