| Konstantin Vasilyevich Gerchik | |
| Native Name: | Константин Васильевич Герчик |
| Native Name Lang: | Russian |
| Birth Date: | September 27, 1918 |
| Birth Place: | Soroki, Slutsky Uyezd, Minsk Governorate, Russian SFSR |
| Death Place: | Moscow, Russia |
| Serviceyears: | 1938–1979 |
| Rank: | Colonel-General |
| Battles: | World War II |
Konstantin Vasilyevich Gerchik (Russian: Константин Васильевич Герчик, September 27, 1918 – June 24, 2001) was a Russian military officer who served in the Red Army and a program manager in former Soviet space program. He was Colonel-General of the Soviet Army, Professor of the Academy of Military Sciences of Russia, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, and the second head of the Baikonur Cosmodrome (1958–1961).
Gerchik was born on 27 September 1918 and in the village of Soroki (Slutsky Uyezd, Minsk). He was in the Red Army from 1938, then enrolled in the 2nd Leningrad Artillery School, graduating in 1940.
He took part in the battles of the Great Patriotic War from the first days. After the victory Gerchik entered the Artillery Academy named after F. E. Dzerzhinsky, graduated from it, then taught General tactics and tactics of artillery in this school.
In 1957, Gerchik was appointed chief of staff of the Baikonur cosmodrome. On 2 July 1958 he became the head of the cosmodrome. On 8 May 1960 he was promoted to Major general.
See main article: Nedelin catastrophe.
On October 24 1960 in the time of the accident at the 41 site of the spaceport, Gerchik together with his Deputy, Alexander Mrykhin, a Lieutenant general subsequently a Hero of Socialist Labour was in the vicinity of the outbreak missiles R-16.
During the disaster, Chief marshal of the branch M. I. Nedelin and about 70 people were killed. Gerchik was saved from death by the body of the rocket, which blocked the flame from the working engines of the second stage to burn out the immediate vicinity of the rocket. Still Konstantin Vasilyevich got severe burns when he ran away from the burning rocket. After the incident, General Gerchik was in critical conditions, but survived, then for a long time he was treated in hospitals.
After cure in 1961 K. V. Gerchik became the chief of the formed Central Command Post of Strategic Missile Forces (RVSN), at the same time he became the Deputy chief of the General staff RVSN for combat management. In 1963 he became the chief of staff of a missile army. In 1968, Gerchik was awarded the rank of [Lieutenant General] and in the same year he graduated from the Higher academic courses at Military Academy of the General staff.
Since 1972 he was the commander of the Smolensk missile army. In 1976 was promoted to the rank of Colonel general.
In 1979 he retired from the military. He worked in several scientific institutes, including the institutions of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
Since 1991 he is the Chairman of the Interregional Council of Baikonur Cosmodrome veterans.
In 1996, for his great personal contribution to the development of Russian cosmonautics K. V. Gerchik received official thanks from the President of Russian Federation http://www.lawmix.ru/pprf/109532.
He died on 24 June 2001 in Moscow and was buried at Troyekurovskoye Cemetery.