The man who kept us Sun. Bashny.Net

Few people know, 26 September - back in 1983 could be the last calendar. That day was averted a potential nuclear war, when, due to false alarm warning system missile attack was reported about the attack by the United States.



Planet saved ... a simple Russian military officer, Lieutenant Colonel Stanislav Petrov, who that night carried the operational duty service command post Serpukhov-15 (100 km from Moscow). And it is in the midst of the Cold War - on the eve of the Soviet Union shot down a South Korean passenger Boeing 747.

The command center received information from the entered service a year earlier space early warning system. In the case of a missile attack immediately inform the leadership of the country, which makes the decision to launch on warning. September 26 while on duty computer Petrov announced the launch of rockets to the American base. However, after analyzing the situation, Colonel decided that it was a false alarm systems.

Subsequent investigation found that the reason was the illumination of the satellite sensors sunlight reflected from high-altitude clouds. Later in space system were amended to exclude such situations. Because of military secrecy and political considerations action Petrov became known to the public only in 1998.

January 19, 2006 in New York at UN headquarters Stanislav Petrov was awarded the special prize of the international public organization "Association of World Citizens." It is a crystal statuette "The hand holding the globe" engraved on it the inscription "To the person who prevented a nuclear war."