Umuntu Owasindisa Umhlaba Ekubhujisweni Kwezikhali Zenuzi Ufa eneminyaka engama-77

nguJason Daley, Septhemba 18, 2017, smithsonian.com .

Iningi labantu e-United States alikaze lizwe ngoStanislav Petrov, owashona ekuqaleni kwalo nyaka endaweni yaseMoscow eFryazino. Izindaba zokushona kwakhe ngoMeyi 19 sezibikwa kabanzi manje. Kodwa abantu baseMelika—futhi, ngempela, ingxenye enkulu yomhlaba—baphila ngenxa yowayengu-lieutenant colonel weSoviet Air Defence Forces, oneminyaka engu-77 ubudala. Kwaphela imizuzu engu-25 ngo-1983, njengoba izinzwa zazikhomba ukuthi isiteleka senuzi sase-US sasibheke eMoscow, uPetrov wayelokhu epholile futhi wanquma ukuyibika njenge-alamu engamanga, kubika Sewell Chan at I-New York Times. Ngokuvimbela impindiselo, uPetrov cishe usindise i-US ne-USSR ekubhujisweni kanye nomhlaba wonke kusukela emashumini eminyaka okuwa kweradioactive.

Ngalolo suku olubi ngoSepthemba 1983, uPetrov wayesebenza njengesikhulu eSerpukhov-15, indlu eyimfihlo engaphandle kwaseMoscow lapho amasosha aseSoviet ayeqaphe uhlelo lokuxwayisa kusenesikhathi ngeziteleka zenuzi, UMegan Garner ku I-Atlantic imibiko.

Umsebenzi kaPetrov kwakuwukuqapha isimo futhi adlulisele noma yiziphi izimpawu zesiteleka esitholwe amasathelayithi esizwe i-Oko kubaphathi bakhe, futhi ngemva nje kwaphakathi kwamabili, ama-alamu aqala ukukhala—amasathelayithi ayesethathe imicibisholo emihlanu ejikijelwayo esuka ogwini olusentshonalanga ye-US ibheke ngasentshonalanga. Russia.

UColonel Petrov wayenokukhetha okubili. Wayengamane adlulisele lokho kwaziswa kubaphathi bakhe, ababezonquma ukuthi bazohlasela yini, noma amemezele imicibisholo efikayo njengenhlabamkhosi engamanga. Ukube le micibisholo ibiwukukhala okungelona iqiniso, ubengavimbela ukufika kweMpi Yezwe Yesithathu. Ngakolunye uhlangothi, ukube imicibisholo ibingokoqobo futhi eyibika njengengamanga, iSoviet Union yayizoshaywa, mhlawumbe kanzima, ngaphandle kokuphindisela. “Bonke abangaphansi kwami ​​baphithene ikhanda, ngaqala ngamemeza ngibayalela ukugwema ukwethuka. Ngangazi ukuthi isinqumo sami sizoba nemiphumela eminingi,” uPetrov utshele uRT e 2010.

Wayesalelwe yimizuzu eyi-15 ukwenza isinqumo sakhe. “Isihlalo sami sokuhlala esithokomele sezwakala njengepani lokuthosa elishisayo futhi imilenze yami yaxega. Ngezwa sengathi angikwazi nokusukuma. Nganginovalo kanjalo,” usho kanje.

Ngaleso sikhathi, isiteleka saseMelika sasingekho embuzweni, kubika i-Chan. Esikhathini esingaphansi kwenyanga ngaphambili, abaseSoviet babedubule Korean Airlines Flight 007, ababenhlanhlathe endaweni yabo yendiza endizeni isuka eNew York iya eSeoul. Le ngozi ibulale abantu abangu-269, okuhlanganisa nokhongolose waseMelika. Ngasekuqaleni kwalowo nyaka, uMongameli uRonald Reagan wayesesidlangalaleni wabhekisela eSoviet Union uMbuso Omubi, futhi abaphathi bakhe babezibophezele ekuthatheni isinyathelo esinolaka ngokumelene ne-USSR, besekela amaqembu amelene namaKhomanisi eMelika Ephakathi futhi bathatha iminyaka eminingi behlanganisa amasosha ukuze baphoqe i-USSR emncintiswaneni wezikhali eyayingenakukwazi ukuwufinyelela.

Naphezu kokushuba okuphezulu, UJohn Bacon e-USA Namuhla ibika ukuthi izinto ezimbalwa zenze uPetrov wangabaza. Okokuqala, wayazi ukuthi isiteleka sokuqala se-United States sasizoba ukuhlasela okukhulu, hhayi imicibisholo emihlanu. Okwesibili, uPetrov wayengeyena umuntu othembekile ohlelweni lwe-alamu ye-satellite yaseSoviet, eyayingathembeki ngokuphelele, futhi i-radar esekelwe phansi ayizange ibonise noma yimiphi imicibisholo emoyeni. Wathatha isinqumo sokuhamba nesisu sakhe, wabikela abaphathi bakhe ngalesi sigameko njengesibi.

Kwenzeka lokhu nje, “imicibisholo” okusolwa ukuthi kwakuwukukhanya kwelanga phezu kwamafu. Kamuva, uPetrov wakhuzwa ngempela ngokungarekhodi yonke imininingwane encwadini yakhe yokungena, kodwa akazange athole noma yisiphi isijeziso ngokungasidlulisi ngokuqondile isignali.