Top Russian rocket scientist poisoned to death! Suspected of mistakenly consuming poisonous mushrooms
This week, top Russian rocket scientist Vitaly Melnikov unfortunately died of poisoning. There are reports that Melnikov is suspected to have died from ingesting poisonous mushrooms, but the specific circumstances of his death have not yet been officially confirmed.
Melnikov, now 77 years old, is the head of the Rocket and Space Systems division of spacecraft manufacturer Russian Energy Corporation, which is the manufacturer of the Russian Lunar-25 probe that crashed into the moon earlier. Since 2008, Melnikov has also served as the Chief Researcher at the Korolev National Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a subsidiary of the Russian Space Agency. He has published 291 scientific papers and is considered one of Russia's top space scientists. Recently, Melnikov became a professor at the People's Friendship University of Russia and taught there.
According to reports, the cause of Melnikov's poisoning was the collection and ingestion of poisonous mushrooms during a forest vacation near Moscow. His family recounted that on August 9th, Melnikov picked some mushrooms in the forest near his vacation villa; On the afternoon of the 10th, he cooked them for dinner and then began to feel uncomfortable.
That night, Melnikov immediately returned to his apartment in Moscow and showed signs of poisoning such as hypotension and dehydration. His family called an ambulance at 6 o'clock the next morning, but his condition was already very serious.
It is reported that for the next 20 days, Melnikov was hospitalized for treatment at the Toxicology Department of the Sklifovsky Institute in Moscow. But poisoning caused the scientist's kidney failure, and the condition worsened every day. After fighting against "severe poisoning" for 20 days, doctors still couldn't save Melnikov's life. On the early morning of August 30th, his family learned of Melnikov's death from the hospital. According to the report, doctors speculate that Melnikov was poisoned by accidental consumption of mushrooms, but the specific circumstances of his death have not been officially confirmed.