Nikolai Kardashev

1.1. Childhood and Family Background

Nikolai Kardashev was born in Moscow, Soviet Union, on April 25, 1932. His parents, Semyon Karlovich Brike and Nina Nikolaevna Kardasheva, were professional revolutionaries deeply involved with the Bolshevik Party, which later became the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. His father was an influential member of the party, and his mother also joined before the October Revolution in 1917. However, their political affiliations led to severe consequences during the Great Purge of 1937 and 1938, a period of widespread political repression in the Soviet Union. Both his parents were arrested; his father was ultimately executed, and his mother was sent to labor camps, where she remained for many years.

Following his parents' arrest and absence, Nikolai was sent to an orphanage. After considerable effort, his mother's sister managed to retrieve him from the orphanage. Tragically, his aunt passed away during World War II when Nikolai was 16 years old, forcing him to live independently in a large communal apartment. His mother was eventually released in 1956, by which time Nikolai had already completed his university education.

1.2. Education

Kardashev pursued his higher education at Moscow State University, enrolling in the astronomy division of the MSU Faculty of Mechanics and Mathematics. He developed a strong interest in radio astronomy, a field that was new and rapidly developing at the time, and focused his studies on this emerging area. After graduating in 1955, he began working at the Sternberg Astronomical Institute. Under the guidance of his mentor, Iosif Samuilovich Shklovsky, a prominent Soviet astronomer, Kardashev deepened his research. He received his doctorate in physical and mathematical sciences in 1962. His doctoral dissertation, initially a "Candidate of Science" dissertation in 1963, was later elevated to a higher level of doctoral thesis.

2.1. Early Career and Research

Following his graduation from Moscow State University in 1955 and completion of his doctorate in 1962, Kardashev began his professional journey at the Sternberg Astronomical Institute. Early in his career, in 1963, he conducted research on the quasar CTA-102. This research represented one of the initial efforts by the Soviet Union in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), and during this period, Kardashev developed the concept that some civilizations in the galaxy might be millions or even billions of years more advanced than humanity. This insight directly led to his formulation of the Kardashev scale, a classification scheme for such civilizations.

2.2. Institutional Roles

In 1967, Kardashev joined the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the USSR Academy of Sciences. His leadership capabilities were recognized, and he was appointed deputy director of IKI in 1977. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Kardashev took on the role of director of the Astro Space Center of the Lebedev Physical Institute, a part of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He also served as the director of the Russian Academy of Sciences Council on Astronomy from 1999 until his death.

2.3. RadioAstron Project

A significant undertaking in Kardashev's career was the initiation of the RadioAstron space satellite project in 1978. This ambitious program, which he led, spanned more than 30 years. Its culmination came in 2011 with the successful launch of the Spektr-R space satellite, which was a part of the RadioAstron mission. The RadioAstron mission has since become crucial for modern observational astrophysics, contributing valuable data and insights to the field.

3.1. Kardashev Scale

In 1964, at a conference held in Soviet Armenia, Kardashev presented a seminal paper titled "Передача информации внеземными цивилизациями_{Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations}^Russian". In this paper, he introduced what would become known as the Kardashev scale. This scale proposes a classification system for civilizations based on their capacity to harness and utilize energy. The original scale defines three types of civilizations:

• Type I civilizations are those capable of harnessing all the energy available on their home planet.
• Type II civilizations can utilize all the energy of their host star.
• Type III civilizations possess the ability to control and use the energy of an entire galaxy.

The scale suggests a progression of technological advancement spanning 20 orders of magnitude in power consumption. The Kardashev scale has since become a foundational concept in the fields of astrobiology and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), providing a framework for discussing the potential technological evolution of advanced civilizations and stimulating thought on resource management and civilizational progress.

3.2. Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI)

Kardashev also played a pivotal role in the conceptualization and development of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technology. He proposed VLBI as a superior alternative to conventional radio transmission lines for astronomical observations. This innovative technique involved replacing traditional lines with magnetic tape recordings to synchronize and combine signals from widely separated radio telescopes. The feasibility of VLBI was successfully demonstrated in 1967, revolutionizing radio astronomy by allowing for much higher angular resolution and more precise astronomical measurements.

3.3. Other Scientific Achievements

Beyond the Kardashev scale and VLBI, Kardashev made other notable contributions to astrophysics. His early research in 1963 focused on the quasar CTA-102, an endeavor that was part of the Soviet Union's efforts to search for intelligent life. Furthermore, in his 1964 paper, "Transmission of Information by Extraterrestrial Civilizations," he made observations that may have inadvertently predicted the existence of pulsars, astronomical objects that were only formally discovered later.