Happy birthday, cosmonaut Anatoly Filipchenko!

Anatoly Filipchenko, born February 26, 1928 in the former Soviet Union, has been in space twice. 

His first trip was aboard Soyuz 7 as commander in October 1969.  The mission was to rendezvous with Soyuz 6 and Soyuz 8 but the project was unsuccessful.

His second and final trip was aboard Soyuz 16 as commander in December 1974.  It was a manned test flight in preparation for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project the following year.

Cosmonaut Nikolai Rukavishnikov born 1932

Cosmonaut Nikolai Rukavishnikov, born September 18, 1932, is a veteran of three Soyuz missions, only one of which was successful. 

His first mission was aboard Soyuz 10 in April 1971 as Test Engineer.  The Soyuz crew tried to dock with Salyut 1, but failed.  They returned two days later.

His second mission was as Flight Engineer on Soyuz 16 in December 1974.  It was a test flight for the Apollo-Soyuz mission the following year.  The mission was successful and the crew returned after almost 6 days in space.

His third and final mission was as Commander aboard Soyuz 33 in April 1979.  They attempted to dock with Salyut 6 but an engine failure forced the mission to be aborted.  They returned to Earth after less than two days.

He passed away of a heart attack in October 2002.

Soyuz 16 launched 1974

Crew photo

Mission patch

Soyuz 16, launched December 2, 1974, was the Soviets final test flight before the historic Apollo-Soyuz collaboration in 1975.  Her crew was Commander Anatoly Filipchenko and Flight Engineer Nikolai Rukavishnikov

They tested a docking ring and other systems that would be used during the hook-up.

They returned to Earth December 8.