Cosmonaut Georgy Grechko born 1931

Georgi Grechko, born May 25, 1931 in Leningrad in the Soviet Union, has been in space three times.

His first mission was aboard Soyuz 17 in 1975 to the space station Salyut 4.  He stayed on Salyut 4 for 29 days, setting a record for that time.

His second mission was aboard Soyuz 26 to the space station Salyut 6 in December 1977. He participated in the first long duration expedition, EO-1.  He returned to Earth aboard Soyuz 27 in March 1978.

His third and final flight was aboard Soyuz T-14 to Salyut 7 in September 1985.  He returned to Earth aboard Soyuz T-13 later the same month.

He passed away in April 2017. 

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov!

Vladimir Dzhanibekov, born May 13, 1942 in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of five space flights.

His first mission was as commander aboard Soyuz 27 to Salyut 6 in January 1978.  He participated in expedition EP-1 and returned to Earth on Soyuz 26 about 6 days later.

His second mission was aboard Soyuz 39 as commander to Salyut 6 in March 1981, where he spent about 8 days before returning to Earth.

His third flight was aboard Soyuz T-6 as commander to Salyut 7 in June 1982 for another 8 days.

His fourth flight was as commander abord Soyuz T-12 to Salyut 7 in July 1984, where he stayed for about 12 days.

His fifth and final flight was aboard Soyuz T-13 as commander to Salyut 7 in June 1985.  He remained on board for about 3 1/2 months before returning to Earth.

He has a minor planet named after him: 3170 Dzhanibekov discovered in 1979.

Salyut 6 launched 1977

Salyut 6, Soviet orbital space station, was launched September 29, 1977.  It did not have a way to refueling or removing accumulated garbage, so once its consumables were gone, it had to be discontinued.  It was deorbited in July 1982. 

During its mission, it received sixteen crews, with six of those being long-duration.  The first crew arrived on Soyuz 26 in December 1977.  The last craft to dock was Soyuz 40 in May 1981.

Soyuz 27 launched 1978

Soyuz 27 crew (L-R): Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Oleg Makarov

Soyuz 27 mission stamp

Soyuz 27, launched January 10, 1978, was the third manned flight to Salyut 6.  It was the first time three spacecraft were docked together and the first visitation mission to the space station. Its launch crew consisted of Commander Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Oleg Makarov.  They were the crew of the expedition EP-1.  They stayed for 6 days before returning to Earth in Soyuz 26.

Soyuz 27 remained docked with Salyut 6 until March when it returned with the crew of EO-1, Commander Yuri Romanenko and Georgi Grechko.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Yuri Romanenko!

Yuri (Yury? Whatever.) Romanenko, born August 1, 1944 in the former Soviet Union, is a cosmonaut and a veteran of three missions to space. 

His first trip was aboard Soyuz 26 to Salyut 6 in December 1977.  During this mission, he performed an EVA, lasting one and a half hours.

His second trip was with Cuban cosmonaut Arnaldo Tamayo Mendez on Soyuz 38 in December 1980, to Salyut 6, but remained on board for only 7 days.

His third and final mission was on Soyuz TM-2 in February 1987 to the Mir space station.  He spent 326 days aboard Mir, which was a record back then.  He also conducted 3 EVA for a total of 8 hours, 48 minutes.   He returned to Earth on Soyuz TM-3 in December 1987.

He retired from flights in 1988 to become the director of the Buran program, which was cancelled in 1993.

His son Roman, born August 9, 1971, is also a cosmonaut and commanded Soyuz TMA-15.

Soyuz 29 launched 1978

Soyuz 29 launch crew

Soyuz 29, launched June 15, 1978, was the fourth successful docking with Salyut 6.  Its crew consisted of Commander Vladimir Kovalyonok and Flight Engineer Aleksandr Ivanchenkov.  They docked with the space station June 17.  Salyut 6 had been vacant for three months since Soyuz 26 left, after their record-setting stay in space.  Kovalyonok became the first cosmonaut to visit the same station twice.

About a week later, Soyuz 30 with Pyotr Klimuk and Miroslaw Hermaszewski arrived at the station but returned July 5.

The second visit, Soyuz 31 with Valery Bykovsky and Sigmund Jahn, arrived at the end of August, bringing food and supplies.  The Soyuz 31 crew left in the Soyuz 29 spacecraft and returned to Earth September 3.

Soyuz 26 launched 1977

Soyuz 26, launched December 10, 1977 to Salyut 6, was the first long-term crew on the space station.  Her crew was Commander Yuri Romanenko and Flight Engineer Georgi Grechko.  They remained on the space station for about 96 days.  Soyuz 26 returned to Earth January 16, 1978 with Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Oleg Makarov.