Soyuz T-2 launched 1980

Soyuz T-2 crew: Yury Malyshev, Vladimir Aksyonov

Soyuz T-2, launched June 5, 1980, was the 10th successful mission to the space station Salyut 6. Its crew consisted of Commander Yury Malyshev and Vladimir Aksyonov. They were the second crew to visit the resident long-duration crew of Soyuz 35. Soyuz T-2 was mainly to test the new Soyuz T spacecraft with a crew. Soyuz T-1 was unmanned.
They returned to Earth June 9.

Soyuz 35 launched 1980

Soyuz 35 crew: Leonid Popov, Valery Ryumin

Soyuz 35, launched April 9, 1980, was the tenth manned mission to (the eighth to successfully dock with) Salyut 6.  Its crew consisted of Commander Leonid Popov and Valery Ryumin.

Soyuz 35 returned to Earth in June 1980 with Commander Valeri Kubasov and Bertalan Farkas, the first Hungarian cosmonaut.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Leonid Popov!

Leonid Popov, born August 31, 1945 in the Ukraine in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of three Soyuz flights.  Selected as a cosmonaut in 1970, he flew his first mission on Soyuz 35 as commander in June 1980 to Salyut 6.  He returned to Earth on Soyuz 37 in October 1980.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz 40 as commander in May 1981 to Salyut 6.  It was a cooperation between the Soviet Union and Romania, with cosmonaut Dumitru Prunariu.  It was also the last flight of that type Soyuz spacecraft.

His third and final flight was as commander aboard Soyuz T-7 launched in August 1982 to Salyut 7.  Svetlana Savitskaya, the second woman in space, was also on board.  He returned to Earth on Soyuz T-5 later that month.

He has logged over 200 days in space.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Valery Ryumin!

Valery Ryumin, born August 16, 1939 in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of three Soyuz missions and one Space Shuttle flight.

His first mission into space was aboard Soyuz 25 in October 1977 as Flight Engineer.  It was the first mission to new Salyut 6, but after five attempts failed at engaging docking latches, the trip was aborted.  This led to a new rule such that every crew had to have at least one non-rookie on board.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz 32 to Salyut 6, launched in February 1979.  Although he and Commander Vladimir Lyakhov docked successfully, the visiting crew did not. The Soviets decided to have Soyuz 32 returned to Earth with no one aboard, to serve as a replacement vehicle.  They returned to Earth on Soyuz 34 in August.

Just eight months later, Ryumin was back in space aboard Soyuz 35 to Salyut 6. He spent 185 days in space, setting a new record for the time.  He returned to Earth October 1980 on Soyuz 37.

His final mission into space was aboard Discovery (STS-91) in June 1998.  It was the final Space Shuttle mission to the Mir space Station.

He is married to fellow cosmonaut Yelena Kondakova. 

Happy birthday, Hungarian cosmonaut Bertalan Farkas!

Bertalan Farkas, born August 2, 1949 in Hungary, is the first Hungarian cosmonaut.  He went into space once aboard Soyuz 36 with fellow cosmonaut Valeri Kubasov in May 1980 to the Salyut 6 space station.  Farkas spent almost 8 days conducting experiments in material sciences.  They returned to Earth June 3, 1980 aboard Soyuz 35.