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.

Igor Volk, cosmonaut, born 1937

Igor Volk, born April 12, 1937 in the Ukraine, went into space once aboard Soyuz T-12.  He flew as a research cosmonaut on the three man mission to Salyut 7 in July 1984.  He didn't return to space.

He passed away in January 2017.

Happy birthday, Svetlana Savitskaya, second woman in space!

Svetlana Savitskaya, born August 8, 1948 in Moscow, is the second woman in space, the first woman to go into space twice, and the first woman to perform an EVA.

Her first trip into space was aboard Soyuz T-7, in August 1982 to Salyut 7.  She stayed about 12 days on board and returned to Earth in Soyuz T-5.

Her second trip into space was aboard Soyuz T-12 to Salyut 7.  She performed an EVA for about 3 hours and 35 minutes, conducting welding exercises outside Salyut 7.  When NASA announced that Kathryn Sullivan would become the first woman to make an EVA, the Soviets assigned Savitskaya three weeks later to another short-term mission on Salyut 7.  She conducted her spacewalk on July 25, 1984, just 3 months before Sullivan made her historic EVA.  She returned to Earth July 29, after 12 more days in space.

Soyuz T-12 launched 1984

Soyuz T-12 crew (L-R): Commander Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Svetlana Saviskaya, Igor Volk

Soyuz T-12, launched July 17, 1984, was the seventh manned mission to Salyut 7.  Its crew was Commander Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Svetlana Saviskaya and Igor Volk. 

Igor Volk was a test pilot and the Soviets planned for him to be commander of the first Buran flight, but the program never materialized.  It did not go unnoticed by some in the West that a test pilot was occupying a seat usually reserved for researchers or foreign cosmonauts.  At this time, the Buran project was still secret.

The previous November, NASA announced that Kathryn Sullivan would be the first woman to perform a spacewalk, so naturally, the Soviets decided to get there first. They re-assigned crews and added Savitskaya to the rotation and became the first woman to perform a spacewalk.

The crew returned to Earth July 29.

First space walk by a woman - Svetlana Savitskaya 1984

Svetlana Savitskaya became the first woman to perform an Extra-Vehicular Activity, July 25, 1984.  In a rush to upstage the U.S.'s plans to put women into space, the Soviets launched Savitskaya in 1982, seven months before Sally Ride, on Soyuz T-7.  She took her second trip into space on Soyuz T-12 to Salyut 7.

She spent 3 hours and 35 minutes in an EVA repairing Salyut 7 with fellow cosmonaut Vladimir Dzhanibekov.