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 Alexander Volkov!

Alexander (Aleksandr) Volkov, born May 27, 1948 in present-day Ukraine, is a veteran of three space flights, and is the father of cosmonaut Sergey Volkov.

His first mission was aboard Soyuz T-14 launched in September 1985 to Salyut 7.  It was the ninth mission to the space station.  He returned to Earth in November 1985.

His second mission was as commander aboard Soyuz TM-7 to Mir in November 1988. He was part of expedition Mir EO-4 and conducted an EVA with French astronaut Jean-Loup Chretien.  He returned to Earth in April 1989.

His third and final mission was as commander aboard Soyuz TM-13 to Mir in October 1991 as part of expedition Mir EO-10.  He and fellow cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev were dubbed as "the last citizens of the USSR" because when they landed in March 1992, the Soviet Union had dissolved.

Soyuz T-14 launched 1985

Soyuz T-14 crew (L-R): Alexander Volkov, Vladimir Vasyutin, Georgi Grechko

Soyuz T-14, launched September 17, 1985, was the ninth expedition to space station Salyut 7.  Its crew consisted of Commander Vladimir Vasyutin, Georgi Grechko and Alexander Volkov.  The trip was cut short due to Vasyutin becoming ill and had to return to Earth for treatment. Grechko stayed aboard the space station and Viktor Savinykh returned with the Soyuz T-14 crew in November 1985.

Soyuz T-13, rescue mission to Salyut 7, launched 1985

Soyuz T-13 crew: Vladimir Dzhanibekov, Viktor Savinykh

Soyuz T-13, launched June 6, 1985, was the rescue mission for Salyut 7 space station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Vladimir Dzhanibekov and Flight Engineer Viktor Savinykh.  Salyut 7 had been rendered inoperable due to a solar array problem and ground crews had lost contact with it.

Dzhanibekov maneuvered his ship to match the station's rotation and managed to dock with it.  They first recharged the batteries (two of eight were destroyed) by re-aligning the solar arrays to their proper position.  They wore winter clothes until they could turn on the air heaters, June 10.  They used Soyuz T-13 for the air regeneration system until Salyut 7's system was fixed.

Normal atmospheric humidity was achieved at the end of July, nearly two months after docking.

Soyuz T-13 landed with Dzhanibekov and Georgi Grechko September 26, 1985.  Savinykh returned on Soyuz T-14 in November.

Vladimir Vasyutin, Soyuz and Salyut cosmonaut, born 1952

Vladimir Vasyutin, born March 8, 1952 in the Ukraine, spent just under 65 days in space on Salyut 7.  He flew into space as commander of Soyuz T-14 in September 1985 with Georgi Grechko and Alexander Volkov as part of the EO-4 expedition. 

Shortly after his arrival, Vasyutin became ill, probably due to a prostate infection, and they had to cut their mission short, because he couldn't perform his duties.  Vasyutin, Volkov and Savinykh returned to Earth November 21, 1985.

He did not go into space again.  He died of cancer July 2002.