Viktor Ivanovich Patsayev
Viktor Ivanovich Patsayev was a Soviet engineer-cosmonaut whose only spaceflight, Soyuz 11, made him one of the first humans to live aboard a . He served on the first successful crewed occupation of Salyut 1 and became the first person to operate a telescope outside Earth's atmosphere.
- Born
- June 19, 1933
- Died
- June 30, 1971
- Birthplace
- Aktobe,Soviet Union
Flights
1
Spacewalks
N/A
EVA time
N/A
In space
23 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes
Bio
Patsayev trained as an engineer and worked in Soviet aerospace before joining the civilian specialist cosmonaut group in 1968. His technical background made him well suited to the early Salyut program, where crews had to turn a new orbital station from an engineering achievement into a working laboratory.
Soyuz 11 launched in June 1971 with Georgy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov, and Patsayev. During the Salyut 1 stay, Patsayev operated the Orion 1 ultraviolet telescope, supported scientific observations, and helped prove that crews could live and work on a long-duration orbital station.
The mission ended in tragedy when a ventilation valve opened during preparations and the depressurized. Patsayev and his crewmates died before landing, and the accident led to major Soyuz redesigns, including pressure suits for later crews.