Viktor Vasilyevich Gorbatko
Viktor Vasilyevich Gorbatko was a Soviet Air Force pilot and original-group cosmonaut who flew three Soyuz missions. His career stretched from the Soviet lunar- test period through Salyut military station operations and Intercosmos cooperation.
- Born
- December 3, 1934
- Died
- May 17, 2017
- Birthplace
- Ventsy-Zarya, Azov-Black Sea Krai,Soviet Union
Flights
3
Spacewalks
N/A
EVA time
N/A
In space
30 days, 12 hours, 47 minutes
Bio
Gorbatko joined the first Soviet cosmonaut group in 1960 but waited nearly a decade for his first flight. Soyuz 7 in 1969 placed him in the three-spacecraft Soyuz 6/7/8 operation, a key but unsuccessful docking rehearsal tied to Soviet lunar plans.
He returned to space as of Soyuz 24 in 1977, the final crewed mission to Salyut 5 and the last all-military Soviet spaceflight. The crew restored and operated the Almaz-related station after earlier concerns about its atmosphere.
In 1980, Gorbatko commanded Soyuz 37 with Phạm Tuân, the first Vietnamese cosmonaut, and returned on Soyuz 36 after a Salyut 6 visiting mission. After leaving the program, he taught at the Air Force Engineering Academy.