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Nikolayev, Andriyan Grigoriyevich
Nikolayev
Nikolayev
Credit: www.spacefacts.de
Chuvash-Russian pilot cosmonaut 1960-1982. First person to fly more than one day in space. Married Valentina Tereshkova, and fathered first child born to parents that had both flown in space.

Status: Deceased; Active 1960-1982. Born: 1929-09-05. Died: 2004-07-03. Spaceflights: 2 . Total time in space: 21.64 days. Birth Place: Shorshely, Chuvashia.

Nikolayev completed courses in forestry in at age 18 and then worked in forestry administrative work in Karelia until drafted into the Red Army in 1950. He was identified as a good pilot candidate, and after initial flight training entered the fighter pilot training school in Frunze in August 1951. He completed officer and flight training in 1954 and was assigned to fighter units in the Moscow area. In 1960 he was one of 20 pilots selected in the first group of Soviet cosmonauts. He made the world's first multi-day spaceflight aboard Vostok 3 in August 1962. Cosmonaut commander Kamanin found Nikolayev the calmest of the original cosmonauts, a good chess player, and one of only three cosmonauts kept current in three MiG fighter types.

After Valentina Tereshkova's triumphant return from her Vostok 6 flight in June 1963, a joke began circulating that she should marry Nikolayev, the only bachelor cosmonaut to have flown. Although he and Tereshkova did not dislike each other, there was no substance to the rumor of a romance. However the story eventually reached Khrushchev. He saw potential for big propaganda benefits, and began applying pressure through Kamanin, the commander of the cosmonaut detachment, for the couple to marry. They finally gave in and the marriage ceremony took place on November 3, 1963, at the Moscow Wedding Palace, with the wedding party at a governmental mansion set apart for state receptions. Khrushchev himself presided at the party, together with top government and space program leaders.

On June 8, 1964, Tereshkova gave birth to a daughter, Elena Andrianovna, who later went on to become a physician. But the marriage was in trouble almost from the beginning. Tereshkova's in-laws would pressure her to go over Kamanin's head, to higher governmental officials, to complain about Nikolayev's behavior. Once out of the limelight, the couple would divorce.

In 1966-1967 Nikolayev began training for L1 and L3 manned lunar flights. Nikolayev, along with other first group cosmonauts, was assigned to complete engineering graduate courses at the Zhukovskiy Test Pilot Engineering Academy. He obtained his degree in December 1968.

From February 1968 to 1974 he served as a Deputy Director for Training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. He supervised cosmonauts training for L1 and L3 lunar, and Soyuz earth-orbit flights. He flew in the record-duration 18-day Soyuz 9 flight in 1970. Nikolayev and his crewmate were in extremely poor physical condition after their flight. In fact, no other crew on a flight of any duration has ever come back in such bad shape. At the time this called into serious question Soviet plans for long-duration space stations.

In 1974 Nikolayev was named as First Deputy for Training at the cosmonaut center, and stayed in that position until his retirement in 1982. This appointment was somewhat ironic since failure to follow the pre-flight and in-flight exercise regime was considered part of the reason for his extremely poor physical condition after Soyuz 9.

As a flown cosmonaut, and one that had been aboard two record-breaking flights, Nikolayev received innumerable honors, prizes, medals, and privileges. As a more enduring monument, a prominent lunar crater was named after him. Two books appeared under his name, Vstretimsya na orbite (Meeting in Orbit) and Kosmos - doroga byez kontsa (Space - Road without End).

He died of a heart attack, while judging the All-Russian rural sport games at Cheboksary, Chuvash Autonomous Republic. Nikolayev's cosmonaut call sign was Sokol (Falcon).


More at: Nikolayev.

Family: Cosmonaut. Country: Russia. Spacecraft: Vostok. Flights: Vostok 2, Vostok 3, Soyuz A-1, Soyuz 2A, Soyuz 8, Soyuz 9. Agency: VVS. Bibliography: 206, 376, 5835.
Photo Gallery

Soyuz 9 CrewSoyuz 9 Crew
Soyuz 9 crew before lift-off
Credit: RKK Energia


Vostok 3Vostok 3
Nikolayev before entering spacecraft
Credit: RKK Energia


Soyuz 9 CommSoyuz 9 Comm
Tereshkova and daughter and Khrunov communicate with Nikolayev during Soyuz 9.
Credit: RKK Energia



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1961 March 25 - . 05:54 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC1. LV Family: R-7. Launch Vehicle: Vostok 8K72K.
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