ALEXEI A. LEONOV

PROFILE

Full Name:

Alexei Arkhipovich LEONOV.

Rank:

Major General, Soviet/Russian Air Force (Deceased).

Cosmonaut Call Sign:

Soyuz/Almaz

(Union/Diamond)

Cosmonaut Number:

11

First Identified: 

18 March 1965, when launched as Pilot, Voskhod 2.

Born:

30 May 1934, in the village of Listvyanka, Tisulskogo Raion, Kemerovo Oblast, Altai, SE Siberia, Russia (Russian).

Died:

11 October 2019, in Moscow, Russia, aged 85.

Education:

Completed the ten-year educational course at the Kaliningrad (formerly Konigsberg) Secondary School Number 21.

Career Highlights:

1953-55: Attended and graduated from the 10th Military Aviation School of initial training of pilots, Kremenchug; joined Komsomol.

1955-57: Attended and graduated with honours diploma from the Cheuguyevskoye VVAUL Air School, Ukraine; (1956) Junior Lieutenant; (30 Oct 1957) Lieutenant.

1957-91: Member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU).

30 Oct 1957 - Dec 1959: Served as a fighter pilot in the Soviet Air Force, in the Parachute Aviation Regiment (PAP) 113, 10 Guards Aviation Division (IAD), Air Army (VA) 69, Kiev military district.

14 Dec 1959 - 1960: Senior pilot of the separate reconnaissance regiment 294 of the Air Army, 24 Group of the Soviet Air Force, based in the German Democratic Republic (GDR).

Mar 1960?: Prior to selection for cosmonaut training, he was working at the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy at some point; also held an Air Force Parachute Training Instructor rating.

SELECTION DETAILS

Category:

Pilot.

Group:

1960 First Air Force Selection.

COSMONAUT ASSIGNMENTS

1960:

(Feb) Joined team; (7 Mar) enrolled as a student cosmonaut; as a Lieutenant, he was the most junior officer selected in the group; (16 Mar) student cosmonaut; (28 Mar) promoted to First (senior) Lieutenant; basic training; (10 Nov) Instructor Parachute Training rating.

1961:

Basic training; (30 Mar) completed basic training; (3, 4 or 5 Apr) passed exams; assumed duties as a cosmonaut; (Apr) Capcom Vostok; (10 Jul) promoted to Captain; (Sep) began studies at Zhukovsky Academy; training.

1962:

1963:

(16 Jan) Appointed cosmonaut; (1 Feb) cosmonaut group reorganised into six groups; (9 May) assigned Vostok training group with Khrunov, replacing dismissed Nelyubov and grounded Komarov; (10 May) assigned support (2nd BUp) Vostok 5 for second group flight; Vostok training; (17 Sep) assigned to a training group of 8 pilot cosmonauts working on future Vostok/Voskhod missions; (late in year) saw and tested Voskhod Vykod 'Exit' airlock system for first time.

1964:

(Apr) Joined Voskhod training group; Voskhod training; originally teamed with Komarov but crew was split; (15 Aug) paired with Belyayev for Voskhod 2 training; Voskhod training; (1 Nov) promoted to Major.

1965:

Voskhod training; (25 Feb) completed mission training; (18-19 Mar) flew as Pilot Voskhod 2; FIRST PERSON TO WALK IN SPACE; EVA duration 24 min; Cosmonaut No. 11; (18 Mar) promoted to Lieutenant Colonel; Military Pilot 1st Class; (20 Mar) Cosmonaut 3rd Class; (23 Mar) Hero of the Soviet Union; (  ) assigned as Second in Command of the Cosmonaut Team; (  ) Deputy Secretary of the Communist Cosmonaut Corps; Military Pilot 1st Class.

1966:

(14 Mar) Appointed Instructor Cosmonaut; (25 Jun) appointed Deputy Commander, 1st Squad TsPK; (Summer) working on developing new spacesuits and EVA techniques; (2 Sep) appointed Head of 7K-L3 (lunar landing) cosmonaut training group; (11 Sep) promoted to Colonel; (22 Dec) approved to join a new lunar training group of 14 cosmonauts.

1967:

(10 Jan) Assigned Lunar Training Group; lunar training; (23/24 Apr) Capcom Soyuz 1; lunar training; (mid-year) selected as prime CDR first lunar fly-by mission, with Makarov, planned for 26 Jul but cancelled; (15 Dec) new lunar training group of 20 cosmonauts formed, including Leonov; lunar training.

1968:

Lunar training; identified as the prime candidate to be first Soviet cosmonaut to walk on the Moon; early organisational work in the cosmonaut team; (Jan or Feb) graduated Zhukovsky Academy with speciality in 'Design and Application of Aerospace Vehicles and Their Engines'; received qualification of pilot-engineer cosmonaut; (21 Jan - 12 Sep) training for lunar mission with Makarov; (Apr) identified Gagarin's remains after his fatal jet crash the previous month; lunar training; (27 Sep) selected as CDR Crew 1, with Makarov, for first crewed lunar fly-by mission, later cancelled.

1969:

Lunar training; (21 Mar) appointed Chief Instructor Cosmonaut, Deputy Chief (1st Control); (28 Mar - Nov) commander Lunar Training Group; (Oct) supported Soyuz 'Troika' mission (Soyuz 6, 7 and 8).

1970:

(8 Jan) Stood down from lunar training group; (10 Feb) appointed Deputy Head TsPK for cosmonaut training; (13 May) assigned to Salyut 1 (DOS) training group; Salyut training as a BUp crew commander and crew commander for second expedition; (Jun) Director of Communications, MCC-Moscow for Soyuz 9; Salyut training; (18 Sep - 20 Mar 1971) BUp crew commander for Salyut 1 Expedition 1, with Kubasov and Kolodin; Salyut training.

1971:

Salyut training; (Apr) BUp CDR Soyuz 10-Salyut 1 (DOS-1); (27 Apr - 27 May) trained as prime crew for second expedition (Soyuz 11) to Salyut, with Kubasov and Kolodin; (4 Jun) two days before launch, the State Commission grounded the trio due to the illness of FE Kubasov; crew stood down and replaced by BUp crew; (16 Jun - 9 Jul) trained as CDR for next expedition to Salyut 1 (Soyuz 12), with Rukavishnikov and Kolodin, with launch scheduled for 20 Jul; mission cancelled due to deaths of Soyuz 11 crew during recovery phase; (  ) assumed role of Deputy Director TsPK as well as concurrent assignments as an active cosmonaut; reassigned to two-man Soyuz crew with Kubasov; (Oct) replaced Shatalov as commander of the Salyut cosmonaut group (until 25 May 1973); (10 Oct - Jul 1972) trained as prime crew CDR to DOS-2 'Salyut' with Kubasov; Salyut training.

1972:

Salyut training; (29 Jul) flight cancelled due to loss of Salyut in Proton launch accident; involved in Soyuz ferry development issues and training; (Aug-Sep) trained as BUp crew CDR, with Kubasov, for Soyuz 7K-T ferry test flight (Spacecraft No. 34) and to test new Sokol spacesuits; flight cancelled and spacecraft No. 34 flew without a crew); (25 Oct - 10 Apr 1973) joined Salyut (DOS-3) training group as crew commander for the first expedition, with Kubasov; Salyut training.

1973:

Salyut training; worked on Salyut DOS-3 programme; (May) mission cancelled due to loss of Salyut in orbit (designated Kosmos 557); (23 May) replaced by Lazarev as Commander Salyut cosmonaut training group; (24 May) reassigned and named as CDR, ASTP USSR Soyuz Prime Crew; ASTP training.

1974:

ASTP training in USSR and USA; (30 Apr) Deputy Chief TsPK for space flight training.

1975:

ASTP training in USSR and USA; (15-21 Jul) flew as CDR Soyuz 19 (ASTP); docked with US Apollo 18 spacecraft; FIRST INTERNATIONAL SPACE DOCKING MISSION; (22 Jul) 2nd Hero of the Soviet Union; (22 Jul) promoted Major General; (29 Jul) Cosmonaut 2nd Class; retired active flight status to resume administrative duties; awarded degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences.

POST-COSMONAUT EXPERIENCE

1971-91:

Working in various administrative roles and assumed full-time role following completion of his ASTP duties in late 1975.

30 Mar 1976 -

20 Jan 1982:

Commander, Cosmonaut Group TsPK.

1976-84:

Head of the International Detachment of Cosmonauts, covering the Interkosmos selections of 1976 and 1978 as well as the international selections of 1980 and 1982, as part of his role as Deputy Director TsPK.

1981:

Completed a post-graduate course at VVIA Zhukovsky; (16 Mar) defended his thesis and received a Doctor of Science degree.

26 Jan 1982:

Formally discharged from the cosmonaut corps because of his appointment to the position of Deputy Chief of TsPK for space flight training.

1988-91:

Deputy Director TsPK; in charge of cosmonaut flight training following a re-organisation in January 1988, replacing Shatalov.

Sep 1991 - Mar 1992:

Listed for transfer from active service to the reserves by order of the USSR Ministry of Defence; (9 Mar 1992) By order number 330, he was discharged from active duty to reserve status by age; excluded from the list effective 23 Mar 1992.

1991-93:

Executive of 'Chetck', an international joint-stock company; served as director of the company 'Chetek-space'.

9 Mar 1992 -

11 Oct 2019:

Retired from the Air Force; Major General in the reserves; left TsPK and retired on a pension.

From 1993:

President of a voucher investment fund for 'Alfa Capital' and 'Bering-East'; became President of 'East Capital'.

1997:

Vice President of Alfa-Bank, one of the largest new banks in Russia; (2009) served as an advisor to the first Deputy Chairman on the board of directors.

2004:

Began working with former NASA astronaut Dave Scott on a dual memoir covering the history of the Space Race. The subsequent book, Two Sides of the Moon: Our Story of the Cold War Space Race, was published in 2006.

From 2005:

Served as an Advisor for Corporate Relations and then Advisor to the General Director for the OJSC Confectionery Company.

Alexei LEONOV Space Flight Missions

Mission

Vehicle

Position

Dates

DD/MM/YY

Duration

DD:HH:MM:SS

Orbits

EVAs

(HH:MM)

Voskhod 2

R7

Pilot

18/03/1965-19/03/1965

01:02:02:17

18

1 (00:24)

Soyuz 19 (ASTP)

R7

Commander

15/07/1975-21/07/1975

05:22:30:51

95

0

Missions Flown:

2

Total Flight Time:

07:00:33:08

113

1 (00:24)

Space Explorer Achievements

First person to perform EVA (Spacewalk), Voskhod 2, 18 March 1965.

Member (Soyuz CDR) of the first interntional human space flight (Apollo-Soyuz Test Project) July 1975

First person other than a NASA astronaut to enter a US spacecraft.