Andrian G. NIKOLAYEV

PROFILE

Full Name:

Andrian Grigoryevich NIKOLAYEV.

Rank:

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

Cosmonaut Call Sign:

Sokol (Falcon).

Cosmonaut Number:

3.

First Identified:

Aug 1961, during Vostok 2 mission when identified as Cosmonaut No. 3. Full name released upon launch of Vostok 3 on 11 Aug 1962.

Born:

 5 September 1929, in Shorshely village, Mariinskii-Posad Raion, ASSR (Chuvash).

Died:

3 July 2004, from a heart attack, aged 74.

Education:

Jun 1944: Completed seven-year course of secondary school.

Career Highlights:

1944-47: Student at Mariinskii-Posed Technology School, where he specialised as a Technical Forester.

Dec 1947 - 4 Apr 1950: Worked as a lumberjack work-mate in Yuzhkarelles Trust, Dereviank State timber industry enterprise, Karelo Autonomous Republic, Prionezhski district; graduated forestry school; became a foreman ar Derevyananskii Timber Industrial Unit.

1950-60: Served in the Soviet Air Force; trained as a gunner; (1950) graduated from airborne gunnery school at the Kirovobad Higher Air Force Academy named after V.S. Khalzunov; served as the radio operator on Tu2 bombers; (1952) completed one course at the Chernigov Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots named for Lenin's Komsomols (Chernigskoye VVAUL) Air Army 69; (1954) attended Frunze Military Aviation School for pilot training of the Air Army 73, Turkestan Military District.

From 26 Dec 1950: Served as airborne gunner, Staro-Konstantinov, Khmelnitskaya region.

From 29 Dec 1954: Served at the command of the Air Defense Aviation Commander-in-Chief.

1954-60: Served as a fighter pilot, flying YAKs and Migs, Moscow military district.

From 22 Feb 1955: Served as a pilot and (from 15 Dec 1957) senior pilot.

From 28 Feb 1958: Air Force squadron adjutant, senior pilot of air defense engineering-aviation regiment 401.

SELECTION DETAILS

Category:

Pilot.

Group:

1960 First Air Force Selection.

COSMONAUT ASSIGNMENTS

1960:

(Feb) Joined team; (Mar) enrolled as a student cosmonaut; Senior Lieutenant; Deputy Secretary, Communist Party Cosmonaut Group; basic training; (31 May) assigned to Vostok training group; Vostok training.

1961:

(21 Jan) Named to Top Six, making him eligible for a Vostok mission; Vostok training; (25 Jan) cosmonaut of TsPK Vostok training; (Aug) BUp CDR Vostok 2; identified as Cosmonaut Number 3 immediately after Vostok 2; Vostok training; (1 Sep) began studies at Zhukovsky Academy; Vostok training.

1962:

Vostok training; (11-15 Aug) flew as Pilot Vostok 3, in group flight with Vostok 4 (Popovich) (3 days 22 hrs 22 min); Pilot 1st Class (awarded Cosmonaut 2nd Class in 1970).

1963:

(Jun) Support, Vostok 5 and 6; (20 Dec) replaced Gagarin as Commander of cosmonaut detachment.

1964:

(Jan) Graduated Zhukovsky Academy; Commander, cosmonaut detachment; Voskhod support.

1965:

Commander, cosmonaut detachment; Voskhod 2 planning; (1 Sep) named to begin training for Soyuz programme; Soyuz training; CDR of the BUp crew of Soyuz passive spacecraft in docking programme, initially with P. Kolodin and V. Gorbatko.

1966:

Commander, cosmonaut detachment; (Sep) joined Soyuz training group teamed with V. Kubasov and V. Gorbatko; Soyuz training.

1967:

Commander, cosmonaut detachment; Soyuz training; (Apr) BUp CDR Soyuz 2 (cancelled) mission; Soyuz training.

1968:

Commander, cosmonaut detechment; Soyuz training; (Feb) graduated Zhukovsky Academy; (May) ceased training as BUp CDR passive Soyuz; (7 Jul) replaced as Commander, cosmonaut detachment by Bykovsky; Soyuz training.

1969:

Soyuz training; (24 Apr) teamed with Sevastyanov; (Apr-Jun) Commander, Cosmonaut Group; original CDR Soyuz 8, but stood down for unknown reasons and reassigned as BUp CDR Soyuz 'Troika' flights (Soyuz 6, 7 and 8); Soyuz training.

1970:

(1 - 19 Jun) CDR Soyuz 9 (17 days 16 hrs 58 min); new space endurance record; (  ) retired from active flight status; (Oct) completed ten-day tour of USA with Sevastyanov.

1970-82:

Worked in many administrative roles during this period, but in training and management roles, unavailable for flight crew selection. His appointments in this period included: (1971) Controller, Salyut 1; (1974) training supervisor, Salyut 3; (1975) Controller, Salyut 4; (1976) Controller Salyut 5; (26 Jan 1982) formally left the cosmonaut team but retained the position of 1st Deputy Director, TsPK.

POST-COSMONAUT EXPERIENCE

1974-92:

1st Deputy Director, TsPK; (1975) granted Candidate of Technology; (26 Jan 1982 - Aug 1992) 1st Deputy Director, TsPK; (6 Aug 1992) left the Air Force and transferred to the reserve having reached the age limit; AF Major-General in the reserves.

1993-2004:

Living on a pension at Star City.

3 Jul 2004:

Died in hospital in Cheboksary after suffering a heart attack in his hotel while attending the All-Russia rural sports games in Cheboksary, in his native Chuvash region. He was 74.

Andrian NIKOLAYEV Space Flight Missions

Mission

Vehicle

Position

Dates

DD/MM/YYYY

Duration

DD:HH:MM:SS

Orbits

EVAs

Vostok 3

R-7

Pilot

11/08/1962-15/08/1962

03:22:22:00

62

0

Soyuz 9

R-7

Commander

01/06/1970-19/06/1970

17:16:58:50

285

0

Missions Flown:

2

Total Flight Time:

21:15:20:50

347

0

Space Explorer Achievements

(Aug 1962) As Pilot of Vostok 3, he participated in the first 'team flight' with Popovich in Vostok 4.

(Jun 1970) Set world space endurance record (with Sevastyanov) of 18 days aboard Soyuz 9.