Anatoly Levchenko
Soviet cosmonaut (1941–1988) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Anatoly Semyonovich Levchenko (Russian: Анатолий Семёнович Левченко; May 5, 1941 – August 6, 1988) was a Soviet cosmonaut in the Buran programme.
Anatoly Semyonovich Levchenko | |
---|---|
Born | (1941-05-09)May 9, 1941 |
Died | 6 August 1988(1988-08-06) (aged 47) |
Nationality | Soviet |
Occupation | Test Pilot |
Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union |
Space career | |
Cosmonaut | |
Rank | Captain, Soviet Air Force |
Time in space | 7d 21h 58m |
Selection | 1988 Cosmonaut Group |
Missions | Mir LII-1 (Soyuz TM-4 / Soyuz TM-3) |
Trained as a test pilot and selected as a cosmonaut on 12 July 1980,[1] Levchenko was planned to be the back-up commander of the first Buran space shuttle flight. As part of his preparations, he also accomplished test-flights with Buran's counterpart OK-GLI aircraft.
In March 1987, Levchenko began extensive training for a Soyuz spaceflight, intended to give him some experience in space.[2] In December 1987, he occupied the third seat aboard the spacecraft Soyuz TM-4 to the space station Mir, and returned to Earth about a week later on Soyuz TM-3. His mission is sometimes called Mir LII-1, after the Gromov Flight Research Institute shorthand.[3]
In the year following his spaceflight, Anatoly Levchenko died of a brain tumor, in the Nikolay Burdenko Neurosurgical Institute in Moscow.[4]
He was married with one child.[1]