Khrunov, Evgenii

Born Sept. 10, 1933, in the village of Prudy, Volovo Raion, Tula Oblast. Pilot and cosmonaut of the USSR. Colonel. Hero of the Soviet Union (Jan. 22, 1969). Candidate of technical sciences (1971). Member of the CPSU since 1959.

Khrunov graduated from a military aviation school in 1953 and from the Bataisk Military Aviation School in 1956. He then served in various aviation units of the Soviet Army. In 1968 he graduated from the N. E. Zhukovskii Air Force Engineering Academy, and in 1972, from the V. I. Lenin Military Political Academy.

Khrunov became a cosmonaut in 1960. On Jan. 15, 1969, he journeyed in space as research engineer on the Soyuz 5 spacecraft, commanded by B. V. Volynov. On Jan. 16, 1969, together with A. S. Eliseev, he crossed open space to the Soyuz 4 spacecraft, commanded by V. A. Shatalov, and subsequently, on Jan. 17, 1969, returned to earth on it. While on Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5, Khrunov completed 32 orbits around the earth and traveled 1.3 million km. Khrunov’s extravehicular activity lasted for 37 minutes. The flight of the two docked spacecraft lasted 4 hr 33 min (Khrunov’s total flight time on Soyuz 4 and Soyuz 5 was more than 47 hr).

Khrunov has been awarded the Order of Lenin, the Order of the Red Star, and various medals.