Viktor Ivanovich Patsaev

Born June 19, 1933, in Aktiubinsk, Kazakh SSR; died June 30, 1971. Soviet cosmonaut. Hero of the Soviet Union (awarded posthumously June 30, 1971). Member of the CPSU from 1968.

Patsaev graduated from the Penza Industrial (now Polytechnic) Institute in 1955 and then worked at the Central Aeorological Observatory and various design offices. He became a cosmonaut in 1969. He was the test engineer in the crew of the Soyuz 11, whose other members were G. T. Dobrovol’skii and V. N. Volkov. The Soyuz 11 was launched into orbit around the earth on June 6, 1971. On June 7, 1971, it docked with the Salyut space station, which had been in an earth orbit since Apr. 19, 1971. The two remained docked for approximately 23 days. On the return flight to earth after completion of the flight program on June 30, 1971, Patsaev and the other crew members of Soyuz 11 perished when the cabin failed to seal properly. Patsaev was subsequently awarded the Order of Lenin. He is buried on Red Square near the Kremlin Wall.