Georgii Mikhailovich Grechko

Born May 25, 1931, in Leningrad. Pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR. Hero of the Soviet Union (1975, 1978). Candidate of technical sciences (1967). Member of the CPSU since 1960.

After graduating from the Leningrad Institute of Mechanical Engineering in 1955, Grechko joined the staff of a design office. He was named a cosmonaut in 1966. From Jan. 11 to Feb. 9, 1975, flying with A. A. Gubarev, Grechko was flight engineer aboard the Soyuz 17 spacecraft. On January 12, Soyuz 17 docked with the Salyut 4 space station, which had been orbiting the earth since Dec. 26, 1974. The Soyuz 17 flight lasted 29 days, 13 hr 20 min.

From Dec. 10, 1977, to Mar. 16, 1978, Grechko was flight engineer aboard the Soyuz 26 spacecraft. With Iu. V. Romanenko, he boarded the Salyut 6 space station. During the flight, which lasted 96 days 10 hr, three other craft docked with the orbiting station: Soyuz 27 (whose crew consisted of V. A. Dzhanibekov and O. G. Makarov), the Progress 1 freight transport ship, and Soyuz 28 (whose crew comprised Gubarev and V. Remek). Grechko returned to earth aboard Soyuz 27.

Grechko has been awarded the title of Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, two Orders of Lenin, and various medals.