People of Russia

Alexei Leonov Arkhipovich (05/30/1934) was born May 30, 1934 in the village Listvyanka Tisulskogo region of Kemerovo region in the family miner. Ibid spent his childhood years. After the Great Patriotic War, the family moved to Kaliningrad (former Koenigsberg).

In 1953 he graduated from high school and enrolled in Chuguyivske Military Aviation School. After graduation he served in the aviation wing of the Air Forces of the USSR.

In 1959 he underwent a medical screening for admission into the Soviet cosmonaut, but before the final medical board in February 1960 he changed his mind and decided to return to his unit to continue the service. Friends persuaded him to stay and in March 1960 was accepted into the Soviet cosmonaut (1960 Air Force Group number 1). He passed a full course of training for flight aboard the Vostok, and then type "Sunrise". His first space flight 18 – March 19, 1965 as the second pilot "Voskhod-2".

March 18, 1965 was the first in the world to accomplish EVA. During the exit showed great courage, especially in contingency situations where the bloated space suit prevented the return of the astronaut in a spaceship.

EVA lasted 12 minutes, 9 seconds. When you return the spacecraft to Earth failed system orientation and astronauts, manually oriented the spacecraft, landing in the reserve area. The flight lasted 1 day 2 hours 2 minutes 17 seconds. After making space flight continued training in the astronaut.

In 1967 a group was preparing to fly to the moon. First, he was appointed commander of the first crew for flight around the moon, then commander of the first crew on the program of landing on the moon. If the Soviet moon program was implemented, Leonov had become the first Soviet cosmonaut who visited the Moon. After the closure of the lunar program of the USSR, continued preparations for space flight program "DOS" (long-term orbital station).

In 1968 he graduated from the Air Force Engineering Academy named after NE Zhukovsky. Is the commander of the backup crew for a flight of Soyuz-10 "in April 1971. In the same year he trained for flight on the Soyuz-11 "as the commander of the first crew aboard the orbital station Salyut. Due to illness of another member of the crew – VN Kubasova – The first crew was replaced by backup. The flight did not take place, but, as we know, the crew of the Soyuz-11 "when returning to Earth perished. In subsequent years, repeatedly trained to fly, but for various reasons, flights are not included: a commander of the first crew to fly to the station "Salyut-2" (DOS-2), which in 1972 was lost due to the accident launch vehicle , was the commander of the first crew for autonomous flight of the Soyuz-12 "in September 1972, when the flight was canceled, was the commander of the first crew to fly to the station" DOS-3 "in 1973, when because of an accident on board the station's systems do not could be used in manned mode and got the name "Cosmos-557".

In 1974 he was appointed commander of the first crew in the Soviet-American space flight program "EPAS" (The pilot flying the Apollo "-" Union "). Passed a full course of preparation for the flight. The second space flight 15 – July 21, 1975 as the commander of the Soyuz-19 ". During the flight was carried out docking with the U.S. space shuttle «Apollo». It was the world's first docking of the two different countries. The flight lasted 5 days 22 hours 30 minutes 51sekundu. Over 2 flights into space flown 7 days 33 minutes 8 seconds. In preparation for space flight, in 1971 he was Deputy Chief of Cosmonaut Training Center Yuri Gagarin, cosmonaut corps commander.

In 1981 he defended his thesis and received a degree in technical sciences.

Since 1992 – director of "Chetek-space", co-chairman of International Association of Space Explorers.

Member of the International Academy of Astronautics. Twice Hero of the Soviet Union. He was awarded two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the Red Star, Order of Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, medals. Winner of USSR State Prize (1981).Winner of the Lenin Komsomol Prize in literature and art. He was awarded a gold medal Tsiolkovsky Academy of Sciences of the USSR. He was awarded two gold medals of "Space", two medals de Lavaux, a gold medal Gagarin (FAI). He was awarded the international aviation prizes of K. Harmon. Hero of Socialist Labor of the People's Republic of Bulgaria. Hero of Labor of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He was awarded a gold medal elephant (Greece), the Order of the Banner of 1-th degree with diamonds (Hungary), the Order of Karl Marx (GDR), Gold Medal for Merit in the development of science and humankind "(Czechoslovakia), Zdenek Needly Medal (Czechoslovakia). Honorary citizen of Kaluga, Perm, Vologda, Kemerovo, Nalchik, Kaliningrad, Vladimir, Belgorod (Russia), Druskininkai (Latvia), Karaganda, Dzhezkazgan, Arkalyk (Kazakhstan), Los Angeles, New York, Houston, San Antonio, San Francisco, Washington DC, Atlanta, Nashville, Salt Lake City, Chicago (USA), Usti nad Labem (Czech), Altenburg (Germany), and others. Name Leonov was named a crater on the lunar surface.

Author of "Features of psychological activity of astronauts." Very busy painting. Repeatedly his work displayed at exhibitions and opening.