Third cosmonautIn 1962, the Soviet Union launched cosmonaut Andrian Nikolayev on a 94-hour flight in Vostok III, which set an endurance record at the time. Eighteen months after Yury Gagarin became the first man in space, Nikolayev became Russia's third cosmonaut to travel into space. Pavel Popovich was launched in Vostok IV the next day. The pair made the first simultaneous flights; both returned on 15 Aug. Nikolayev's flight set an endurance record, circling the Earth 64 times in 96 hours, having completed 1,650,000 miles. He returned to space in 1970 for his second and final mission on the Soyuz 9 craft, setting a new endurance record, spending 18 days in space in Soyuz 9. He was twice named a Hero of the Soviet Union. |
