Vladimir Kovalyonok

Vladimir Vasiliyevich Kovalyonok (Belarusian: Уладзі́мір Васі́льевіч Кавалёнак; Russian: Влади́мир Васи́льевич Ковалёнок; born 3 March 1942) is a retired Soviet cosmonaut.

In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Vasiliyevich and the family name is Kovalyonok.

Vladimir Vasilyevich Kovalyonok
Cosmonaut Vladimir Kovalyonok in Vologda
Born	(1942-03-03) 3 March 1942 (age 83) Bielaye, Reichskommissariat Ostland (now Belarus)
Status	Retired
Nationality	Belarusian
Occupation	Pilot-cosmonaut
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union (twice)
Space career
Cosmonaut
Rank	Colonel General, Soviet Air Force
Time in space	216d 09h 08m
Selection	Air Force Group 4
Missions	Soyuz 25, Soyuz 29/Soyuz 31, Soyuz T-4

He entered the Soviet space programme on July 5, 1967, and was commander of three missions. Together with Aleksandr Ivanchenkov he flew the long-endurance mission EO-2 which set a new record of 139 days in space. He retired from the cosmonaut team on June 23, 1984.

From 1990 to 1992 he was a Director of the 30th Central Scientific Research Institute, Ministry of Defence (Russia).

Missions

• Soyuz 25
• Soyuz 29/Soyuz 31
• Soyuz T-4
• Salyut 6

Honours and awards

• Hero of the Soviet Union, twice (2 November 1978 and 26 May 1981)
• Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR
• Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 3rd class (16 May 1996)
• Order of Military Merit (2000)
• Three Orders of Lenin (15 November 1977, 2 November 1978 and 26 May 1981)
• Order for Service to the Homeland in the Armed Forces of the USSR, 3rd class (12 August 1991)
• Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (12 April 2011) - for great achievements in the field of research, development and use of outer space, many years of diligent work, public activities
• Hero of the German Democratic Republic (1978)
• Order of Karl Marx (East Germany, 1978)
• Hero of the MPR (Mongolia, 1981)
• Order of Sukhbaatar (Mongolia, 1981)
• Cross of Grunwald, 3rd class (Poland, 1978)
• Order for Service to the Homeland, 2nd class (Belarus, 2002)

External links

• Cosmonaut Biography: Vladimir Kovalyonok
• The official website of the city administration Baikonur - Honorary citizens of Baikonur

Cosmonauts Vladimir Kovalyonok (left) and Viktor Savinykh (right) on a 1981 stamp of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics