Andriyan Nikolayev
| Andriyan Nikolayev | |
|---|---|
Andriyan Nikolayev in 1976
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| Cosmonaut | |
| Nationality | Soviet |
| Born |
5 September 1929 Shorshely, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 3 July 2004 (aged 74) Cheboksary, Chuvashia, Russia |
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Other names
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Andriyan Grigoryevich Nikolayev |
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Other occupation
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Pilot |
| Rank | Major General, Soviet Air Force |
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Time in space
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21d 15h 20m |
| Selection | Air Force Group 1 |
| Missions | Vostok 3, Soyuz 9 |
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Mission insignia
|
 
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Andriyan Grigoryevich Nikolayev (Chuvash and Russian: Андриян Григорьевич Николаев; 5 September 1929 – 3 July 2004) was a Soviet cosmonaut. He was an ethnic Chuvash.
Andrian Grigoryevich Nikolayev was born on September 5, 1929 in Ukraine. He was then raised in Sorseli, a village in the Chuvash region of the Volga River valley, and spent his time growing up on a collective farm. Nikolayev loved the idea of flying even as a child. When he was young boy Nikolayev’s interest in flying manifested itself in that he climbed trees with his friends and claimed he would take flight from there. These behaviors were not encouraged by the villagers and Nikolayev did not take flight from any trees.
Nikolayev supported his family following the death of his father in 1944, however this was not preferred by his mother who would rather that he earn an education. Nikolayev later entered medical school before he joined the Soviet army. During his training Nikolayev was able to maintain a very calm state during stressful situations. Nikolayev’s calm would make him a fair candidate for becoming a cosmonaut. His future colleague’s Yuri Gagarin, Gherman Titov, and seventeen others would join him in March 1960. Nikolayev was also in a relationship with Valentina Tereshkova at the time, and reportedly kissed her goodbye before boarding Vostok 3.
Nikolayev flew on two space flights: Vostok 3 (effectively becoming the third Soviet cosmonaut) and Soyuz 9. His call sign in these flights was Falcon (Russian: Со́кол). On both, he set new endurance records for the longest time a human being had remained in orbit. He also served as backup for the Vostok 2 and Soyuz 8 missions. On 22 January 1969, Nikolayev survived an assassination attempt on Leonid Brezhnev, undertaken by a Soviet Army deserter, Viktor Ilyin. He left the cosmonaut corps on 26 January 1982.
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