Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR

Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR
Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR (obverse)
Awarded by  Soviet Union
Type	Honorary title
Eligibility	Soviet citizens
Awarded for	Space flight
Status	No longer awarded
Statistics
Established	16 April 1961
Total awarded	72
Related	Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation

The honorary title Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR (Russian: Летчик-космонавт СССР) was a state award of the Soviet Union presented to all cosmonauts who flew for the Soviet Space Agency. Usually accompanying the distinction was the title of Hero of the USSR, the highest title that could be awarded to a Soviet citizen for performing heroic deeds while in service of the state.

The title was established by Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet on 14 April 1961. It was awarded until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 where it was retained by the Law of the Russian Federation 2555-1 dated 20 March 1992 with a few slight amendments and renamed Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation.

The title was assigned by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet for the outstanding feat of space flight. The insignia of Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR is worn on the right side of the chest above orders and decorations. If worn with honorary titles of the Russian Federation, the latter have precedence.

The title is a 25mm wide by 23.8mm high convex pentagon with a gilt silver rim. In the center is an image of the terrestrial globe with the territory of the Soviet Union enamelled in red. A gold star denotes Moscow as the point of origin of a gilt orbital path going around the globe once to reach a silver satellite at the upper left of the globe. A second orbital path, this time enamelled in red, starts at the bottom center of the globe going up in an arc narrowing along the way to reach a gilt spacecraft above the globe. Along the upper left edge of the pentagon above the globe, the gilt relief inscription "PILOT" (Russian: ЛЕТЧИК), along the upper right edge of the pentagon above the globe, the gilt relief inscription "COSMONAUT" (Russian: КОСМОНАВТ), along the bottom edge of the pentagon under the globe, the gilt inscription "USSR" (Russian: СССР), along the left and right lower edges of the pentagon, prominent gilt laurel branches. The reverse of the insignia is plain except for the award serial number.