Aleksandr Ivanchenkov

Aleksandr Sergeyevich Ivanchenkov (born 3 September 1940 in Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, USSR) is a retired Soviet cosmonaut. He was selected as part of the TsKBEM‑3 group in 1973 and earned the rank of Colonel in the Soviet Air Force. Ivanchenkov flew two space missions: Soyuz 28 in March 1978, the first Intercosmos flight carrying Czechoslovakian cosmonaut Vladimír Remek to the Salyut 6 space station, and Soyuz 29 in July–December 1978, where he served as commander of a long‑duration stay aboard Salyut 6 with flight engineer Yuri Romanenko. During the Soyuz 29 mission he performed one EVA lasting 2 hours 33 minutes. Over his career he accumulated 147 days 12 hours of flight time. Ivanchenkov was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, two Orders of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, and the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration". After retiring from the cosmonaut corps he worked in aerospace engineering and remains a prominent figure in Russian space history.