Pages of history: how many people received the title of “Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR”
The honorary title “Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR” was established on April 14, 1961, two days after the first manned flight into space. It was assigned to Yuri Gagarin, and subsequently to all Soviet cosmonauts, Parlamentskaya Gazeta reports.
In total, 72 people became holders of this title from 1961 to 1991. The last to receive it was Toktar Aubakirov, who carried out a flight on the orbital scientific research complex “Mir”.
The cosmonauts who were awarded the title were awarded a diploma of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and a silver lapel badge “Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR”. The number of the latter, as a rule, coincided with the number of the astronaut himself.
On March 20, 1992, the title of “Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation” was established. The astronauts began to be numbered anew, and Alexander Kaleri became No. 1. We will remind, April 12, 2021 marked the 60th anniversary of the first flight into space. It lasted 108 minutes.
