Aleksandr Stepanovich Viktorenko (; 29 March 1947 – 9 August 2023) was a Soviet and Russian cosmonaut. Viktorenko was selected as a cosmonaut on 23 March 1978 and retired on 30 May 1997. He was commander of Soyuz TM-3, Soyuz TM-8, Soyuz TM-14, and Soyuz TM-20. He spent a total of 489 days in space. The Russian tradition of

Russian Orthodox The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC; ;), also officially known as the Moscow Patriarchate (), is an autocephaly, autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, Eastern Orthodox Christian church. It has 194 dioceses inside Russia. The Primate (bishop), p ...

priests blessing cosmonauts on launch day was initiated by Viktorenko when he requested one for the launch of Soyuz TM-20 in 1994. Aleksandr Viktorenko died on 9 August 2023, at the age of 76. He was buried at the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery on 12 August.

Honours and awards

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union () was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for heroic feats in service to the Soviet state and society. The title was awarded both ...

Order of Merit for the Fatherland Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * ...

, 3rd class (10 April 1995) for their courage and heroism displayed during prolonged space flight on the orbital scientific research complex ''Mir'' *

Order of Friendship of Peoples The Order of Friendship of Peoples () was an order of the Soviet Union, and was awarded to persons (including non-citizens), organizations, enterprises, military units, as well as administrative subdivisions of the USSR for accomplishments in s ...

(11 August 1992) for the successful implementation of long-duration space flight on the orbital station ''Mir'' and displaying courage and heroism *

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (, ) was an award named after Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the October Revolution. It was established by the Central Executive Committee on 6 April 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration bestowed by the Soviet ...

Order of the October Revolution The Order of the October Revolution (, ''Orden Oktyabr'skoy Revolyutsii'') was instituted on 31 October 1967, in time for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution. It was conferred upon individuals or groups for services furthering communis ...

(19 February 1990) for the successful implementation of spaceflight on the orbital scientific research complex ''Mir'' and displaying courage and heroism *

Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" The Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" () is a state decoration of the Russian Federation aimed at recognising achievements in the space program. It was established by Decree of the President of Russia, presidential decree №1099 of September ...

(12 April 2011) for the great achievements in the field of research, development, and use of outer space, many years of diligent work, and public activities * Commander of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

(March 1999), previously an officer (1988) * Pilot-cosmonaut of the Soviet Union

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Viktorenko, Aleksandr 1947 births 2023 deaths People from North Kazakhstan Region Soviet cosmonauts Russian cosmonauts Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 3rd class Recipients of the Order of the October Revolution Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of Lenin Commanders of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" Soviet Air Force officers Russian Air Force officers Spacewalkers Mir crew members Burials at the Federal Military Memorial Cemetery