Personal: Male. Born in USSR. Soviet Air Force. Pilot, Soviet Air Force.

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: Air Force Group 2 - 1963. Inactive Entered space service: 3 December 1962. Selected as a cosmonaut on 3 December 1962, but on 8 January 1963 and again on 13 December 1963 the government commission refused to approve the appointment.

9 December 1963 - Plans for cosmonaut training. Rudenko proposes that three very experienced officers be recruited as cosmonauts, given one spaceflight each, then be appointed to manage cosmonaut training. This will provide qualified managers, which cannot be recruited from among the ranks of the cosmonauts themselves. To this end Beregovoi, Sidorenko, and Katys are interviewed. Rudenko wants Beregovoi to fly first. Kamanin agrees with the general concept, but not with giving Beregovoi the next flight. Volynov, Komarov, and Leonov have been waiting for a flight after completing two years of training, and should fly next.