Leonid Kizim

Who was Leonid Kizim?

Leonid Denisovich Kizim was a Soviet cosmonaut.

Kizim was born in Krasnyi Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, Soviet Union. He graduated from Higher Air Force School in 1975; and served as a test pilot in the Soviet Air Force. He was selected as a cosmonaut on October 23, 1965. Kizim flew as Commander on Soyuz T-3, Soyuz T-10 and Soyuz T-15, and also served as backup commander for Soyuz T-2. All together he spent 374 days 17 hours 56 minutes in space. On Soyuz T-15, he was part of the only crew to visit two space stations on one spaceflight. He later served as Deputy Director Satellite Control-Center of the Russian Ministry of Defense; after May 1995 he was Director of the Military Engineering Academy of Aeronautics and Astronautics in St. Petersburg.

He retired on June 13, 1987, and died on June 14, 2010. Leonid Kizim was married with two children.

He was awarded:

Twice Hero of the Soviet Union;

Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR

Order of Honour

Order of Friendship

Three Orders of Lenin

Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands"

Foreign awards:

Order of Sukhbaatar;