Artifact Category: photo, autograph.
Dimensions: 8.8. 11.9 cm.
Description: Pavel Popovich was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on two space missions during the early years of the Soviet space program. Born in 1930 in Ukraine, Popovich was a fighter pilot before being selected as a cosmonaut in 1960.
His first space flight was aboard Vostok 4 in 1962, during which he orbited the Earth for almost two days and conducted scientific experiments. He also communicated with fellow cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev, who was orbiting the Earth aboard Vostok 3 at the same time, making it the first time two manned spacecraft had been in space at the same time.
Popovich's second flight was on Soyuz 14 in 1974, which was a test of the Soyuz spacecraft's capabilities as a platform for scientific research. Popovich and his fellow cosmonaut conducted a variety of experiments during their two-week mission, including testing the effects of weightlessness on the human body.
In addition to his space flights, Popovich was also involved in the development of the Soviet space program, working on the design and testing of new spacecraft and equipment. He retired from the cosmonaut corps in 1982 with the rank of colonel.
This signed picture comes with a Letter of Authenticity from Steve Zarelli.
