Artifact: Andriyan Nikolayev signed photo
Artifact Category: photo, autograph.
Dimensions: 8.5 x 11.5 cm.

Description: Andriyan Nikolayev was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on three space missions during the early years of the Soviet space program. Born in 1929 in the Chuvash Autonomous Republic, Nikolayev was a military pilot before being selected as a cosmonaut in 1960.

His first space flight was aboard Vostok 3 in 1962, during which he orbited the Earth for four days and set a new record for the longest time a human had spent in space. His second flight, on Soyuz 9 in 1970, lasted almost 18 days and was a test of the endurance of the human body in space.

Nikolayev's third and final mission was on Soyuz 19 in 1975, which was the first joint space mission between the Soviet Union and the United States. Nikolayev and his American counterpart, Thomas P. Stafford, docked their spacecraft together in orbit and conducted joint experiments.

This signed picture comes with a Letter of Authenticity from Steve Zarelli.

For more information see Nikolayev's signed postcard in my collection.

Item: Andriyan Nikolayev handsigned Russian postcard
Size: 10.9 x 14.3 cm.

Description: Andriyan Grigoryevich Nikolayev was a Soviet cosmonaut and military pilot who was born on September 5, 1929, in Shorshely, Russia.

In 1962, Nikolayev was selected as one of the six cosmonauts for the Vostok 3 mission, which was launched on August 11, 1962. This was the first time that two spacecraft had been in orbit at the same time, with Nikolayev and fellow cosmonaut Pavel Popovich aboard Vostok 3 and Andrian Nikolayev aboard Vostok 4. The two spacecraft came within a few kilometers of each other, but the cosmonauts did not actually make contact.

Nikolayev's second spaceflight was on Soyuz 9, which launched on June 1, 1970. This mission set a new endurance record, with Nikolayev and fellow cosmonaut Vitali Sevastyanov spending 17 days in orbit. They conducted various experiments and medical tests, and Nikolayev even married his wife Valentina Tereshkova, who was also a cosmonaut, while in orbit.

Nikolayev's third and final spaceflight was on Soyuz 22, which launched on September 15, 1976. This mission was notable for being the first time that a Soviet spacecraft had landed on German territory. Nikolayev and fellow cosmonaut Vladimir Kovalyonok spent almost eight days in orbit, conducting experiments and taking photographs of the Earth.

In addition to his spaceflights, Nikolayev was also a member of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR and a deputy in the Soviet parliament. He retired from the Soviet Air Force in 1982 and became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Andriyan Nikolayev passed away on July 3, 2004, at the age of 74.