Kovalenok, Vladimir Vasilevich

Born Mar. 3, 1942, in the village of Beloe, Krupki Raion, Minsk Oblast. Pilot-cosmonaut of the USSR; colonel. Hero of the Soviet Union (1978). Member of the CPSU since 1962.

Kovalenok graduated from the Balashov Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots in 1963 and the Iu. A. Gagarin Air Force Academy in 1976. He served in military air-transport units and in 1967 was named a cosmonaut.

From Oct. 9 to Oct. 11, 1977, flying with V. V. Riumin, Kovalenok was commander of the Soyuz 25 spacecraft. The flight lasted 48 hr 44 min. From June 15 to Nov. 2, 1978, Kovalenok and A. S. Ivanchenkov flew a mission aboard Soyuz 29 and the Salyut 6 orbiting station. During the mission, which lasted 140 days 14 hr 48 min, Salyut 6 docked with Progress supply craft, with Soyuz 30 (manned by P. I. Klimuk and M. Hermaszewski), and with Soyuz 31 (manned by V. F. Bykovskii and S. Jáhn). Kovalenok returned to earth in Soyuz 31.

Kovalenok has been awarded two Orders of Lenin and various medals.