Aleksei Gubarev
A Soviet cosmonaut who commanded the first crew to inhabit the Salyut 4 space station, advancing long-duration spaceflight.
1931–2015 (age 84)·Soviet general, pilot and cosmonaut·Birthday: March 29·The Silent Generation
Biography
Aleksei Gubarev's path to space was carved through the skies as a naval aviator and test pilot for the Soviet military. Selected for the cosmonaut corps in 1963, his patience and skill were rewarded over a decade later with the command of Soyuz 17. In January 1975, he and engineer Georgy Grechko docked with the Salyut 4 space station, embarking on a then-record-setting 29-day mission. Their work was a major step for the Soviet space program, proving the viability of extended stays in orbit for scientific research. Gubarev's second flight, Soyuz 28 in 1978, was of a different, symbolic nature. As the veteran Soviet commander, he shepherded the first non-Soviet, non-American into space: Czech pilot Vladimír Remek. This mission under the Interkosmos program was a clear act of political outreach, cementing Soviet influence within the Eastern Bloc through the shared glory of space travel. Gubarev never walked on the moon, but his flights were critical, pragmatic steps in establishing a permanent human presence in Earth orbit, laying groundwork for stations like Mir. He retired as a Major General, a respected figure from the steady, workmanlike era of Soviet space stations.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Aleksei was born in 1931, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Aleksei Was Born
The biggest hits of 1931
#1 Movie
Frankenstein
Best Picture
Cimarron
Aleksei's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1931Born
The Empire State Building opens as the world's tallest
Gas: $0.17/galPresident: Herbert Hoover"Minnie the Moocher" — Cab CallowayBest Picture: Cimarron
1936Started school
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1944Became a teenager
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1947Could drive
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1949Could vote
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1952Turned 21
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1961Turned 30
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1971Turned 40
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1981Turned 50
MTV launches; first Space Shuttle flight; AIDS identified
Gas: $1.31/galHome: $52,300Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Bette Davis Eyes" — Kim CarnesBest Picture: Chariots of Fire
1991Turned 60
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 70
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 80
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2015Died at 84
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
Key Achievements
- Commanded Soyuz 17, the first crew to board and work aboard the Salyut 4 space station.
- Set a Soviet space endurance record of 29 days, 13 hours during the Salyut 4 mission.
- Commanded the historic Soyuz 28 mission, which carried the first Czech cosmonaut into space.
- Logged over 17 days in space across his two missions.
Did You Know?
Before becoming a cosmonaut, he was a fighter pilot and a test pilot for naval aircraft.
The crater Gubarev on the far side of the Moon is named after him.
He authored several books, including a memoir titled 'The Attraction of Weightlessness'.
After retiring from the space program, he worked in management for the Soviet sea fleet company.
“We saw the Earth as a perfect blue sphere, alone in the blackness.”
