Welding stainless steel and titanium in the vacuum of space during the 1969 Soyuz 6 mission, Valeri Kubasov performed the first industrial experiments of their kind outside Earth's atmosphere. A career aerospace engineer, he spent his life bridging the gap between theoretical ballistics and the practical realities of managing long-term Soviet space station infrastructure and international flight operations.
Engineering and Early Career
Born in 1935 in Vyazniki, Kubasov completed his education at the Moscow Aviation Institute in 1958. He joined the design bureau led by Sergei Korolev, initially concentrating on ballistic studies and the structural configuration of the Voskhod spacecraft. As a Candidate of Technical Sciences, he authored numerous papers regarding spaceship trajectory calculations before transitioning into the civilian cosmonaut corps in the mid-1960s.
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Kubasov flew as a flight engineer on three distinct missions. His first flight, Soyuz 6 in October 1969, involved the Vulcan furnace welding trials with Georgy Shonin. He later participated in the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, marking a pivotal moment of cooperation between Soviet and American space programs. His final mission occurred in 1980 as commander of the Soyuz 36 flight within the Intercosmos programme, which transported the first Hungarian astronaut into orbit.
Near-Misses and Institutional Leadership
Twice saved by circumstance, Kubasov was excluded from the Soyuz 11 mission due to a medical diagnosis of lung swelling, subsequently attributed to an allergic reaction. Following his retirement from active flight duty in November 1993, he served as the deputy director of the S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia. He remained involved in the engineering oversight of the Mir space station until his death in Moscow in 2014.
Fast facts
- Born: 1935, Vyazniki
- Died: 2014, Moscow
- Education: Moscow Aviation Institute
- Military Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
- Primary Employer: S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia
- Key Missions: Soyuz 6, Soyuz 19, Soyuz 36
- Burial Site: Troyekurovskoye cemetery
- Awards: Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR, Yuri A. Gagarin Gold Medal
Questions readers ask
What were the primary scientific objectives of Kubasov's first flight?
He focused on the first manual and automatic welding experiments in space using the Vulcan furnace.
Why was Kubasov not part of the Soyuz 11 crew?
He was grounded for medical reasons after doctors identified a swelling on his lung.
Achievements
- Affiliated with S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia
- Educated at Moscow Aviation Institute
- Worked as astronaut, engineer and writer
