Born Vladimir Aleksandrovich Krysin in Iskandar in 1942, the future cosmonaut adopted his wife’s surname to preserve her ancestral lineage. Beyond his military career, he is known for identifying a specific rotational phenomenon in orbital mechanics that was later documented as the Dzhanibekov effect, a manifestation of the tennis racket theorem observed during a Salyut-7 mission.
Military and Academic Formation
Dzhanibekov attended the Tashkent Suvorov Military School before enrolling at Saint Petersburg State University to study physics in 1960. He transitioned to the V. M. Komarov Higher Military Flying School at Yeisk in 1961. Upon graduation, he served as a flight instructor for the Soviet Air Forces. In 1970, during a visit by Gherman Titov, he was selected for the cosmonaut training pool and joined the Communist Party.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Orbital Missions and Scientific Contributions
Over his career, Dzhanibekov completed five orbital missions: Soyuz 27/26, Soyuz 39, Soyuz T-6, Soyuz T-12, and Soyuz T-13. He spent a total of 145 days, 15 hours, and 56 minutes in space, including 8 hours and 35 minutes across two extravehicular activities. In 1985, while working on the Salyut-7 station, he identified the unstable rotation of a floating object, now known as the Dzhanibekov effect.
Aviation and Post-Cosmonaut Ventures
After retiring from the space program in 1986 with the rank of major general, he moved into political life, serving as a deputy to the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR until 1990. He subsequently pursued ballooning, including a 1990 proof-of-concept flight with a sky anchor balloon system and failed circumnavigation attempts in 1992 and 1993. He is also a painter and postage stamp designer.
Fast facts
- Born: 13 May 1942, Iskandar
- Military Rank: Major General
- Space Missions: 5
- Total Time in Space: 145 days, 15 hours, 56 minutes
- Key Discovery: Dzhanibekov effect
- Professional Member: Artists' Union of the USSR
- Minor Planet: 3170 Dzhanibekov
- Education: Yeysk Higher Military Aviation Institute
Questions readers ask
Why did he change his surname?
He was born Vladimir Krysin but adopted his wife Liliya’s surname, Dzhanibekov, to honor her family ancestry and continue her line of descent.
What is the Dzhanibekov effect?
It is a phenomenon of unstable rotation observed in a T-handle nut while in free fall, which serves as a practical demonstration of the tennis racket theorem.
Achievements
- Commander of the Legion of Honour — 1982
- Affiliated with Tomsk State University
- Educated at Tashkent Suvorov Military School, Saint Petersburg State University and Yeysk Higher Military Aviation Institute
- Worked as aircraft pilot, astronaut and politician