Zholobov Vitaliy

Soviet cosmonaut. Born June 18, 1937 in the village Zburevka Golopristanskiy district, Kherson region of the Ukrainian SSR (now - Republic of Ukraine). Early years were on the shore of the Caspian Sea. After graduating from high school he entered the Azerbaijan Oil and Gas, from which he graduated in 1959. After a few months, the institute has worked as an engineer, and then was drafted into the Soviet Army. He served as a test engineer in the aircraft parts. In 1963 he was enrolled in the detachment of Soviet cosmonauts (1963 Group of the Air Force? 2). It has been a full course of general space training and preparing to fly to the ship type "Soyuz". In the early 70-ies was trained to fly on a military space station type "Almaz". In 1974, the job at the Cosmonaut Training Center graduated from the Military-Political Academy Lenin. Was understudy bortinzhenra spacecraft "Soyuz-14" at the start of July 3, 1974.

From 6 July to 24 August 1976, together with Boris V. Volynova flew into space as a flight engineer of Soyuz-21 "and orbital station" Salyut-5 ". During the flight, carried out a large amount of intelligence work. Because of illness Zholobova flight was prematurely terminated. Length of stay in space was 49 days 6 hours 23 minutes 32 seconds. He continued to prepare for new space missions, served as commander of the group of listeners astronauts. Then worked as an instructor-cosmonaut training center for cosmonauts Gagarin. In 1981 he left the cosmonaut corps and went to the reserve. Moved Ukraine. After the collapse of the Soviet Union worked for some time head of the administration of the Kherson region, and then engaged in political activity.

Hero of the Soviet Union (Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from September 1, 1976). Awarded the Order of Lenin and medals. Honorary citizen of Kaluga, Prokopevsk (Russia), Tselinograd (Kazakhstan), Kherson (Ukraine).