Vladimir Dzhanibekov - Biography

Biography

Dzhanibekov was born in the remote area of Iskandar in Tashkent Province, Uzbekistan. He changed his surname from Krysin when he married to honor his wife's family, which was noble kin of the descendants of the medieval Uzbek khan Jani Beg (Russianized as Dzhanibek). His family moved to Tashkent soon after his birth. In 1960 he entered Leningrad University to study physics, where he became involved in flying, something that he had always been interested in. In 1961 he decided to enroll in the V. M. Komarov Higher Military Flying School at Yeisk and simultaneously studied at the Taganrog State University of Radioengineering. Four years later he graduated and became a flying instructor in the Soviet Air force serving at military training unit number 99735 in Taganrog in 1968-1970. In 1970 during the visit of Gherman Titov to the Taganrog-based training unit, he was selected into the team of cosmonauts. This was the same year that he joined the Communist Party.

Dzhanibekov made five flights: Soyuz 27, Soyuz 39, Soyuz T-6, Soyuz T-12 and Soyuz T-13. In all he had spent 145 days, 15 hours and 56 minutes in space over these five missions. He had also performed two EVAs with a total time of 8 hours and 35 minutes.

After leaving the cosmonaut program in 1986, he became involved in politics. He was the Deputy to the Supreme Soviet of Uzbek SSR from 1985 until 1990. He is also interested painting and his works, predominantly about space, have been shown in several exhibitions.

He also became interested in ballooning, and flying around the world. He made only one flight though, which lasted only 30 minutes. He, Larry Newman and Don Moses lifted off in Earthwinds on January 13, 1993 but could not penetrate a strong inversion layer and tore the ballast balloon on a mountain peak.

The minor planet 3170 Dzhanibekov, discovered by Soviet astronomer Nikolai Stepanovich Chernykh in 1979, is named after him.