[JON MATH]

Just about a year ago news came to me of the passing of Russian Cosmonaut Georgy Grechko (5/25/31 - 4/8/17). There are very few people in this world I’d have loved to have a conversation with and Grechko was certainly my number one. The news was like a gut punch.

I saw him once at a restaurant. He was with his wife. He knew I recognized him and we smiled at each other and nodded, but not wanting to invade his space I simply left it at that. I so wish I had at least asked him for his autograph now.

Gerchko was Cosmonaut number 34, and he might very well have been on the first manned flight by Russia to the Moon as he was one of only four (that we in the west know of) in the Russian Moon landing program. He flew three times in space, two of those missions setting records at the time for length of time in orbit. His and Yuri Romanenko’s mission to Salute 7 flying onboard Soyuz 26 holds mythical status in the history of Russian space flight with a laundry list of firsts and experimental data still being studied today. During the mission he preformed the first space walk in 30 years for the USSR. It was successful, but after reentering Salute 7 Yuri, who had been waiting in the open hatch for George to return said he’d never get another chance to be in open space and told Gerchko he would just pop out and come right back. Gerchko said make it quick, and Yuri did launching himself right out the hatch with no tether attaching him to the ship. It was Gerchko who grabbed Romanenko by his boot as he drifted unfettered from the Salute complex; preventing what would have been a sure death in space and set back to all space exploration. Yuri was no slouch and he would fly in space a couple of more times, but as he said he never did get the opportunity to do a space walk. Yuri also split a front tooth in half on that mission exposing the nerve; he never said a word to the ground controllers about it. Tough SOB’s those Russians.

The minor planet “3148 Grechko” was named for him in 1979. Twice awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union medal that is like being awarded the Medal of Honor twice. His health had been deteriorating the last few years; he is survived by his wife and daughter.

Grechko used to tell a great story. Russia had a program in place where they would fly people from other Soviet Bloc countries to spend a week on the Salute. The profile was the station was manned by an all Russian crew and the visiting space craft would have a Russian commander and the guest cosmonaut. (This would be how Valarie Kubasov, a civilian engineer, would become one of few civilians to command a Soyuz. Normally commanders were military men and the engineers were civilians. Valarie was Leonov’s engineer on the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975.) Well back to the story:

The first crew would have a Czech member. Well the Czech guy returns to Earth and his hands are bright red. The doctors ask what is this all about. So he tells them: “Every time I pointed at a control and asked what it did… the Russians would slap my hands and say don’t touch that!

I doubt it’s 100% true, but it makes a great story.