Leonid Popov

In this name that follows Eastern Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Ivanovich and the family name is Popov.

Leonid Ivanovich Popov (Russian: Леони́д Ива́нович Попо́в, Ukrainian: Леонід Іванович Попо́в; born August 31, 1945) is a former Soviet cosmonaut.

Leonid Ivanovich Popov
Born	(1945-08-31) August 31, 1945 (age 79) Oleksandriia, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
Status	Retired
Nationality	Soviet / Ukrainian
Occupation	Pilot
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union (2)
Space career
Cosmonaut
Rank	Major General, Soviet Air Force
Time in space	200d 14h 45m
Selection	Air Force Group 5
Missions	Soyuz 35/Soyuz 37, Soyuz 40, Soyuz T-7/Soyuz T-5

Biography

Popov was born in Oleksandriia, Kirovohrad Oblast, Ukrainian SSR. He was selected as a cosmonaut on April 27, 1970, and flew as Commander on Soyuz 35, Soyuz 40 and Soyuz T-7, logging 200 days, 14 hours, and 45 minutes in space before his retirement on June 13, 1987.^[1] Popov is married and has two children.

Leonid Popov, Aleksandr Serebrov and Svetlana Savitskaya

Leonid Popov and Dumitru Prunariu with Leonid Brezhnev in 1981

Memorial in Olexandria

He was awarded:

• Twice Hero of the Soviet Union;
• Three Orders of Lenin;
• Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (Russian Federation);
• Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR;
• Honoured Master of Sport.

Foreign awards:

• Hero of the Socialist Republic of Romania;
• Hero of the Republic of Cuba
• Hero of Socialist Labour (Vietnam);
• Order of Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam).

In September 2023, as part of the national campaigns of decommunization and derusification, in Kropyvnytskyi (the regional capital of Kirovohrad Oblast) the Cosmonaut Popov Street was renamed to Independence Street [uk].^[2]