| Vladimir Aleksandrovich Shatalov | |
|---|---|
| Cosmonaut | |
| Nationality | Soviet |
| Born | December 8, 1927 Petropavlovsk, Kazakh SSR |
| Other occupation | Pilot |
| Rank | Major General, Soviet Air Force |
| Time in space | 9d 21h 55m |
| Selection | Air Force Group 2 |
| Missions | Soyuz 4, Soyuz 8, Soyuz 10 |
| Mission insignia | |
Vladimir Aleksandrovich Shatalov (Russian: Владимир Александрович Шаталов; born December 8, 1927 in Petropavlovsk) is a former Soviet cosmonaut who flew three space missions of the Soyuz programme: Soyuz 4, Soyuz 8, and Soyuz 10.[1]
From 1971 to 1987 he was Commander of Cosmonaut Training, and Director of the Cosmonaut Training Centre from then until 1991.
Quote: "When we look into the sky it seems to us to be endless. We breathe without thinking about it, as is natural... and then you sit aboard a spacecraft, you tear away from Earth, and within ten minutes you have been carried straight through the layer of air, and beyond there is nothing! The 'boundless' blue sky, the ocean which gives us breath and protects us from endless black and death, is but an infinitesimally thin film. How dangerous it is to threaten even the smallest part of this gossamer covering, this conserver of life."[2]