Viktor Savinykh

Viktor Petrovich Savinykh (born 7 March 1940) is a Soviet cosmonaut, scientist, and organizer of personnel training in the higher education system. Selected as a cosmonaut on 1 December 1978, he flew as Flight Engineer on Soyuz T-4, Soyuz T-13 and Soyuz TM-5, and has spent 252 days 17 hours 38 minutes in space. Savinykh retired on 9 February 1989. Savinykh was born in Beryozkiny, Kirov Oblast, Russian SFSR on 7 March 1940. He is married with one child. In 1989-2007 he was the rector, and since 2007 the president, of the Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography. Viktor Savinykh is the author of the book Notes from a Dead Station (Савиных В. П. Записки с мертвой станции. — М.: ИД «Системы Алиса», 1999. - 88 c.) (ISBN 5-901135-01-6). (The book is dedicated to the restoration of control in 1985 over the Salyut 7 space orbital station). In March 2011, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Kirov Oblast of the fifth convocation in a single constituency from the United Russia party.