1927-1967

Soviet engineer, pilot, and cosmonaut who was among the first to complete a mission in a spaceship built for more than one occupant. On October 12, 1964, Komarov, a veteran of World War II and one of the original 18 selected to train as cosmonauts, piloted the three-man spacecraft Voskhod around the earth 16 times. In 1967 Komarov became the first human fatality of space travel when, after a problematic one-day test flight aboard the Soyuz-1, the main parachute on his descent craft failed to open. A crater on the far side of the moon is named after him.