First orbital station: Salyut I; the three cosmonauts died upon reentry into the atmosphere due to a pressure-compensating valve that exploded when the shuttle was separated for reentry; resuscitation attempts were futile, following the shock and surprise after the hatch was opened (Russian Space Agency). The second crew of Salyut, composed of Vladislav Volkov, Georgi Dobrovolsky, and Viktor Patsayev, carried into orbit and back to Earth by Soyuz 11, became a national celebrity after spending 22 days in orbit. Leonov was supposed to be on the mission to Salyut I. He had been the first to perform a spacewalk in 1965. In 1965, on the return journey, the retrorockets malfunctioned, and they landed in the Urals. Soviet radio broadcast Mozart’s Requiem to prepare the population for the worst. They were missing for two long days. They survive in the snow, lost in the forest, defending themselves from wolves with their service pistols. Leonov is outgoing, chatty, and speaks English. In 1971, Leonov is left on Earth at the last minute for the second mission to Salyut. The crew dies during reentry due to a faulty valve. In 1975, Leonov hosts the Americans in the Soyuz during the Soyuz-Apollo mission. He also co-authors a book in 2016 with David Scott of Apollo 15.
