Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR

Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR
Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR (obverse)
TypeHonorary title
Awarded forSpace flight
Presented by Soviet Union
EligibilitySoviet citizens
StatusNo longer awarded
Established16 April 1961
Total72
RelatedPilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation
First man in space Yuri Gagarin, "Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR" #1 (1964 photo)
First woman in space Valentina Tereshkova, "Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR" #6 (1969 photo)
Veteran of three space flights, "Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR" Valery Ryumin (1998 photo)
Veteran of three space flights, "Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR" Viktor Gorbatko (2011 photo)
Veteran of six space flights, "Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR" Sergei Krikalev (2004 photo)

The honorary title Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR (Russian: Летчик-космонавт СССР) was a state award of the Soviet Union presented to all cosmonauts who flew for the Soviet Space Agency. Usually accompanying the distinction was the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, the highest title that could be awarded to a Soviet citizen for performing heroic deeds while in service of the state.