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From: Toms River, NJ
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posted 04-08-2017 08:57 AM               

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This one in particular saddens me.

Grechko was the first cosmonaut I met — and I had the fortune of meeting him twice.

Back in 1990, ICon was doing a series of science and science fiction conventions at what was then known as SUNY-Stonybrook. That year, Deke Slayton (which is another story) and Grechko were there.

I didn't know how to get photos, so I did the next best thing. I found a copy of the "Almanac of Soviet Manned Space Flight" (which I still have!) and waited in line for Grechko's signature.

When Grechko saw the book, he exclaimed, "Soyuz!" as he saw the line drawing of his spacecraft. He excitedly thumbed through it, and I asked whether or not he wanted a copy. His handler replied the best thing would be to send Grechko one through his address, not through the embassy. Grechko took out his business card, signed that (and I still have it, too!); and I did send him a copy of the almanac.

Second time was at Ocean County College in New Jersey. I was heavily into Star Trek at time, and wrote articles for their news magazine.

Knowing Grechko was a spacecraft designer, I presented him a copy of the "Star Trek: The Next Generation" technical manual. A photo of that made the local paper.

I never got him to sign that picture, unfortunately, not wanting to lose the only copy I had (I since located the first-generation print), despite a friend taking it to two Association of Space Explorers meetings.

Damn. Despite meeting him only briefly, and many years since those encounters, I will miss him.

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From: Texas * Earth
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posted 04-08-2017 09:52 AM            

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Rest in peace Georgy. Met cosmonaut Grechko at the SOVIET SPACE exhibit in Fort Worth, Texas. It was "Sputnik Day," as in October 4th, back in 1991. He was very nice and signed anything people brought to him.

Remember him being very serious there amongst the various Russian space program artifacts on display. My favorite was the weird Lunokhod remote controlled lunar rover. This was a couple of years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and it seemed like he and his interpreter hardly ever smiled. Two months later their old Soviet Union broke up into 15 separate countries. Those were turbulent times for Russian cosmonautics.

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From: Middletown, NJ, USA
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posted 04-08-2017 10:22 PM               

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Had heard from friends in Moscow that he had been unwell recently. Georgi Grechko was a regular at the ASE events and so I was very pleased to have met him on several of these occasions and in Moscow too. He was gently spoken and knew some English. He was always accommodating to those seeking his autograph.

I believe he was the oldest cosmonaut in space when he flew Soyuz T-14. As a Salyut 7 designer he must have known almost every inch of it making him vital to that crew after Dzhanibekov and Savinykh had rescued it. I read that he had even starred in a couple of Russian movies.

With the passing of Alexei Gubarev a couple of years ago, there are only two intact surviving Russian crews before his Soyuz 17; namely Soyuz 8 and Soyuz 13.

Posts: 102
From: Geldermalsen, the Netherlands
Registered: Mar 2010

posted 04-09-2017 01:02 AM               

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RIP Mr. Grechko.

I still remember his Soyuz 26 mission with spacewalk, first visiting crews, and space endurance record of 96 days.

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