Valery Nikolayevich Bykovsky is a retired Soviet cosmonaut known for his significant contributions to space exploration. Born on August 2, 1934, in Moscow, he flew on three space missions, including the historic Vostok 5 in 1963, which set a record for the longest solo space flight at that time. Bykovsky was also a test pilot and an engineer, which helped him in his role as a cosmonaut. He received numerous awards for his achievements, including the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. His work has had a lasting impact on the field of human spaceflight.