February 19

Born in 1948 in Fairmont, Minnesota, Dale Gardner earned a degree in mechanical engineering before joining the U.S. Navy as a pilot. Selected by NASA in 1978, he flew on STS-8 in 1983 and STS-51-A in 1984. During STS-51-A, Gardner performed pioneering spacewalks to capture and return two malfunctioning satellites. He received two NASA Space Flight Medals for his achievements. After leaving NASA, he continued working in the aerospace industry, advancing satellite deployment technology.

Born in 1935 in Vyazniki, Valeri Kubasov graduated as an aerospace engineer before being selected as a cosmonaut in 1965. His first spaceflight was Soyuz 6 in 1969, where he conducted welding experiments in orbit. In 1975, he served as flight engineer on Soyuz 19 during the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project, the first joint U.S.-Soviet mission. Kubasov later flew to the Salyut space station and held leadership roles in the Soviet space program. Honored as a Hero of the Soviet Union, he played a key role in pioneering international scientific collaboration in space.