Dmitri Zaikin

Dmitri Alekseyevich Zayikin (April 29, 1932 – October 20, 2013) was a Russian cosmonaut trainer. Zaikin was born in Yekaterinovka, Rostov Oblast, Russia. He graduated from Military Fighter Pilot School, Armavir and Frunse (now Bishkek), in 1955, and was selected for the cosmonaut training in 1960, as one of a group of the twenty Air Force pilots who would train as the first cosmonauts.

Zayikin was assigned as backup commander for Voskhod 2. He then went on to graduate from the Zhukovsky Military Engineering Academy, Monino, in 1968. He left the space service on medical grounds (stomach ulcer) while training for Soyuz missions on October 25, 1969. He then became an instructor and lead engineer at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center. He left the space programme in 1982, and retired from active military duty in 1987.

He is married with two children.

Zaikin died of natural causes on October 20, 2013, as reported by Star City, the Yuri Gagarin Training Centre.