9x6.25 B&W glossy vintage Associated Press Wirephoto signed "A. Yeliseyev 24 XI 1970" in fountain pen ink. Toning and minor creasing, otherwise, in very good condition. Aleksei Stanislavovich Yeliseyev is a retired Soviet cosmonaut who flew on three missions in the Soyuz program as a flight engineer: Soyuz 5 , Soyuz 8, and Soyuz 10. He made the world's eighth spacewalk during Soyuz 5 in 1969.Aleksei's father was Lithuanian with the last name Kuraitis, who died in the Soviet's Gulag as an enemy of the people. Aleksei uses his mother's last name "Yeliseyev" so some regard him as also being a Lithuanian cosmonaut. A graduate of the Bauman Higher Technical School (1957) and a postgraduate of the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (1962). Yeliseyev worked as an engineer in Sergey Korolev's design bureau before being selected for cosmonaut training.Following his retirement from the space program in 1985, he took up an administrative position at the Bauman school for several years before retiring fully.Award & Honors in the Soviet Union:Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (22 January 1969 and 22 October 1969)Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSRFour Orders of Lenin (22 January 1969, 22 October 1969, 30 April 1971 and 15 January 1976)Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (12 April 2011) – for the great achievements in the field of research, development and utilization of outer space, many years of diligent work, public activitiesJubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary since the Birth of Vladimir Il'ich Lenin"State Prize of the USSR (3 November 1980)This lot came from the Jim Wiggins collection we purchased in July 2022. Jim Wiggins accumulated the most unique and valuable autograph collection over a period of 70-plus years. He obtained his collection either in person or by writing to persons of fame and notoriety.Comes with a full Letter of Authenticity from Todd Mueller Authentics.