J23. Cosmonaut Hero of the Soviet Union

Yevgeny Vasilyevich Khrunov (1933-2000) was a Soviet cosmonaut who flew on the Soyuz 5 and Soyuz 4 missions. The Soyuz 5 mission in January 1969 was the first docking of two crewed spacecraft of any nation, and the first transfer of crew from one space vehicle to another of any nation.

This is a commemorative album of Khrunov visiting the Tula Machine-Building Plant, a Soviet weapons manufacturer in Tula. Tula a.k.a. Tulamashzavod was founded in 1879 and was a major producer of guns and missiles for land, air and naval forces. Khrunov appears in full military uniform and is fawned on like a rock star. The item includes two extra autographed photographs which appear to have been autographed by Khrunov at the visit.