The congratulatory message reads, in part:
“As a famous pilot and cosmonaut and a specialist of extraordinary qualification, you have made a great professional journey. Some of your apparent achievements include three orbital missions, extravehicular activities in outer space, and participation in the first docking of two manned spacecraft. Furthermore, the unique experiments you conducted have enriched science in Russia and around the world.”
Aleksei Yeliseyev holds a D.Sc. in Engineering, and is a two-time recipient of the Hero of the Soviet Union award. His flights into space took place between 1969 and 1971.