Cosmonaut Grechko dies at 85

Russian space agency Roscosmos says Soviet-era cosmonaut Georgy Grechko has died at age 85.

Grechko made three trips into space between 1975 and 1985, spending a total of 134 days off the Earth.

His longest was a stay of more than three months aboard the Salyut-6 space station in 1977-78.

Grechko later became a cosmonaut instructor and joined the faculty at the Russian Academy of Sciences' institute of atmospheric physics.

The Roscosmos statement today did not state a cause of death or give information on survivors.