Sergei Krikalev
- Mir EO -4 Soyuz TM- 7 (1988/1989)
- Soyuz TM -13 TM-12/Sojus (1991 /1992)
- ISS Expedition 1
- ISS Expedition 11
Sergei Konstantinovich Krikaljow (Russian: Сергей Константинович Крикалёв, scientific transliteration Sergei Konstantinović Krikalev; born August 27, 1958 in Leningrad, RSFSR ) is a Russian cosmonaut. Since 2009 he is head of the now civilian Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
With six space flights and about 803 days total stay in Earth orbit (as of October 11, 2005 ) he is the spaceman with the overall longest stay in space and the most complete experience. He should be familiar with both Russian and with American technology.
Krikaljow studied constructors and mechanical engineering from the Leningrad Mechanical Institute. As early as 1985 he made his mark as a space expert by his help in saving the tailspin geratenen station Salyut 7
Cosmonauts activity
On September 2, 1985 he was elected the National Inter-agency Commission as a cosmonaut. He also was intended as a pilot for the Soviet Buran space shuttle program.
Soyuz TM -7
His first space flight led Krikaljow on 26 November 1988 with the spacecraft Soyuz TM -7 and Mir space station through. Together with his commander Alexander Volkov, he formed the mission I EO -4, which overlapped with the Mir- stays of the Soviet cosmonauts Vladimir Liakhov and Valeri Polyakov, and Jean- Loup Chrétien Abdul Ahad Mohmand from France and from Afghanistan. Krikaljow landed on April 27 again in 1989 with Soyuz TM- seventh His first space flight lasted 151 days.
Soyuz TM -12
His second flight to the Mir was launched on 18 May 1991 Soyuz TM- 12th His mission was known as Mir LD-3, and this time took his stay aboard the space station 311 days and contained seven spacewalks. Krikaljow returned on 25 March 1992 aboard Soyuz TM -13 back to Earth.
STS -60
In October 1992, the U.S. space agency NASA announced that at a future flight of the Space Shuttle an experienced cosmonaut would be on board. Krikaljow was one of two that were nominated by the Russian space agency, and participated in the NASA astronaut training.
Thus he took his third space flight aboard the space shuttle Discovery. He was the first Russian cosmonaut, who started in a U.S. spacecraft. This mission STS -60 lasted from February 3 to February 11, 1994.
For other shuttle missions as part of the Shuttle -Mir program, he worked in the flight control center in Houston. He supported the flights STS -63, STS -71, STS- 74 and STS -76 as Capcom.
STS -88
Even his fourth space flight led by Krikaljow aboard a space shuttle. From 4 December to 16 December 1998, he flew aboard the Endeavour mission STS -88, in the International Space Station (ISS ) was composed of the Zarya and Unity modules.
ISS Expedition 1
Krikaljow part of the first crew of the ISS. On October 31, began in 2000 aboard the Soyuz TM -31 his fifth space flight. He worked as a Flight Engineer of ISS Expedition 1 to the Shuttle Discovery ( STS -102) him and his colleague William Shepherd and Yuri Gidzenko on 20 March 2001 back to earth brought. This flight had lasted 140 days.
ISS Expedition 11
His sixth and so far last space flight, he started on 15 April 2005 with Soyuz TMA -6 on his second visit to the International Space Station as Commander of the ISS Expedition 11 He returned on 11 October 2005 back to Earth. Sergei Krikaljow presented with this flight on a new long-term record. His total flight time is now approximately 803 days, 9 hours and 41 minutes. Purely mathematically he has thus almost a Mars journey.
With this flight, he pulled the same with astronauts John Young, Story Musgrave, Franklin Chang- Diaz, Curtis Brown, Jim Wetherbee, Colin Michael Foale, who were allowed to complete six space flights before him.
During his spaceflight, he worked for a total of eight spacewalks outside space stations or space shuttles 41 hours and 26 minutes.
Special features of the Soyuz mission TM-12/TM-13
Krikaljow was stationed during the dissolution of the Soviet Union on Mir. He was started on May 18, 1991, saw the election of Boris Yeltsin in the universe to the Russian President, the coup in Moscow, as well as the dissolution of the USSR.
The collapse of the Soviet Union in the individual nation states prolonged his stay in space by half a year. For political reasons, the Kazakh Toktar Aubakirow was sent to me in October 1991 instead of the planned long-term separation from Russia, cosmonaut without long-term experience, who returned after eight days on the earth. The Russians thus came to meet a requirement of the soon independent Republic of Kazakhstan, on whose territory the Baikonur Cosmodrome is located.
Like his colleague Alexander Volkov launched as Soviet citizens, Krikaljow returned after 10 months at 25 March 1992, citizens of the Russian Federation back to earth. Moreover, it was renamed during its flight as a result of political changes his hometown of Leningrad in St. Petersburg.
Awards
In April 1989, Krikaljow was awarded the distinction of Hero of the Soviet Union. In April 1992, his award Hero of the Russian Federation was by a decree of the then Russian President, Boris Yeltsin, given ..
Private
Krikaljow is married and has one daughter.