Aleksandr Kaleri facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Aleksandr Kaleri
Александр Калери |
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Kaleri in 2010
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| Born | 13 May 1956 |
| Status | Retired |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Alma mater | Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology |
| Occupation | Flight engineer |
| Awards | Hero of Russian Federation |
| Space career | |
| Roscosmos cosmonaut | |
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Time in space
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769d 6h 37min |
| Selection | 1984 Cosmonaut Group |
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Total EVAs
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5 |
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Total EVA time
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25 hours 46 minutes |
| Missions | Soyuz TM-14, Soyuz TM-24, Soyuz TM-30, Soyuz TMA-3 (Expedition 8), Soyuz TMA-01M (Expedition 25/26) |
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Mission insignia
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Aleksandr "Sasha" Kaleri (born May 13, 1956) is a famous Russian cosmonaut. He spent a lot of time living and working on both the Mir Space Station and the International Space Station (ISS).
Kaleri's last trip to space was in 2010 and 2011. He worked as a flight engineer on the ISS during Expedition 25 and Expedition 26. He has spent the fifth-longest time in space of anyone.
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About Aleksandr Kaleri
Aleksandr Kaleri is married to Svetlana L. Nosova. They have a son named Oleg, who was born in 1996. Kaleri enjoys running, reading, and gardening in his free time.
Education and Early Work
In 1979, Kaleri graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. He studied how aircraft fly and how to control them. In 1983, he continued his studies there, focusing on how liquids and gases move.
After college, in 1979, he started working for the Energia Corporation. This company builds spacecraft. He helped design parts for the Mir space station. He also worked on testing the Mir station. Kaleri is also a very good computer programmer.
Becoming a Cosmonaut
Aleksandr Kaleri was chosen to become a cosmonaut in April 1984. From 1985 to 1986, he completed his basic training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. By 1987, he was ready to fly into space as a test cosmonaut.
He trained for several missions to the Mir space station. He was a backup crew member for the Mir-3 mission in 1987. He also trained as a backup for the Mir-9 mission in 1991. From late 1991 to early 1992, he trained as a main crew flight engineer for the Mir-11 mission.
Kaleri flew on three long missions to the Mir Space Station:
- In 1992, he spent 145 days in space on the Soyuz-TM-14 spacecraft and Mir.
- From August 1996 to March 1997, he spent 197 days on the Soyuz-TM-24 and Mir as a flight engineer for the Mir-22 mission.
- In 2000, Kaleri flew his third mission on the Soyuz-TM-30 spacecraft and Mir as a flight engineer for the Mir-28 mission.
Expedition 8
In 2003, Kaleri flew to the International Space Station (ISS) for the first time. This was his fourth spaceflight. He was a Flight Engineer on Expedition 8 with NASA astronaut Michael Foale. They spent 194 days in space, from October 18, 2003, to April 30, 2004.
The Soyuz TMA-3 spacecraft brought Kaleri, Foale, and ESA astronaut André Kuipers back to Earth. They landed safely in Kazakhstan.
Expedition 25 and 26
Kaleri was a Flight Engineer for ISS Expedition 25 and 26. He launched on October 7, 2010, from Baikonur Cosmodrome. He flew on the Soyuz TMA-01M spacecraft with cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka and NASA astronaut Scott Kelly. Kaleri was the commander of the Soyuz spacecraft. This was his fifth trip to space.
He arrived at the ISS on October 10, 2010. He stayed on the ISS until March 2011. During their mission, Kaleri and his crew did many science experiments. These included studies on physics, how crystals grow in space, and even educational projects.
Spacewalks
Kaleri has done five spacewalks, spending a total of 23 hours outside the spacecraft.
- First Spacewalk: On July 8, 1992, Kaleri and cosmonaut Aleksandr Viktorenko went outside Mir. They checked some parts of the station called gyrodynes. This spacewalk lasted 2 hours and 3 minutes.
- Second Spacewalk: On December 2, 1996, Kaleri and Valery Korzun spent almost 6 hours outside. They connected a new solar array to give Mir more electricity.
- Third Spacewalk: On December 9, 1996, Kaleri and Valery Korzun did another spacewalk for over 6 hours. They finished connecting the solar array. They also attached a new antenna to help other spacecraft dock with Mir. They even fixed a radio system used to talk to amateur radio operators on Earth.
- Fourth Spacewalk: On May 12, 2000, Kaleri and Sergei Zalyotin spent five hours outside Mir. They checked the outside of the station. They also tested a special glue that could fix tiny cracks. They even looked at the outside of a cargo spacecraft.
- Fifth Spacewalk: On February 26, 2004, Kaleri and NASA astronaut Michael Foale went outside the ISS. They changed some experiment packages. They also put a special dummy on the station's outside to measure radiation. This spacewalk was shorter than planned because of a problem with Kaleri's spacesuit. It lasted 3 hours and 55 minutes.
Awards and Honors
Aleksandr Kaleri has received many awards for his bravery and hard work in space. Some of them include:
- Hero of the Russian Federation (1992) - for his successful long spaceflight on Mir.
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland (various classes) - for his courage and professionalism during space missions.
- Order of Friendship (2005) - for his dedication and for helping strengthen friendships between people.
- Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"
- NASA Space Flight Medal
- NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
- Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (France, 1997)
- Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation (1992) - for his successful spaceflight on Mir.
See Also
In Spanish: Aleksandr Kaleri para niños
- List of Heroes of the Russian Federation
