Maksim Surayev facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Maksim Surayev
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Максим Сураев
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Surayev in 2010
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| Member of the State Duma for Moscow Oblast | |
| In office 5 October 2016 – 12 October 2021 |
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| Preceded by | constituency re-established |
| Succeeded by | Vyacheslav Fomichyov |
| Constituency | Balashikha (No. 117) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 24 May 1972 Chelyabinsk, RSFSR, USSR |
| Political party | United Russia |
| Education | Kacha Air Force Pilot School Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy RANEPA |
| Occupation | Fighter Pilot |
| Space career | |
| Roscosmos cosmonaut | |
| Rank | Colonel |
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Time in space
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334d 12h 11min |
| Selection | 1997 TsPK Cosmonaut Group |
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Total EVAs
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2 |
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Total EVA time
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9hr 22min |
| Missions | Soyuz TMA-16 (Expedition 21/22), Soyuz TMA-13M (Expedition 40/41) |
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Mission insignia
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Maksim Viktorovich Surayev (Russian: Максим Викторович Сураев, born on May 24, 1972) is a Russian politician and a former cosmonaut. He served as a member of the State Duma, which is like the Russian parliament, from 2016 to 2021. Before becoming a politician, he spent a lot of time working as a cosmonaut, flying to the International Space Station (ISS).
Contents
Early Life and Education
Maksim Surayev was born in a city called Chelyabinsk in Russia. As a child, he moved around a lot because his father was in the military. This meant living in different towns, including places in Siberia and around Moscow.
Maksim is married to Anna Alexandrovna and they have two daughters, Arina and Ksenia. When he's not working, he enjoys sports and reading. He is also a skilled diver and an instructor for parachute jumping.
Maksim Surayev is highly educated. In 1994, he graduated with honors from the Kacha Air Force Pilot School, becoming a pilot-engineer. He then continued his studies at the Zhukovski Air Force Academy, graduating in 1997 as a pilot-engineer-researcher. Later, in 2007, he earned a law degree from the Russian Academy of Civil Service.
Becoming a Cosmonaut
Maksim Surayev began his journey to become a cosmonaut in December 1997. He completed his basic space training by November 1999, which qualified him as a test-cosmonaut. After that, he started advanced training for missions to the International Space Station (ISS) in January 2000.
He also served as a backup crew member for two different ISS missions: Expedition 17 (from 2006 to 2008) and Expedition 19 (from 2008 to 2009). This meant he was ready to go into space if one of the main crew members couldn't.
Maksim is a very experienced pilot. He can fly L-39 and Su-27 aircraft and has spent about 700 hours flying them. He is a Class 3 Air Force pilot, which is a high level of skill.
Missions to Space
Maksim Surayev has flown to the International Space Station twice. Each time, he served as a Flight Engineer, helping to operate the station and conduct experiments.
Expedition 21 and 22
His first trip to space was for Expedition 21 and Expedition 22. He launched aboard the Soyuz TMA-16 spacecraft on September 30, 2009, from the Baikonour cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. He was the commander of this Soyuz spacecraft.
He spent 167 days living and working on the International Space Station. On March 18, 2010, he landed safely back on Earth in Kazakhstan with his crewmate, Jeffrey Williams. While in space, Maksim even kept a blog to share his experiences!
Expedition 40 and 41
Maksim's second mission was for Expedition 40 and Expedition 41. He commanded the Soyuz TMA-13M spacecraft, which launched on May 28, 2014. His crewmates were Alexander Gerst and Reid Wiseman.
The Soyuz spacecraft docked with the ISS about six hours after launch. During this mission, Maksim helped with many scientific activities. He also saw many different spacecraft arrive at the ISS, including Russian Progress freighters, American Dragon and Cygnus spacecraft, and the European ATV. He even served as the commander of Expedition 41 from September 10 to November 10, 2014. The mission ended when they returned to Earth on November 10, 2014.
Spacewalks
Maksim Surayev has performed two spacewalks, which are also called Extravehicular Activities (EVAs). These are times when astronauts or cosmonauts go outside the space station to work.
First Spacewalk
On January 14, 2010, Maksim went on his first spacewalk with fellow Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov. They wore special Russian Orlan-MK spacesuits. They floated out of the Pirs Docking compartment.
During their spacewalk, they connected cables between different parts of the station, like the Poisk and Zvezda modules. They also installed new equipment and attached handrails. They even collected a science experiment from the outside of the ISS and threw out some old trash. This spacewalk lasted for 5 hours and 44 minutes.
Second Spacewalk
Maksim's second spacewalk was on October 22, 2014, with cosmonaut Aleksandr Samokutyaev. This spacewalk was planned for six hours, but they finished all their tasks in just 3 hours and 38 minutes!
They removed some old science equipment and antennas from the Poisk module. One piece of equipment, called RK-21-8, was used to study earthquakes. Maksim safely threw this piece of equipment away from the station. They also opened a protective cover on an experiment from the European Space Agency that studies how samples react to being in space. Finally, they took pictures of the space station's outside to check its condition. This was the 184th spacewalk to help build the Space Station.
Political Career
In 2016, Maksim Surayev was elected to the State Duma. This is a very important part of the Russian government, similar to a parliament. After being elected, he retired from his career as a cosmonaut. He served in the State Duma until 2021.
Awards
Maksim Surayev has received a very high honor: the Gold Star Medal of Hero of Russia. He was given this medal by the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on December 30, 2010, for his bravery and achievements.
See also
- List of Heroes of the Russian Federation
