Oleg Kotov facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Oleg Valeriyevich Kotov
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Kotov in 2006
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| Born | 27 October 1965 |
| Status | Retired |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Awards | Hero of the Russian Federation |
| Space career | |
| Roscosmos cosmonaut | |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
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Time in space
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526 days 5 hours 4 minutes |
| Selection | 1996 RKA Group |
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Total EVAs
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6 |
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Total EVA time
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36 hours and 51 minutes |
| Missions | Soyuz TMA-10 (Expedition 15), Soyuz TMA-17 (Expedition 22/23), Soyuz TMA-10M (Expedition 37/38) |
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Mission insignia
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Oleg Valeriyevich Kotov (Russian: Олег Валериевич Котов) is a Russian cosmonaut. He was born on October 27, 1965, in Simferopol, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Before becoming a cosmonaut, he worked as a doctor for the Soviet space program.
Oleg Kotov has flown to space three times. He spent over 526 days living and working on the International Space Station (ISS). His most recent mission was from September 2013 to March 2014.
Contents
About Oleg Kotov
Oleg Kotov is married to Svetlana Nikolayevna Kotova. They have two children. Their daughter, Valeria, was born in 1994. Their son, Dmitry, was born in 2002. Oleg's parents, Valeri and Elena Kotov, live in Moscow. Oleg enjoys hobbies like diving, using computers, and photography.
Education and Medical Career
Oleg Kotov finished high school in Moscow in 1982. He then went to the S. M. Kirov Military Medical Academy. He graduated from the academy in 1988.
After graduating, Kotov worked at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. He was a lead doctor there. He studied how space travel affects the human body. He also helped train astronauts and supported spacewalks. He is a certified scuba diver.
Becoming a Cosmonaut
In 1996, Oleg Kotov was chosen to become a cosmonaut. He completed his basic training for spaceflight by March 1998. After his training, he became a test-cosmonaut.
From 1998, he trained for missions to the ISS. He also worked as a CAPCOM (Capsule Communicator). This means he was the main person who talked to the astronauts in space from Mission Control.
Space Missions
Oleg Kotov has been on three long missions to the International Space Station.
Expedition 15
Kotov was a flight engineer for Expedition 15 to the ISS. He launched into space on April 7, 2007. He flew aboard the Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft. His crewmates were Fyodor Yurchikhin and space tourist Charles Simonyi.
On October 21, 2007, Kotov returned to Earth. He spent 196 days and 17 hours in space. The Soyuz capsule landed in Kazakhstan.
Expedition 22 and 23
Kotov commanded the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft. He was a flight engineer for Expedition 22. He then became the commander of Expedition 23 on the ISS.
On May 1, 2010, Kotov manually guided a cargo ship to the ISS. The Progress M-05M spacecraft had trouble docking. Kotov took control and successfully docked it. This was a difficult and important task.
Kotov returned to Earth on June 2, 2010. He landed safely in Kazakhstan.
Expedition 37 and 38
Kotov launched on Soyuz TMA-10M on September 25, 2013. He flew with Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryazansky and American astronaut Michael Hopkins. They joined Expedition 37 as flight engineers.
On November 7, 2013, the ISS had nine people living on board. This was the first time since 2009. Soon after, Kotov became the station commander for the second time.
Kotov and Ryazansky made history on November 9, 2013. They took an Olympic torch for a spacewalk. This was the first time an Olympic torch had been in space. Kotov returned to Earth on March 11, 2014. He had spent 166 days on the ISS.
Spacewalks
Oleg Kotov has performed six spacewalks during his career.
First Spacewalk
On May 30, 2007, Kotov began his first spacewalk. He was with Fyodor Yurchikhin. They installed protective panels on the ISS. These panels help shield the station from space debris. The spacewalk lasted 5 hours and 25 minutes.
Second Spacewalk
On June 6, 2007, Kotov performed his second spacewalk. He and Yurchikhin installed an Ethernet cable on the Zarya module. They also added more protection panels to the Zvezda module. They deployed a Russian science experiment. This spacewalk lasted 5 hours and 37 minutes.
Third Spacewalk
On January 14, 2010, Kotov went outside the ISS again. He was with Russian cosmonaut Maksim Surayev. They connected cables between different modules of the station. They also installed docking targets and handrails. This spacewalk lasted 5 hours and 44 minutes.
Olympic Torch Spacewalk
On November 9, 2013, Kotov performed his fourth spacewalk. He was with Sergey Ryazansky. They took the Olympic torch for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games outside the ISS. They also worked on installing equipment. This spacewalk lasted 5 hours and 50 minutes.
Fifth Spacewalk
On December 27, 2013, Kotov and Ryazansky performed another spacewalk. They tried to attach two cameras to the ISS. These cameras would send Earth views to people on the internet. However, the cameras did not work as planned. The cosmonauts had to bring them back inside.
They also removed an experiment package. They then attached a new experiment to monitor earthquakes. This spacewalk lasted 8 hours and 7 minutes. It set a new record for the longest Russian spacewalk.
Sixth Spacewalk
On January 27, 2014, Kotov performed his sixth spacewalk. He was again with Sergey Ryazansky. They completed some work that they could not finish on their last spacewalk. They installed a high-resolution camera. They also removed other equipment from the station's exterior. This spacewalk lasted 6 hours and 8 minutes.
Awards
Oleg Kotov has received several awards. He was given the Hero of the Russian Federation medal. He also received the Combat Heroism Russian Federation Armed Forces Medal.
See also
In Spanish: Oleg Kótov para niños
