Sergey Avdeev facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sergei Avdeyev
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| Born | 1 January 1956 Chapayevsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
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| Status | Retired |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Awards | Hero of the Russian Federation |
| Space career | |
| Roscosmos cosmonaut | |
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Time in space
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747d 14h 14m |
| Selection | 1987 |
| Missions | Soyuz TM-15 (Mir EO-12), Soyuz TM-22 (Mir EO-20), Soyuz TM-28/Soyuz TM-29 (Mir EO-26/27) |
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Mission insignia
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Sergei Vasilyevich Avdeyev (born January 1, 1956) is a famous Russian engineer and former cosmonaut. A cosmonaut is someone trained to travel and work in space. Sergei Avdeyev is known for spending a very long time living and working in space.
He once held the world record for the most time spent in space. He spent over 747 days, which is more than two years, orbiting Earth! During his space missions, he traveled about 515 million kilometers. That's like going around the Earth 11,968 times!
Sergei Avdeyev is married and has two children. He also enjoys amateur radio, which is a hobby where people talk to each other using radio signals. His special radio call sign is RV3DW.
Contents
Sergei Avdeyev's Early Life and Training
Sergei Avdeyev was born in a town called Chapayevsk in Russia. He studied at the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute and became an engineer who also understood a lot about physics.
From 1979 to 1987, he worked as an engineer for a company called NPO Energiya. This company builds spacecraft. In 1987, he was chosen to become a cosmonaut. He then spent about two years training to go to space. He officially retired as a cosmonaut in 2003.
How Space Travel Affects Time
Sergei Avdeyev once held a special record related to something called time dilation. This is a real effect from Einstein's theory of relativity. It means that time can pass slightly differently for people moving at very high speeds compared to people standing still.
While Sergei Avdeyev was on the Mir Space Station, he was moving very fast, about 27,360 kilometers per hour. Because of this, he aged about 0.02 seconds (or 20 milliseconds) slower than people on Earth. This might not sound like much, but it's a measurable difference! It's important to know that this is a scientific effect and not like "time travel" you might see in movies.
Another cosmonaut, Sergei K. Krikalev, later broke Avdeyev's record for total time in space. The current record holder is Oleg Kononenko.
Sergei Avdeyev's Space Missions
Sergei Avdeyev flew to space on three different missions. Each time, he spent many months living and working on the Mir Space Station.
- First Mission: Soyuz TM-15
* He was in space from July 27, 1992, to February 1, 1993. * This mission lasted for 188 days, 21 hours, and 41 minutes.
- Second Mission: Soyuz TM-22
* He flew from September 3, 1995, to February 29, 1996. * This trip lasted 179 days, 1 hour, and 41 minutes.
- Third Mission: Soyuz TM-28 and Soyuz TM-29
* This was his longest mission, from August 13, 1998, to August 28, 1999. * He spent an amazing 379 days, 14 hours, and 51 minutes in space!
Spacewalks by Sergei Avdeyev
During his time in space, Sergei Avdeyev performed 10 spacewalks. A spacewalk is when an astronaut leaves the spacecraft and floats in space, usually to do repairs or experiments. In total, he spent 42 hours and 2 minutes outside the Mir Space Station!
Here are some of his spacewalks:
- September 3, 1992: 3 hours, 56 minutes
- September 7, 1992: 5 hours, 8 minutes
- September 11, 1992: 5 hours, 44 minutes
- September 15, 1992: 3 hours, 33 minutes
- October 20, 1995: 5 hours, 11 minutes
- December 8, 1995: 0 hours, 37 minutes
- September 15, 1998: 0 hours, 30 minutes
- November 17, 1998: 5 hours, 54 minutes
- July 23, 1999: 6 hours, 7 minutes
- July 28, 1999: 5 hours, 22 minutes
Awards and Honors
Sergei Avdeyev has received many important awards for his bravery and achievements in space.
- Hero of the Russian Federation: This is one of the highest honors in Russia. He received it in 1993 for his first successful spaceflight.
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland: He received this award twice, in 1996 and 1999, for his courage during long space missions.
- Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration": This medal was given to him in 2011 for his great work in exploring space.
- Chevalier of the Legion of Honour: This is a very special award from France, which he received in 1999.
- Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation: He earned this title in 1993.
- He is also an Honorary Citizen of his hometown, Chapayevsk.
See also
- List of Heroes of the Russian Federation
- Spaceflight records
