Yelena Serova facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yelena Serova
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Елена Серова
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Serova in 2014 in front of Soyuz TMA-14M
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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 | Nikita Chaplin |
| Constituency | Kolomna (No. 119) |
| Personal details | |
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Yelena Olegovna Kuznetsova
22 April 1976 Vozdvizhenka, Russian SFSR, USSR |
| Political party | United Russia |
| Spouse | Mark Serov |
| Children | 1 (daughter) |
| Education | Moscow Aviation Institute |
| Occupation | Politician Engineer |
| Space career | |
| Roscosmos cosmonaut | |
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Time in space
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167d 05h 42m |
| Selection | 2006 RKKE group |
| Missions | Soyuz TMA-14M (Expedition 41/42) |
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Mission insignia
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| Retirement | 23 September 2016 |
Yelena Olegovna Serova (Russian: Елена Олеговна Серова; née Kuznetsova [Кузнецова]; born 22 April 1976) is a Russian politician and a former cosmonaut. A cosmonaut is a person trained to travel in a spacecraft. She was a Deputy in the State Duma of Russian Federation from 2016 to 2021. The State Duma is like the main law-making body in Russia.
Before becoming a politician, she was a cosmonaut for Roscosmos, Russia's space agency. She was chosen in 2006. Yelena flew one long mission to the International Space Station (ISS) between 2014 and 2015. She then retired from being a cosmonaut in 2016.
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Yelena Serova's Early Life and Education
Yelena Serova was born Yelena Olegovna Kuznetsova in Vozdvizhenka. This village is part of the city of Ussuriysk in far eastern Russia. She lived in Vozdvizhenka until 1988.
Yelena moved to Germany because her father, who was in the military, was transferred there. Later, she came to Moscow. She met her future husband, Mark, at the Moscow Aviation Institute.
In March 2001, Serova finished her studies at the Moscow Aviation Institute. She earned a degree in engineering from the Aerospace Faculty. In 2003, she also graduated as an economist from the Moscow State Academy of Instrument Engineering and Information.
Before becoming a cosmonaut, Serova worked as an engineer. She worked for RSC Energia, a big space company. She also worked at the Mission Control Center, which helps guide spacecraft.
Becoming a Cosmonaut
Yelena Serova was chosen to be a test cosmonaut in October 2006. She was 30 years old at the time. She was part of the RKKE-14 group.
She completed her basic training at Star City in 2009. Star City is a special place where cosmonauts train for space missions.
Her Space Mission: Expedition 41/42
In late 2011, the head of the Russian Space Agency, Vladimir Popovkin, announced that Serova would fly to the International Space Station. She was expected to spend up to six months in space. During her mission, she would do experiments in biophysics and medicine.
On 25 September 2014, she launched into space aboard the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft. She served as a flight engineer for Expedition 41 and 42.
Yelena Serova became the fourth female cosmonaut from Russia to travel to space. The three women before her were Valentina Tereshkova (in 1963), Svetlana Savitskaya (in 1982 and 1984), and Yelena Kondakova (in 1994 and 1997).
The Soyuz FG rocket carried Yelena Serova, commander Aleksandr Samokutyayev, and NASA astronaut Barry Wilmore. It launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome at 8:25 PM UTC. Nine minutes after launch, the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft separated from the rocket. It then headed for orbit.
One of the two solar panels on the spacecraft did not open fully. However, the spacecraft still successfully connected with the Space Station. This happened about six hours later, at 1:12 AM UTC on 26 September. After safety checks, the hatch opened, and the crew entered the Space Station. On 11 March 2015, the crew safely returned to Earth. Yelena had spent 167 days in space.
Her Political Career
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In 2016, Yelena Serova was elected to the State Duma. She was part of the United Russia political party. After her election, she left the cosmonaut team.
In July 2019, Serova spoke at a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly. She mentioned that from the International Space Station, she and other astronauts could see explosions in certain areas. Another cosmonaut, Yuri Baturin, later said that it would be very difficult to see such events from the ISS without special equipment. The ISS orbits Earth at a height of about 411 to 430 kilometers.
In July 2017, Yelena Serova was a vice chairperson at a meeting. This meeting discussed a new law about protecting animals.
Personal Life
Yelena Serova is married to another cosmonaut, Mark Serov. Mark was chosen as a cosmonaut in 2003. However, he retired before he flew any missions. Yelena and Mark have one daughter.
Yelena Serova was one of five cosmonauts chosen to raise the Russian flag. This happened at the 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Sochi. She enjoys flying and studying economics.
See also
In Spanish: Elena Serova para niños
- List of female Heroes of the Russian Federation
- List of female spacefarers
