Yuri Gidzenko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yuri Gidzenko
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| Born | March 26, 1962 Yelanets, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
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| Status | Retired |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Occupation | Pilot |
| Awards | Hero of the Russian Federation |
| Space career | |
| Roscosmos cosmonaut | |
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Time in space
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329d 22h 44min |
| Selection | 1987 |
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Total EVAs
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2 |
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Total EVA time
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3 hours 43 minutes |
| Missions | Soyuz TM-22 (Mir EO-20), Soyuz TM-31/STS-102 (Expedition 1), Soyuz TM-34/Soyuz TM-33 |
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Mission insignia
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Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko (Russian: Юрий Павлович Гидзенко; born March 26, 1962) is a Russian cosmonaut. He was a test cosmonaut at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Yuri Gidzenko has flown into space three times. He has lived on both the Mir space station and the International Space Station (ISS). He has also completed two spacewalks.
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Contents
About Yuri Gidzenko
Yuri Gidzenko was born on March 26, 1962. His hometown is Elanets, which is in Ukraine. At that time, Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union.
Yuri is married to Olga Vladimirovna Shapovalova. They have two sons named Sergei and Alexander. Sergei was born in 1986 and Alexander in 1988. Yuri's parents, Pavel and Galina Gidzenko, live in Ukraine.
Yuri enjoys many hobbies. These include playing football and swimming. He also likes reading books, taking photos, and walking in forests.
Education and Early Career
Yuri Gidzenko finished the Higher Military Pilot School in Kharkiv in 1983. Later, in 1994, he graduated from the Moscow State University of Geodesy and Cartography. There he studied geodesy (measuring Earth's shape) and cartography (map-making).
After pilot school, Yuri worked as a pilot in the Russian Air Force. He flew three different types of aircraft. He spent about 850 hours flying. He also taught others how to parachute. He has made 170 parachute jumps himself.
Cosmonaut Training
From December 1987 to June 1989, Yuri Gidzenko trained to become a test cosmonaut. He continued his advanced training after that.
He trained for space flights several times. From March to October 1994, he was a backup commander for a space mission. Then, from November 1994 to August 1995, he trained as the main commander for the Expedition 20 mission. This mission would go to the Mir space station.
Space Missions
Yuri Gidzenko has flown into space three times. He has spent a total of 329 days in space.
Mir EO-20 (Euromir 95)
Yuri Gidzenko was the commander of the Mir EO-20 mission. This mission was also called Euromir 95. He lived on the Mir space station from September 3, 1995, to February 29, 1996. He spent 179 days in space on this mission.
He launched on the Soyuz TM-22 spacecraft. It lifted off from the Baikonour launch site on September 3, 1995. After two days, the Soyuz spacecraft automatically connected with the Mir space station. Yuri and his crew became the 20th crew to live on Mir.
The crew worked on many science projects. They studied how being in microgravity (very low gravity) affects the human body. They also experimented with new materials in space. They collected samples of space dust and tested new space equipment. They also worked with the crew of the Space Shuttle mission STS-74.
During this mission, two unmanned cargo ships, Progress M-29 and Progress M-30, brought supplies to Mir. These ships delivered fuel, food, and equipment. Yuri Gidzenko returned to Earth on the Soyuz TM-22 capsule. He landed on February 29, 1996.
Expedition 1
From November 2000 to March 2001, Yuri Gidzenko was part of the first crew to live permanently on the International Space Station (ISS). This crew was called Expedition 1.
He launched with cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev and NASA astronaut William Shepherd. They lifted off on the Soyuz TM-31 spacecraft on October 31, 2000. Yuri was the commander of the Soyuz spacecraft. Two days later, the Soyuz connected with the ISS.
Yuri and his crewmates worked to set up the new space station. They turned on important life support systems. They also unpacked equipment, computers, and supplies. They hosted three visiting Space Shuttle crews. They also unloaded supplies from two Russian cargo ships.
In March 2001, the Expedition 1 crew returned to Earth. They landed on the Space Shuttle Discovery. Yuri spent 140 days in space on this mission.
Soyuz TM-34/Soyuz TM-33
Yuri Gidzenko launched on his third space mission on April 25, 2002. He was the commander of the Soyuz TM-34 spacecraft. With him were ESA astronaut Roberto Vittori and space tourist Mark Shuttleworth.
After two days, the Soyuz spacecraft connected with the ISS. On the ISS, Yuri and his crew worked with the Expedition 4 crew. They did educational and science activities. They also swapped out seat liners in the Soyuz spacecraft.
On May 5, Yuri Gidzenko returned to Earth. He landed on the Soyuz TM-33 spacecraft. On this mission, Yuri spent 9 days in space.
Spacewalks
Yuri Gidzenko has performed two spacewalks. Both of these spacewalks happened during his time on the Mir space station.
His first spacewalk was on December 8, 1995. He and cosmonaut Sergei Avdeyev worked outside the Mir station. They changed the docking unit at the front of Mir. This was to get ready for a new module called Priroda. The spacewalk lasted 37 minutes.
His second spacewalk was on February 8, 1996. He and ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter worked outside Mir. They moved a special maneuvering unit. They also collected science samples that had been left outside. They tried to fix an antenna but could not loosen the bolts. This spacewalk lasted 3 hours and 6 minutes.
Awards and Honors
Yuri Gidzenko has received many awards for his work as a cosmonaut.
- Hero of the Russian Federation (1996) – This is a very high honor for bravery in space.
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland; 3rd and 4th class – For his great work in space exploration.
- Order of Military Merit – For his service to the country in manned space flight.
- Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (2011) – For his achievements in space research.
- NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal (2003) – For his excellent public service.
- Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation (1996) – A title given to Russian cosmonauts.
See also
In Spanish: Yuri Guidzenko para niños
- List of Heroes of the Russian Federation
