Yuri Malenchenko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yuri Malenchenko
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Malenchenko in 2015
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Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko
December 22, 1961 Khrushchev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Svitlovodsk, Ukraine)
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| Status | Retired |
| Alma mater |
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| Occupation | Fighter pilot |
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| Space career | |
| Roscosmos cosmonaut | |
| Rank | Colonel, Russian Air Force |
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Time in space
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827 days, 9 hours, 20 minutes |
| Selection | TsPK-8 Cosmonaut Group (1987) |
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Total EVAs
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6 |
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Total EVA time
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34 hours, 52 minutes |
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Mission insignia
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Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko (Russian: Юрий Иванович Маленченко; born December 22, 1961) is a retired Russian cosmonaut. A cosmonaut is a person trained to travel in space. Yuri Malenchenko made history on August 10, 2003, when he became the first person to get married while in space. His wife, Ekaterina Dmitrieva, was in Texas, while he was orbiting the Earth on the International Space Station (ISS). As of December 2023, he ranks among the top cosmonauts for the total time spent in space. He has spent time on both the Mir space station and the ISS. He also served as a commander of the International Space Station.
Contents
About Yuri Malenchenko
Yuri Malenchenko was born in a place called Khrushchev, which is now known as Svitlovodsk, in Ukraine. He is married to Ekaterina Dmitrieva, and they have one child together.
His Education and Training
Yuri Malenchenko studied at the Kharkiv Military Aviation School and finished in 1983. Later, he went to the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy and graduated in 1993.
Awards and Honors
Yuri Malenchenko has received several important awards for his service. These include:
- The Hero of the Russian Federation medal, which is a very high honor in Russia.
- The National Hero of Kazakhstan medal.
- Various military awards for excellence and achievement.
- The Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR".
- Meritorious Service Medals from the United States.
Yuri Malenchenko's Cosmonaut Career
After finishing military aviation school, Yuri Malenchenko worked as a pilot from 1983 to 1987. In 1987, he was chosen to become a cosmonaut. He then began his training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
From 1987 to 1989, he completed his basic space training. After this, he was qualified as a test-cosmonaut. He continued with advanced training until 1993, preparing for his future space missions.
Spaceflight Missions
Yuri Malenchenko has been on many space missions. He has spent a lot of time living and working in space.
Soyuz TM-19 Mission
On July 1, 1994, Yuri Malenchenko launched into space aboard the Soyuz TM-19 spacecraft. He was the commander of this mission. Two days later, the Soyuz spacecraft docked with the Mir space station.
The main goal of this mission was to change the crew living on Mir. Malenchenko and his crewmates became the 16th team to live on the Mir station. During their time, they did medical and materials science experiments. They also faced some challenges, including a problem with a supply ship. Yuri Malenchenko successfully docked the Progress supply ship to Mir manually. This was a first! He spent 125 days, 22 hours, and 53 minutes in space on this mission.
STS-106 Mission
Yuri Malenchenko was a mission specialist on the STS-106 mission. The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched on September 8, 2000. It docked with the International Space Station (ISS) to deliver supplies. The crew also prepared the Zvezda Service Module for the arrival of the first permanent crew.
During this 12-day mission, the crew spent a week inside the ISS. They unloaded supplies from the shuttle and from another supply ship called Progress. The Atlantis landed on September 19, 2000. This mission lasted 11 days, 19 hours, and 12 minutes.
Expedition 7 Mission
On April 26, 2003, Yuri Malenchenko and astronaut Edward Lu launched to the ISS on the Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft. Malenchenko was the commander of the Soyuz. They docked with the ISS two days later.
After docking, they became the seventh crew to live on the space station, known as Expedition 7. During this mission, Yuri Malenchenko became the first person to get married while in space! The Soyuz TMA-2 returned to Earth on October 28, 2003. Yuri Malenchenko spent 184 days, 22 hours, and 46 minutes in space on this mission.
Expedition 16 Mission
Yuri Malenchenko launched again on October 10, 2007, with NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and Malaysian space traveler Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor. He commanded the Soyuz TMA-11 spacecraft. It docked with the ISS on October 12, 2007.
Malenchenko joined the Expedition 16 crew as a flight engineer. The Soyuz capsule landed in Kazakhstan on April 19, 2008. During the return, the Soyuz spacecraft had a problem and made a steeper-than-normal landing. This is called a ballistic reentry. Even though the landing was rough, the crew was recovered safely without injuries. On this mission, Yuri Malenchenko spent 191 days, 19 hours, and 8 minutes in space.
Expedition 46 and 47 Missions
Yuri Malenchenko arrived at the ISS on Soyuz TMA-19M to join the Expedition 46 crew. He had to perform a manual docking because the automatic system did not work. During his time on Expedition 46, two spacewalks were performed. He returned to Earth on June 18, 2016, after spending another 186 days in space.
Spacewalks
A spacewalk, also known as an Extravehicular Activity (EVA), is when an astronaut or cosmonaut leaves their spacecraft to work in space. Yuri Malenchenko has completed six spacewalks during his career.
First and Second Spacewalks
Yuri Malenchenko did his first two spacewalks during the Mir-16 mission in 1994. On September 9, 1994, he and Talgat Musabayev spent 5 hours and 6 minutes outside the Mir station. They worked to repair the station's outer insulation. Their second spacewalk was on September 14, 1994, and lasted 6 hours and 1 minute, continuing the repair work.
Third Spacewalk
His third spacewalk happened during the STS-106 mission to the ISS. On September 11, 2000, Malenchenko and NASA astronaut Ed Lu spent 6 hours and 14 minutes outside the Space Shuttle. They connected nine power, data, and communication cables between the Zvezda and Zarya modules. They also installed a magnetometer, which acts like a compass for the space station.
Fourth Spacewalk
On November 9, 2007, Yuri Malenchenko performed his fourth spacewalk. He and Expedition 16 commander Peggy Whitson left the station's Quest airlock. Their goal was to prepare for moving parts of the station, like the Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA-2) and the Harmony node. They disconnected cables and replaced an electrical box. This spacewalk lasted 6 hours and 55 minutes.
Fifth Spacewalk
On August 20, 2012, Malenchenko and cosmonaut Gennady Padalka completed his fifth spacewalk. They wore Orlan spacesuits for this 5-hour and 51-minute spacewalk. They moved a boom from one module to another and deployed a small satellite. They also retrieved old debris shields and installed them on a different module. They worked quickly and even completed extra tasks.
Images for kids
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Yuri Malenchenko in the Cupola module during Expedition 47.
See also
In Spanish: Yuri Malenchenko para niños
- List of Heroes of the Russian Federation
