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Yuri Malenchenko facts for kids

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Yuri Malenchenko
Malenchenko (portrait crop).jpg
Malenchenko in 2015
Born
Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko

(1961-12-22) December 22, 1961 (age 63)
Khrushchev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Svitlovodsk, Ukraine)
Status Retired
Alma mater
  • Kharkiv Military Aviation School
  • Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy
Occupation Fighter pilot
Awards Золотая звезда Героя России.svg Hero of Kazakhstan
Space career
Roscosmos cosmonaut
Rank Colonel, Russian Air Force
Time in space
827 days, 9 hours, 20 minutes
Selection TsPK-8 Cosmonaut Group (1987)
Total EVAs
6
Total EVA time
34 hours, 52 minutes
Missions
  • Soyuz TM-19 (Mir EO-16)
  • STS-106
  • Soyuz TMA-2 (Expedition 7)
  • Soyuz TMA-11 (Expedition 16)
  • Soyuz TMA-05M (Expedition 32/33)
  • Soyuz TMA-19M (Expedition 46/47)
Mission insignia
Soyuz TM-19 patch.png Mir EO-16 patch.png Sts-106-patch.svg Soyuz TMA-2 Patch.png Expedition 7 insignia.svg ISS Expedition 16 Patch.svg ISS Expedition 32 Patch.svg ISS Expedition 33 Patch.svg ISS Expedition 46 Patch.svg ISS Expedition 47 Patch.svg

Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko (Russian: Юрий Иванович Маленченко) is a retired Russian cosmonaut. He was born on December 22, 1961. Malenchenko made history by becoming the first person to get married in space. This special event happened on August 10, 2003. He married Ekaterina Dmitrieva, who was in Texas, while he was orbiting the Earth on the International Space Station (ISS). As of December 2023, Malenchenko holds the record for the third most time spent in space during his career. He spent this time on both the Mir space station and the ISS. He also served as a commander of the International Space Station.

About Yuri Malenchenko

Yuri Malenchenko was born in Khrushchev, which is now called Svitlovodsk, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. He is married to Ekaterina Dmitrieva, and they have one child together.

Yuri's Education and Training

Malenchenko completed his studies at the Kharkiv Military Aviation School in 1983. Later, he attended the Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, graduating in 1993.

Awards and Honors

Yuri Malenchenko has received many important awards for his service. These include:

  • Hero of the Russian Federation
  • The National Hero of Kazakhstan medal
  • Military award of excellence
  • Commendation medal
  • Achievement medal
  • Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
  • Meritorious Service Medals (1st, 2nd, and 3rd class)

Becoming a Cosmonaut

After finishing Military Aviation School, Yuri Malenchenko worked as a pilot from 1983 to 1987. He flew different types of aircraft in the Odessa Region. In 1987, he was chosen to become a cosmonaut. He then went to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

From December 1987 to June 1989, Malenchenko went through basic space training. After this, he was officially qualified as a test-cosmonaut. He continued his advanced training for spaceflight until December 1993. He also trained as a commander for backup crews for the Mir space station missions.

Yuri's Space Missions

Soyuz TM-19 Mission

YMalenchenko Expedition7
Yuri Malenchenko, Expedition 7 commander inside the Zvezda Module of the ISS.

On July 1, 1994, Malenchenko and Talgat Musabayev launched into space aboard the Soyuz TM-19 spacecraft. Malenchenko was the commander of this mission. After flying for two days, the Soyuz spacecraft docked with the Mir space station on July 3, 1994. The main goal was to change some of the crew members living on Mir.

Malenchenko, Musabayev, and cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov became the 16th crew to live on Mir. Malenchenko was their commander. They performed medical tests and experiments with materials. The mission had some challenges, but Malenchenko successfully performed the first manual docking of a Progress supply ship to Mir. On November 4, 1994, Malenchenko, Musabayev, and Ulf Merbold returned to Earth. They landed near Arkalyk. Yuri Malenchenko spent 125 days, 22 hours, and 53 minutes in space during this mission.

STS-106 Mission

YMalenchenko Expedition16
Yuri Malenchenko, Expedition 16 Flight Engineer inside the Zvezda Module of the ISS.

Malenchenko was a mission specialist for the STS-106 flight. The Space Shuttle Atlantis launched from the Kennedy Space Center on September 8, 2000. On the second day, Atlantis successfully connected with the ISS. The mission's goals were to deliver supplies to the ISS and prepare the Zvezda Service Module for the arrival of the first long-term crew.

During the 12-day mission, the shuttle crew spent a week inside the ISS. They unloaded supplies from a cargo module in Atlantis and from a Progress M1-3 spacecraft. Atlantis landed on September 19, 2000. The mission lasted 11 days, 19 hours, and 12 minutes.

Expedition 7 Mission

Malenchenko and astronaut Edward Lu launched to the ISS on the Soyuz TMA-2 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on April 26, 2003. The spacecraft docked with the ISS on April 28, 2003. Malenchenko was the commander of the Soyuz. After docking, they became the seventh crew to live on the station, known as Expedition 7.

During his time as commander of Expedition 7, Malenchenko became the first person to get married while in space. The Soyuz TMA-2 returned to Earth on October 28, carrying the Expedition 7 crew and Pedro Duque. They landed near Arkalyk. Malenchenko spent 184 days, 22 hours, and 46 minutes in space during this mission.

Expedition 16 Mission

Malenchenko, NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, and Malaysian space traveler Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor launched into space on October 10, 2007. They flew on Soyuz TMA-11 from the Baikonour Cosmodrome. Malenchenko was the Soyuz commander. The Soyuz spacecraft docked with the ISS on October 12, 2007.

Malenchenko joined the ISS Expedition 16 crew as a flight engineer. The Soyuz capsule landed in Kazakhstan on April 19, 2008. It brought back Malenchenko, Whitson, and South Korean space traveler Yi So-Yeon. The Soyuz TMA-11 had a steeper-than-normal reentry due to a problem. It landed far from the planned spot, but the crew was recovered safely.

He spent 191 days, 19 hours, and 8 minutes in space during the Soyuz TMA-11 and ISS Expedition 16 missions.

Expedition 46/47 Mission

Soyuz TMA-19M crew in front of their spacecraft
The Soyuz TMA-19M crew during a fit check

Malenchenko arrived at the ISS on Soyuz TMA-19M to join the Expedition 46 crew. He had to dock the spacecraft manually because the automatic docking system had a problem. He returned to Earth on Soyuz TMA-19M on June 18, 2016. He spent an additional 186 days in space during this mission.

Spacewalks: Working Outside the Station

YMalenchenko EVA1
Expedition 16 flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko participates in a spacewalk.

Yuri Malenchenko has performed several spacewalks, which are times when astronauts or cosmonauts leave the spacecraft to work in space.

He did his first two spacewalks during the Mir-16 mission. On September 9, 1994, and September 14, 1994, he and Musabayev went outside the Mir station. They worked to repair the station's outer insulation. The first spacewalk lasted 5 hours and 6 minutes, and the second lasted 6 hours and 1 minute.

Malenchenko's third spacewalk was during the STS-106 mission to the ISS. On September 11, he and NASA astronaut Ed Lu spent 6 hours and 14 minutes outside the 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. This was an important spacewalk for building the ISS.

ISS-32 Russian EVA12
Expedition 32 flight engineer Malenchenko participates in a spacewalk on 20 August 2012.

On November 9, 2007, Malenchenko performed his fourth spacewalk. He and Expedition 16 commander, Peggy Whitson, went outside the station from the Quest airlock. They prepared for moving parts of the station, like the Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA-2) and the Harmony node. They disconnected cables, replaced an electrical box, and removed a cover. This spacewalk lasted 6 hours and 55 minutes.

On August 20, 2012, Malenchenko and cosmonaut Gennady Padalka took part in his fifth spacewalk. They moved equipment, installed new parts, and retrieved items. Malenchenko wore an Orlan spacesuit with a blue stripe. The spacewalk lasted 5 hours and 51 minutes. They moved a boom, deployed a small satellite, and retrieved shields. They also installed support struts. This was a very successful spacewalk.

ISS-47 Yuri Malenchenko with camera in the Cupola module
Yuri Malenchenko in the Cupola module during Expedition 47.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Yuri Malenchenko para niños

  • List of Heroes of the Russian Federation
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