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 |
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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 |
| Missions |
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Mission insignia
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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.
Contents
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
See also
In Spanish: Yuri Malenchenko para niños
- List of Heroes of the Russian Federation
