Yuri Romanenko facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Yuri Romanenko
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 1 August 1944 Orenburg Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
|
| Status | Retired |
| Nationality | Soviet/Russian |
| Occupation | Pilot |
| Awards | Hero of the Soviet Union (twice) Hero of the Republic of Cuba |
| Space career | |
| Cosmonaut | |
| Rank | Colonel, Soviet Air Force |
|
Time in space
|
430d 18h 21m |
| Selection | Air Force Group 5 |
| Missions | Salyut 6 EO-1 (Soyuz 26/Soyuz 27), Salyut 6 EP-8 (Soyuz 38), Mir EO-2 (Soyuz TM-2/Soyuz TM-3) |
| Retirement | 1988 |
Yuri Viktorovich Romanenko (born August 1, 1944) is a retired Soviet cosmonaut. A cosmonaut is a person trained to travel into space. He was honored twice as a Hero of the Soviet Union, which is a very high award.
Yuri Romanenko spent a total of 430 days, 20 hours, and 21 minutes in space. He also spent 18 hours doing space walks outside his spacecraft. In 1987, he lived on the Mir space station for 326 days. This was the longest time anyone had stayed in space at that point! His son, Roman Romanenko, also became a cosmonaut, following in his father's footsteps.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Yuri Romanenko was born on August 1, 1944, in a village called Koltubanovskiy in the Soviet Union. His father was a senior commander on military ships, and his mother was a combat medic. His family later moved to Kaliningrad, where he finished school in 1961.
As a student, Yuri enjoyed building model aircraft and ships. He also liked boxing, shooting, and underwater fishing. After school, he worked briefly as a locksmith and a builder. In 1962, he joined the Chernigov High Air Force School in Ukraine. He graduated with honors in 1966. After graduating, he stayed at the school, helping to train new students. He was chosen to be a cosmonaut in 1970, along with only 16 other people.
Amazing Space Missions
Yuri Romanenko flew on three important space missions.
First Space Flight: Soyuz 26
His first trip to space was on December 10, 1977. He flew on the Soyuz 26 spacecraft to the Salyut 6 space station. He was the flight commander, and Georgi Grechko was the engineer. They stayed in orbit for 96 days and 10 hours. During this mission, they met other spacecraft like Soyuz 27, Soyuz 28, and Progress 1. Yuri also performed a space walk that lasted about one and a half hours.
Second Space Flight: Soyuz 38
Yuri's second mission was on September 18, 1980. He flew on Soyuz 38 with Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez, who was the first Cuban cosmonaut. They traveled to the Salyut 6 station and returned to Earth seven days later. This flight was special because Méndez became the first person from a Spanish-speaking country and the first person of African descent to go to space.
Record-Breaking Stay: Mir EO-2
Yuri Romanenko's third and final flight began on February 6, 1987. He flew on Soyuz TM-2 with Aleksandr Laveykin to the Mir space station. During this mission, Yuri spent 326 days aboard Mir. This was the longest time anyone had ever stayed in space at that point! He also performed three space walks on April 11, June 11, and June 16, 1987. These space walks lasted a total of 8 hours and 48 minutes. He returned to Earth on December 29, 1987, aboard Soyuz TM-3.
Yuri Romanenko retired from space flights in 1988. He then became the director of the Buran program. This program was the Soviet Union's version of the Space Shuttle. The Buran spacecraft flew once in 1988 before the program was stopped in 1993.
A Close Call in Space
While working on the Salyut 6 station in 1977, Yuri Romanenko and Georgi Grechko had to do space walks. They needed to check for damage to the station. One time, they were both in their space suits in a special airlock. Yuri was getting ready for a space walk and pushed off the wall. He forgot to attach his safety cord! Luckily, Grechko quickly grabbed the cord, stopping Yuri from floating away. Even if Grechko hadn't grabbed him, other cables would have kept Yuri from leaving the station.
Awards and Honors
Yuri Romanenko received many awards for his bravery and service:
- Twice Hero of the Soviet Union (March 16, 1978 and September 26, 1980)
- Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR
- Three Orders of Lenin (1978, 1980 and 1987)
- Order of the Red Star (1976)
- Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (Russian Federation)
- Hero of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (1978)
- Hero of the Republic of Cuba (1980)
Personal Life and Hobbies
Yuri Romanenko has a half-brother named Vladimir and a sister named Olga. He is married and has two sons, Roman (born in 1971) and Artem (born in 1977). His son Roman followed in his footsteps and became a cosmonaut. He commanded the Soyuz TMA-15 mission.
Throughout his life, Yuri Romanenko loved underwater fishing and other water activities. While in space, he even started writing and singing his own songs! After his flight with Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez and his retirement, Yuri and his family were invited to Cuba. There, he met Fidel Castro, the leader of Cuba. Knowing Yuri loved hunting and underwater fishing, Castro organized a special trip. He even went freediving with Yuri to a depth of 10 meters!
Images for kids
-
Yuri Romanenko
See also
In Spanish: Yuri Romanenko para niños
