Oleg Yur'yevich At'kov (

Russian Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including: *Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...

: Оле́г Ю́рьевич Атько́в; born 9 May 1949) is a Russian cardiologist and former Soviet

cosmonaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...

. With a doctorate from the Russian Academy of Medical Science, Atkov was chosen to be the health specialist on board

Soyuz T-10 Soyuz T-10 was the fifth expedition to the Salyut 7 space station. It entered a darkened and empty station because of the loss of Soyuz T-10a. It was visited by the sixth and seventh expeditions. During the course of the cosmonauts stay, thr ...

and

Soyuz T-11 Soyuz T-11 was the sixth expedition to the Soviet Salyut 7 space station, which in 1984 carried the first Indian cosmonaut along with Soviet crew members. Salyut 7 was uncrewed after the undocking of Soyuz T-11 in October 1984 until Soyuz T-13 d ...

. After Atkov's rather long time in space, he returned to work at the Myasnikov Institute of Clinical Cardiology to continue his research on the adaptation of weightlessness and cardiology. With his published research and time in space, Atkov holds two of the USSR's highest honors; the

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

and the title of

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

. Atkov is a professor of medicine at the

Russian National Research Medical University Pirogov Russian National Research Medical University (formerly known as Russian State Medical University or RSMU) is a medical higher education institution in Moscow, Russia founded in 1906. It is fully accredited and recognized by Russia's Mini ...

and currently serves as the vice president of Russian Railways.

Early life

Oleg Yur'yevich Atkov was born May 9, 1949, in Khvorostyanka, the former USSR. In 1973, Atkov graduated from

I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University First Moscow State Medical University (MSMU, officially I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, informally Moscow Medical Academy or Sechenov University; russian: Первый Московский государственный � ...

. After his studies at the University, he worked on postgraduate training and received from the Russian Academy of Medical sciences his doctorate in cardiology. Upon receiving his doctorate, Atkov started as a research fellow at the Myasnikov Institute of Clinical Cardiology of the Academy of Sciences and soon became the senior research fellow. He gained some fame in his field when he discovered a method to diagnose cardiovascular diseases using ultrasound.

Cosmonaut career

Atkov is notable for his lengthy time in orbit, with a total flight time of 236 days, 22 hours, and 49 minutes. As a cardiologist, it was his duty to monitor the health of the other cosmonauts on board and to research the long term effects of zero gravity on the human body. In 1977, Oleg Atkov joined the training group of the Soviet cosmonauts. On September 3, 1983 Dr. Atkov was selected to be part of the AMN selection group along with

Ural Sultanov Ural may refer to: *Ural (region), in Russia and Kazakhstan *Ural Mountains, in Russia and Kazakhstan *Ural (river), in Russia and Kazakhstan *Ual (tool), a mortar tool used by the Bodo people of India *Ural Federal District, in Russia *Ural econo ...

and Magomed Tolboyev. On February 8, 1984 Atkov made a spaceward flight as a cosmonaut-researcher at the spaceship "Soyuz T-10V". Soyuz-T-10-3

In 1984, a space flight was performed on board the orbital complex Salyut-7-Soyuz-T. The crew consisted of Oleg Atkov (Cosmonaut Researcher), member

Leonid Kizim Leonid Denisovich Kizim (russian: Леонид Денисович Кизим; 5 August 1941 – 14 June 2010) was a Soviet cosmonaut. Biography Kizim was born in Krasnyi Lyman, Donetsk Oblast, Soviet Union (now Lyman, Ukraine). He graduated ...

(the commander), and Vladimir Solovyov (the Flight-Engineer). As the cardiologist, Atkov brought with him his own invention—a portable ultrasound cardiograph—which he would use to oversee the crew's health throughout their time in space. The initiative for this team was to continue a major medical task that would advance the study of the acute stage of adaptation to weightlessness,

phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (philosophy), a branch of philosophy which studies subjective experiences and a ...

, and mechanisms of changes in

hemodynamics Hemodynamics or haemodynamics are the dynamics of blood flow. The circulatory system is controlled by homeostatic mechanisms of autoregulation, just as hydraulic circuits are controlled by control systems. The hemodynamic response continuously m ...

, metabolism, and other functions. At the end of the

expedition, Atkov had estimated a total of 87 days spent on flight dedicated to medical work. When the three cosmonauts landed back on Earth they realized that they had become the new space endurance record holders, staying up in space over a month longer than

Soyuz T-5 Soyuz T-5 was a human spaceflight into Earth orbit to the then new Salyut 7 space station in 1982.

In-space research

While in flight, Dr. Atkov had the primary duty of researching the long term effects of space flight such as what happens to the body over the course of a year in zero gravity. Measurements were consecutively taken using echocardiographic and biochemical systems. In addition, studies were conducted on

vestibular The Vestibular (from pt, vestíbulo, "entrance hall") is a competitive examination and is the primary and widespread entrance system used by Brazilian universities to select the students admitted. The Vestibular usually takes place from Novem ...

and sensory organs. In order to avoid muscle deterioration and keep the crew members active, the cosmonauts exercised for an hour twice a day three days in a row, with an "active rest" day in between where they were encouraged to take water-salt supplements.

Post-cosmonaut career

When Atkov returned to Earth he ended his cosmonaut career by retiring on October 2, 1984. Atkov's decision led to the return to the Myasnikov Institute of Clinical Cardiology, where he became Head of Department of new diagnostic methods. Once he finished at the Myasnikov Institute, he soon became the Deputy-Director of the Department of Space Life Science at the International Space University in Strasbourg, France in 1989 to 1996. During most of his career, Atkov was dedicated to researching the importance of telemedicine. He has since written about 150 published articles and has done several monographs. In addition, Atkov has created 15 inventions and holds several patents. He has helped and supervised 30 candidates from Russia for the Doctor of Medical Science and five candidates for a master's degree in space studies at the International Space University. After Atkov's time in space, he decided to dedicate most of his work towards the Russian railways and cardiology. Atkov has now been a part of 15 projects that produced a new type of technology to help with cardiology research. He also holds several patents. One invention was a device for positioning cardiograph sensor. This invention had seven other cardiology specialist involved. The main objective was to create something that could hold and maneuver an echocardiograph and an electrocardiograph at the same time while not being in the way. Another notable invention was the Photogrammetrical plotting projector apparatus for radial nadir point triangulation. This invention was to make sure that a Photogrammetrical plotting projector could take what images it needs at the correct angles and explore now angles that images could be taken from. Atkov was not the leader of this project but he helped experiments and design.

Russian Railways

In 2000, Dr. Atkov became the President of the Russian Telemedicine Association. Two years after this, he would become the Head of the Health Department of the Ministry of Railways of Russian Federation (soon to be reformed to the JSC

Russian Railways Russian Railways (russian: link=no, ОАО «Российские железные дороги» (ОАО «РЖД»), OAO Rossiyskie zheleznye dorogi (OAO RZhD)) is a Russian fully state-owned vertically integrated railway company, both manag ...

) where he would promote and continue his work in telemedicine. In August 2005 he was promoted to be the Vice-President Russian Railways JSC while keeping his responsibility and focus in healthcare.

Current opinions

In a 2012 interview with 3 Eyes Observer, Dr. Atkov was questioned about the future of space exploration. He answered the question by saying that we need to focus on returning to the Moon, but with a different goal than the space race that occurred half a century prior. He told the interviewer that space exploration used to be two superpower nations, the United States and the Soviet Union, racing against each other. However space travel should now be more focused on establishing an international base on the surface of the Moon in order to create an "outpost for Universe observation and solar system observation." Additionally, he added that there should be a focus on reaching Mars as well, but that those two goals should be prepared in safe conditions because of the known hazards that will be found.

Medical research

Once Dr. Atkov returned from space, he participated in many research studies. These studies included coronary heart disease research, ''The Variations of

Intrathoracic The thoracic cavity (or chest cavity) is the chamber of the body of vertebrates that is protected by the thoracic wall (rib cage and associated skin, muscle, and fascia). The central compartment of the thoracic cavity is the mediastinum. There a ...

Amount of Blood as a Reason of

ECG Electrocardiography is the process of producing an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), a recording of the heart's electrical activity. It is an electrogram of the heart which is a graph of voltage versus time of the electrical activity of the hear ...

Voltage Changes,'' and several other projects.

Coronary heart disease research

Oleg Atkov, and other scientist conducted a research titled the Coronary heart disease diagnosis by

artificial neural network Artificial neural networks (ANNs), usually simply called neural networks (NNs) or neural nets, are computing systems inspired by the biological neural networks that constitute animal brains. An ANN is based on a collection of connected unit ...

s including

genetic polymorphism A gene is said to be polymorphic if more than one allele occupies that gene's locus within a population. In addition to having more than one allele at a specific locus, each allele must also occur in the population at a rate of at least 1% to gen ...

s and clinical parameters. The members of this research include Oleg Yu. Atkov, MD, PhDa, Svetlana G. Gorokhova, MD, PhDb, Alexandr G. Sboev, PhDc, Eduard V. Generozov, PhDd, Elena V. Muraseyeva, MD, PhDe, Svetlana Y. Moroshkinad, and Nadezhda N. Cherniyc.“The goal of this study was to develop an artificial neural networks-based diagnostic model for coronary heart disease using traditional and genetic factors of CHD (

Coronary heart disease Coronary artery disease (CAD), also called coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic heart disease (IHD), myocardial ischemia, or simply heart disease, involves the reduction of blood flow to the heart muscle due to build-up of atherosclerotic pla ...

). In summary, this study was used to create CHD diagnostic models with the appropriate analytical characteristics. These characteristics consisted of using MLP artificial neural networks. The best accuracy was provided in models that had both genetic and non-genetic factors associated with CHD. The models that had less that a 90% accuracy could potentially serve as a basis for development of software tools for diagnosis and predictors for CHD.

The effect of ECG Voltage Changes on Variations of Intrathoracic Amount of Blood

Oleg Atkov participated in a study titled ''The Variations of

Amount of Blood as a Reason of

Voltage Changes.'' Marina Saltykova Ph.D.1, Andre Capderou M.D., Ph.D.2, Oleg Atkov M.D.1, Victor Gusakov M.S.3, Gennagiy Konovalov M.S.3, Leonid Voronin M.D.3, Rustem Kaspranskiy M.D.3, Valeriy Morgun M.D.3, Olivier Bailliart M.D., Ph.D.4, Milan Cermack M.D.5 and Pierre Vaïda M.D.6 were the members of this team. “The main goal of the study was to estimate the influence of the variations of thoracic electroconduction, and heart volume on QRS voltage in humans due to gravity change.” The balance between changes of degree of short circuiting by changes in the amount of blood in

thorax The thorax or chest is a part of the anatomy of humans, mammals, and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen. In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main divisions of the cre ...

and the changes of distance between heart and

electrode An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit (e.g. a semiconductor, an electrolyte, a vacuum or air). Electrodes are essential parts of batteries that can consist of a variety of materials de ...

s as a result of position, form, and volume of the heart are what influence the steadiness.

Atkov's inventions

After Atkov's time in space, he dedicated most of his work towards the Russian railways and cardiology. Within the cardiology field, Atkov has been a part of 15 major projects that has helped advance the types of technology in cardiology research. He also holds several patents for inventions he produced or helped develop. One of his major inventions was a device for positioning a cardiograph sensor. This invention had seven other cardiology specialist involved. The main objective was to create something that could hold and maneuver an Echocardiograph and an Electrocardiograph at the same time while not being in the way of physicians. This device has paved the way towards greater and more advanced technology for better ultrasound techniques. Another notable invention was the Photogrammetrical plotting projector apparatus for radial nadir point triangulation. This invention was to make sure that a Photogrammetrical plotting projector could take what images it needs at the correct angles and explore new angles that images could be taken from. This device helped physicians and patients take difficult images that may not have been possible before. Attkov was not the patent holder for this device but he was the head for the design and prototype. Atkov has been a part of many other cardiology technology developments but most were small or did not impact the cardiology field as much as the device for positioning a cardiograph sensor or the Photogrammetrical plotting projector apparatus for radial nadir point triangulation.

Honours and awards

* Title of

Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR The honorary title Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR (russian: Летчик-космонавт СССР) was a state award of the Soviet Union presented to all cosmonauts who flew for the Soviet Space Agency. Usually accompanying the distinction w ...

Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" The Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (russian: Медаль "За заслуги в освоении космоса") is a state decoration of the Russian Federation aimed at recognising achievements in the space program. It was established ...

(Russian Federation) *

State Prize of the USSR The USSR State Prize (russian: links=no, Государственная премия СССР, Gosudarstvennaya premiya SSSR) was the Soviet Union's state honor. It was established on 9 September 1966. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, t ...

Lenin Komsomol Prize Lenin Komsomol Prize () was a Soviet annual award for the best works in science, engineering, literature or art carried out by young authors of age not exceeding 33 years. Komsomol was the abbreviated name of The Communist Union of Youth (Russia ...

* Honoured Scientist of Russian Federation *

Kirti Chakra The Kirti Chakra is an Indian military decoration awarded for valour, courageous action or self-sacrifice away from the field of battle. It may be awarded to civilians as well as military personnel, including posthumous awards. It is the ''pe ...

(India)

Bibliography

1. "Oleg J. Atkov, Moscow/RU." European Society of Radiology. European Society of Radiology, 2014. Web. https://www.myesr.org/cms/website.php?id=/en/about_esr_ecr/about_esr_-_european_society_of_radiology/honours/honorary_lecturers/oleg_j_atkov_moscow_ru.htm> 2. "Atkov." Cosmonaut Biography: Oleg. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/cosmonauts/english/atkov_oleg.htm 3. "Encyclopedia Astronautica Atkov." Atkov. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20131108161413/http://astronautix.com/astros/atkov.htm 5. "Oleg Jurjewitsch Atkov." Oleg Jurjewitsch Atkov. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. http://ysa.meduniwien.ac.at/phd-symposium/previous-phd-symposia/phd-symposium-2015/keynote-speakers-2015/oleg-jurjewitsch-atkov/>. 6. "Oleg Atkov, Secretary General of the WPF "Dialogue of Civilizations"" World Public Forum – Dialogue of Civilizations. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016.http://wpfdc.org/about-us/about/128-management-and-headquarters/18511-oleg-atkov-secretary-general-of-the-wpf-dialogue-of-civilizations 7. "The Story of Space Station Mir." Google Books. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. https://books.google.com/books?id=sBdUh8WqEfYC&pg=PA122&lpg=PA122&dq=oleg%2Batkov&source=bl&ots=T2CIJhwh-P&sig=eXj21FHAJTcgX-9rtWI8HUTF2Fs&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjvmtb4n6LLAhUERSYKHZ3dBa04FBDoAQgkMAI#v=onepage&q=oleg%20atkov&f=false>. 8. Evans, Ben. Tragedy and Triumph in Orbit: The Eighties and Early Nineties. New York: Springer, 2012. Print. https://books.google.com/books?id=k_uZiCp5icUC&pg=PP1&lpg=PP1&dq=Tragedy+and+Triumph+in+Orbit:+The+Eighties+and+Early+Nineties&source=bl&ots=y4HaRPYwbA&sig=R1xBsLTZkTNlmZDR6OirDyJwDDQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwinksz2xcrLAhVK2B4KHcnuDp4Q6AEIMTAD#v=onepage&q=Tragedy%20and%20Triumph%20in%20Orbit%3A%20The%20Eighties%20and%20Early%20Nineties&f=false 9. Pultarová, Tereza. "We Should Return to the Moon Says Oleg Atkov (Interview)." 3 Eyes Observer. N.p., 5 Mar. 2012. Web. . 11. "Result Filters." National Center for Biotechnology Information. U.S. National Library of Medicine, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2016. 12. "Praxis Manned Spaceflight Log 1961-2006." ''Google Books''. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2016. https://books.google.com/books?id=YbYDn1Spf9oC&pg=PA287&lpg=PA287&dq=Oleg+atkov&source=bl&ots=hfQd__jw-G&sig=RKT6z2m6nnvj25poQKAignIrCGc&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwihrI292_jLAhWK7CYKHdbuA8E4FBDoAQgqMAM#v=onepage&q=Oleg%20atkov&f=false

References

External links

*
Scottish Space Explorers
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkov, Oleg 1949 births Living people People from Samara Oblast Soviet cosmonauts Heroes of the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" Recipients of the USSR State Prize Recipients of the Lenin Komsomol Prize Salyut program cosmonauts Russian National Research Medical University academic personnel