Oleg Dmitriyevich Kononenko (russian: Олег Дмитриевич Кононенко; ; born 21 June 1964 in
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
) is a Russian cosmonaut from the Turkmen SSR.
He has flown to the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
four times, as a flight engineer for
Expedition 17 aboard
Soyuz TMA-12
Soyuz TMA-12 was a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS) which was launched by a Soyuz FG rocket at 11:16 UTC on 8 April 2008. It docked to the Pirs module of the station on 10 April 2008. Landing occurred at 03:37 on 24 October ...
, as a flight engineer on
Expedition 30
Expedition 30 was the 30th long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The expedition's first three crew members – Dan Burbank, Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoli Ivanishin – arrived on the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-22 on 16 ...
and commander of
Expedition 31
Expedition 31 was the 31st long-duration expedition to the International Space Station (ISS). It began on 27 April 2012 with the departure from the ISS of the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft, which returned the Expedition 30 crew to Earth. The expeditio ...
aboard
Soyuz TMA-03M
Soyuz TMA-03M was a spaceflight to the International Space Station (ISS). It launched on 21 December 2011 from Site One at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, carrying three members of Expedition 30 to the ISS. TMA-03M was the 112th flight of ...
, as a flight engineer on
Expedition 44
Expedition 44 was the 44th expedition to the International Space Station. It commenced with the departure of Soyuz TMA-15M from the ISS with the Expedition 42/ 43 crew on 11 June 2015, and ended with the departure of Soyuz TMA-16M on 11 September ...
and
Expedition 45
Expedition 45 was the 45th expedition to the International Space Station. Scott Kelly and Mikhail Korniyenko transferred from Expedition 44 as part of their year-long stay aboard the ISS. Expedition 45 began with the arrival of Soyuz TMA-18M at ...
aboard
Soyuz TMA-17M
Soyuz TMA-17M was a 2015 flight to the International Space Station. It transported three members of the Expedition 44 crew to the International Space Station. TMA-17M was the 126th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft; the first having occurred in 1967. T ...
, and as commander of
Expedition 58
Expedition 58 was the 58th expedition to the International Space Station, which began on December 20, 2018 with the departure of the Expedition 57 crew. It was commanded by cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, with astronauts Anne McClain and David Saint-Ja ...
and
Expedition 59 aboard
Soyuz MS-11
Soyuz MS-11 was a Soyuz spaceflight that launched on 3 December 2018, marking the 100th orbital launch of the year. Originally scheduled for 20 December, the launch date was advanced to 3 December following the failure of Soyuz MS-10. MS-11 was ...
. Kononenko accumulated over 736 days in orbit during his four long duration flights to ISS.
Early life and career
Oleg Kononenko was born on 21 June 1964 in
Chardzhou,
Turkmen SSR
Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to:
Peoples Historical ethnonym
* Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages
Ethnic groups
* Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish des ...
(now
Türkmenabat
Türkmenabat ( tk, Türkmenabat, Түркменабат), formerly and since medieval times Chardzhou, (russian: Чарджоу, ''Chardzhou''; tk, Çärjew, links=no, ) ( fa, چهارجوی 'čahârjuy', meaning 'four brooks') and in ancient ti ...
,
Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
) to a simple family. His father Dmitry Ivanovich Kononenko worked as a driver in a freight trucking company, and his mother Taisiya Stepanovna Churakova was a communications operator at the
Türkmenabat Airport. Kononenko graduated from high school No. 15 of Turkmenabat city, where he received excellent marks in the subject of the
Turkmen language
Turkmen (, , , or , , , ), sometimes referred to as "Turkmen Turkic" or "Turkmen Turkish", is a Turkic language spoken by the Turkmens of Central Asia, mainly of Turkmenistan, Iran, and Afghanistan. It has an estimated 5 million native speake ...
.
[Биография космонавта МКС, уроженца Туркменистана - Олега Дмитриевича Кононенко](_blank)
/ref>
Education
After school, Oleg Kononenko was not able to enter the Kharkov Aviation Institute the first time. He returned home, worked for a year in the tool shop of the Türkmenabat Airport aviation technical base. The second attempt was successful. Kononenko graduated from the N. E. Zhukovskiy Kharkiv Aviation Institute
Kharkiv ( uk, Ха́рків, ), also known as Kharkov (russian: Харькoв, ), is the second-largest city and municipality in Ukraine. in 1988 as a mechanical engineer
Mechanical may refer to:
Machine
* Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement
* Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...
.
Experience
After graduation, Kononenko worked at the Russian Space Agency's Central Specialized Design Bureau TsSKB-Progress
The Progress Rocket Space Centre (russian: Ракетно-космический центр «Прогресс»), formerly known as TsSKB-Progress (russian: ЦСКБ-Прогресс), is a Russian joint-stock company under the jurisdiction ...
in Kuybishev, starting as an engineer and working his way up to the leading design engineer. His responsibilities included system design, analysis, and development of spacecraft electrical power systems.
Cosmonaut career
On 29 March 1996, Oleg was selected as a cosmonaut candidate by the Interagency Committee, and from June 1996 to March 1998, he underwent cosmonaut training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
The Yuri A. Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC; Russian: Центр подготовки космонавтов имени Ю. А. Гагарина) is a Russian training facility responsible for train ...
and on 20 March 1998, was awarded the title of test cosmonaut by the Interagency Qualification Committee. In October 1998 he began training as part of the group of cosmonauts selected for the International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
(ISS) Program.
From December 2001 through April 2002, Kononenko trained as a backup flight engineer for the Soyuz TM-34
Soyuz TM-34 was the fourth Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Soyuz TM-34 was launched by a Soyuz-U launch vehicle.
Crew
Docking with ISS
*Docked to ISS: April 27, 2002, 07:55 UTC (to nadir port of Zarya)
*Undocked fr ...
vehicle for the third ISS visiting crew. From March 2002, through February 2004, he trained as the flight engineer for the Soyuz TMA vehicle and the Expedition 9
Expedition 9 (2004) was the ninth expedition to the International Space Station (21 April 2004 - 23 October 2004).
Crew
Planned crew before ''Columbia'' disaster
Mission parameters
*Perigee: 384 km
*Apogee: 396 km
*Inclination: ...
and Expedition 11
Expedition 11 (2005) was the 11th expedition to the International Space Station, using the Soyuz TMA-6, which stayed during the expedition for emergency evacuation.
European Space Agency Italian Astronaut Roberto Vittori launched with Expediti ...
primary crews. From March 2004 through March 2006, he trained as part of the group of cosmonauts selected for the ISS Program. In March 2006, Kononenko began training as a flight engineer for the Soyuz TMA-12 vehicle and the Expedition 17 crew.
Expedition 17
Kononenko was a Flight Engineer on both the Expedition 17 mission to the International Space Station, and the Soyuz TMA-12
Soyuz TMA-12 was a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS) which was launched by a Soyuz FG rocket at 11:16 UTC on 8 April 2008. It docked to the Pirs module of the station on 10 April 2008. Landing occurred at 03:37 on 24 October ...
mission that flew him there. The crew launched on 8 April 2008, and landed on 24 October 2008. Kononenko spent 199 days in space.
Kononenko returned to Earth with Expedition 17 commander Sergei Volkov, and spaceflight participant
Spaceflight participant (russian: участник космического полета, translit=uchastnik kosmicheskogo polyota) is the term used by NASA, Roscosmos, and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for people who travel into space, ...
Richard Garriott
Richard Allen Garriott de Cayeux (''né'' Garriott; born July 4, 1961) is an American video game developer, entrepreneur and private astronaut. Although both his parents were American, he maintains dual British and American citizenship by birth. ...
(who launched aboard Soyuz TMA-13
Soyuz TMA-13 (russian: Союз ТМА-13, ''Union TMA-13'') was a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft was launched by a Soyuz-FG rocket at 07:01 GMT on 12 October 2008. It undocked at 02:55 GMT on 8 April 20 ...
to the ISS on 12 October 2008 with the Expedition 18
Expedition 18 was the 18th permanent crew of the International Space Station (ISS).
The first two crew members, Michael Fincke, and Yuri Lonchakov were launched on 12 October 2008, aboard Soyuz TMA-13. With them was astronaut Sandra Magnus, who ...
crew). They landed at 11:37 p.m EDT 55 miles north of Arkalyk
Arkalyk ( kz, Arqalyq; cyrl, Арқалық, russian: Аркалык) is a city in Kostanay Region, northern Kazakhstan. Earlier, it was the centre of Torgay Region, which was abolished in 1997. Today, it is the administrative centre of Torgay D ...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
. They were flown to the Baikonur Cosmodrome by helicopter, and then went on to Zvezdny Gorodok (Star City), Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
.
Expedition 30/31
On 21 December 2011, Kononenko, along with André Kuipers
André Kuipers (; born 5 October 1958) is a Dutch physician and ESA astronaut. He became the second Dutch citizen, third Dutch-born and fifth Dutch-speaking astronaut upon launch of Soyuz TMA-4 on 19 April 2004. Kuipers returned to Earth abo ...
and Donald Pettit
Donald Roy Pettit (born April 20, 1955) is an American astronaut and chemical engineer. He is a veteran of two long-duration stays aboard the International Space Station, one Space Shuttle mission and a six-week expedition to find meteorites in ...
, launched to the International Space Station to join the crew of Expedition 30
Expedition 30 was the 30th long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The expedition's first three crew members – Dan Burbank, Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoli Ivanishin – arrived on the ISS aboard Soyuz TMA-22 on 16 ...
. He, along with his fellow crewmembers, arrived at the space station on December 23. They returned to Earth on 1 July 2012.
Spacewalks
Kononenko conducted his first spacewalk on 10 July 2008 when he ventured into space from the ''Pirs'' docking compartment airlock of the ISS. He and cosmonaut Volkov inspected their Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft and retrieved a pyro bolt from it. This spacewalk lasted 6 hours and 18 minutes.
On 15 July 2008 Kononenko again went outside from ''Pirs'' to conduct his second spacewalk. Kononenko and Volkov installed one experiment and retrieved another. They also continued to outfit the station's exterior, including the installation of a docking target on the ''Zvezda'' service module. The spacewalk was in Russian Orlan suits
image:iss022e023623.jpg, 270px, Cosmonaut Maksim Surayev next to two Orlan-MK models on the International Space Station
image:Sharipov one.jpg, 270px, Cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov, next to the Orlan-M spacesuit.
The Orlan space suit (russian: Ор ...
and Kononenko wore an Orlan suit with blue stripes. The spacewalk lasted 5 hours and 54 minutes.
On 12 February 2012, Kononenko and colleague cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov
Anton Nikolaevich Shkaplerov (russian: Антон Николаевич Шкаплеров; born 20 February 1972) is a Russian cosmonaut. He is a veteran of four spaceflights.
Personal life
Shkaplerov is married to Tatyana Petrovna, and they ...
were scheduled to conduct a six-hour spacewalk outside the ISS. They installed shields on the Zvezda Service Module to protect it from micrometeoroid orbital debris and moved the Strela 1 crane from the Pirs docking compartment to the Poisk Mini Research Module (MRM-2). The two cosmonauts also installed struts on a ladder used by spacewalkers on the Pirs Docking Compartment. As another get-ahead task, they also installed an experiment called Vynoslivost on the Poisk Mini Research Module. As part of the Vynoslivost or "Endurance" experiment, two trays of metal samples would be left exposed on the surface of the Poisk Module.
Expedition 44/45
On 22 July 2015, Kononenko launched to the International Space Station as Soyuz Commander, together with NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren
Kjell Norwood Lindgren (born January 23, 1973) is an American astronaut who was selected in June 2009 as a member of the NASA Astronaut Group 20. He launched to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of Expedition 44/ 45 on July 22, 201 ...
and Kimiya Yui
is a Japanese astronaut from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). He was selected for the agency in 2009.
Biography
Yui, from Nagano Prefecture, enrolled in the Japan Air Self-Defense Force after he graduated from the National Defense ...
from the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on Soyuz-TMA-17M. They spent 5 months on the International Space Station as members of the Expedition 44
Expedition 44 was the 44th expedition to the International Space Station. It commenced with the departure of Soyuz TMA-15M from the ISS with the Expedition 42/ 43 crew on 11 June 2015, and ended with the departure of Soyuz TMA-16M on 11 September ...
and Expedition 45
Expedition 45 was the 45th expedition to the International Space Station. Scott Kelly and Mikhail Korniyenko transferred from Expedition 44 as part of their year-long stay aboard the ISS. Expedition 45 began with the arrival of Soyuz TMA-18M at ...
Crews. The trio returned to Earth in rare night landing on 11 December 2015, when their Soyuz TMA-17M
Soyuz TMA-17M was a 2015 flight to the International Space Station. It transported three members of the Expedition 44 crew to the International Space Station. TMA-17M was the 126th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft; the first having occurred in 1967. T ...
landed safely on the steppe of Kazakhstan. Kononenko spent 142 days in space on his third mission.
Expedition 58/59
Kononenko launched towards the ISS for the fourth time as Soyuz Commander of Soyuz MS-11
Soyuz MS-11 was a Soyuz spaceflight that launched on 3 December 2018, marking the 100th orbital launch of the year. Originally scheduled for 20 December, the launch date was advanced to 3 December following the failure of Soyuz MS-10. MS-11 was ...
on 3 December 2018. He was originally scheduled to be serving as Flight Engineer on Expedition 58
Expedition 58 was the 58th expedition to the International Space Station, which began on December 20, 2018 with the departure of the Expedition 57 crew. It was commanded by cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko, with astronauts Anne McClain and David Saint-Ja ...
and Commander on Expedition 59, although due to the launch failure of Soyuz MS-10
Soyuz MS-10 was a crewed Soyuz MS spaceflight that aborted shortly after launch on 11 October 2018 due to a failure of the Soyuz-FG launch vehicle boosters. MS-10 was the 139th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft. It was intended to transport two me ...
on 11 October 2018, the original Expedition 58 Commander, Aleksey Ovchinin was no longer aboard the station for Expedition 58, therefore Kononenko commanded both Expedition 58 and Expedition 59. Expedition 58 started on 20 December 2018 with the departure of Soyuz MS-09
Soyuz MS-09 was a Soyuz spaceflight which launched on 6 June 2018. It transported three members of the Expedition 56/ 57 crew to the International Space Station (ISS). is the 138th flight of a Soyuz spacecraft. The crew consisted of a Russian c ...
. Kononenko and fellow crew members Anne McClain
Anne Charlotte McClain (born June 7, 1979) is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army, engineer and a NASA astronaut.
Her call sign, "Annimal", dates back to her bruising rugby days; she also uses the call sign in her Twitter handle, AstroAnnimal ...
and David Saint-Jacques
David Saint-Jacques ( , ; born January 6, 1970) is a Canadian astronaut with the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). He is also an astrophysicist, engineer, and a physician.
In December 2018, he launched to the International Space Station, as Fligh ...
returned to Earth on 24 June 2019, after 203 days 15 hours and 16 minutes in space.
Kononenko always warmly recalls his stay in his motherland - Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan ( or ; tk, Türkmenistan / Түркменистан, ) is a country located in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the sout ...
. On 31 December 2018 Kononenko showed the flag of Turkmenistan and the book "Turkmenistan is the heart of the Great Silk Road" of Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov from the ISS and wishes Happy New Year from the orbit of all Turkmenistan citizens. The astronaut also noted that he has special feelings for the country where he was born and grew up, proud and rejoiced at her achievements.
Expedition 68/69
In June 2020, Kononenko announced that he is expected to return to the ISS in late 2022. Assuming the Soyuz MS-23 mission lasts the usual 180 days, Kononenko will have spent a total of 916 days in space, exceeding the current record, 878 days by Gennady Padalka
Gennady Ivanovich Padalka (russian: Гeннадий Иванович Падалка; born 21 June 1958 in Krasnodar, Soviet Union) is a Russian Air Force officer and a Roscosmos cosmonaut. Padalka currently holds the world record for List of spac ...
.
Personal life
Kononenko studied at a specialized school of volleyball, was a member of the youth team of Turkmenistan.
He is married to Tatyana Mikhailovna Kononenko (née Yurieva). They have a son, Andrey Olegovich Kononenko, and a daughter, Alisa Olegovna Kononenko. Oleg enjoys reading and team sports.
Honours and awards
* Hero of the Russian Federation (5 February 2009) - for courage and heroism during space flight
*Hero of Turkmenistan
The title Hero of Turkmenistan () is a state award of Turkmenistan. It was first awarded in 1992 and was awarded for service to the implementation of domestic and foreign policy.
History
The title of Hero of Turkmenistan was established by the L ...
(2019)
* 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 ...
(12 April 2011) - for great achievements in the field of research, development and utilization of outer space, many years of diligent work, public activities
* Star of President Order (Turkmenistan, 16 February 2009) - In recognition of service to the government and people of Turkmenistan, for personal courage, professionalism and achievement in the performance of an international program of peaceful space exploration.
* Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation
The Honorary Title Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation (russian: Летчик-космонавт Российской Федерации) is a state award of the Russian Federation presented to all cosmonauts who fly for the Russian Feder ...
(2009)
*Gagarin Medal
* Honorary Citizen of Gagarin, Smolensk Oblast
Smolensk Oblast (russian: Смоле́нская о́бласть, ''Smolenskaya oblast''; informal name — ''Smolenschina'' (russian: Смоле́нщина)) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast). Its administrative centre is the city o ...
(24 February 2011) - years of excellence, a deep sense of personal responsibility, the ability to navigate the complex situation and make the right decisions for his devotion to his country and the continuation of the stellar feats of Yuri Gagarin
* NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
The NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal is an award similar to the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, but awarded to non-government personnel. This is the highest honor NASA awards to anyone who was not a government employee when the service ...
(US, 2008)
* NASA Space Flight Medal
The NASA Space Flight Medal is a decoration of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. According to its statutes, it is awarded "for significant achievement or service during individual participation as a civilian or military astrona ...
(USA, 2008)
References
External links
Spacefacts biography of Oleg Kononenko
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kononenko, Oleg
1964 births
Living people
People from Türkmenabat
Russian cosmonauts
RKA civilian cosmonauts
National Aerospace University – Kharkiv Aviation Institute alumni
Russian mechanical engineers
Crew members of the International Space Station
Commanders of the International Space Station
Heroes of the Russian Federation
Recipients of the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"
Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal
Spacewalkers