Yelena Vladimirovna Kondakova (russian: link=no, Елена Владимировна Кондакóва; born March 30, 1957) is the third Soviet or Russian female
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 ...
to travel to
space
Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually consider ...
and the first woman to make a long-duration spaceflight. Her first trip into space was on
Soyuz TM-20
Soyuz TM-20 was the twentieth expedition to the Russian Space Station Mir. It launched Russian cosmonauts Aleksandr Viktorenko, Yelena Kondakova, and German cosmonaut Ulf Merbold.
Crew
Mission highlights
The flight carried 10 kg of equi ...
on October 4, 1994. She returned to Earth on March 22, 1995, after a five-month stay at the
Mir
''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time, and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. An orbital station or an orbital space station i ...
. Kondakova's second flight was as a mission specialist on the United States
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' (Orbiter Vehicle designation: OV‑104) is a Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle which belongs to NASA, the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. ''Atlantis'' was manufactured by the Rockwell Inte ...
during mission
STS-84
STS-84 was a crewed spaceflight mission by Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' to the Mir space station.
Crew
Mission highlights
The STS-84 mission was the sixth Shuttle/ ''Mir'' docking mission and is part of the NASA/Mir program which consisted of ...
in May 1997. She was the last Russian woman in space until her successor cosmonaut
Elena Serova flew to the International Space Station (ISS) on September 25, 2014.
Personal life
Kondakova was born in
Mytishchi
Mytishchi ( rus, Мыти́щи, p=mɨˈtʲiɕːɪ) is a city and the administrative center of Mytishchinsky District in Moscow Oblast, Russia, which lies 19 km northeast of Russia's capital Moscow on the Yauza River and the Moscow–Yarosla ...
in the Moscow Region of Russia, but grew up near
Kaliningrad
Kaliningrad ( ; rus, Калининград, p=kəlʲɪnʲɪnˈɡrat, links=y), until 1946 known as Königsberg (; rus, Кёнигсберг, Kyonigsberg, ˈkʲɵnʲɪɡzbɛrk; rus, Короле́вец, Korolevets), is the largest city and ...
with an older brother.
She married fellow cosmonaut
Valeri Ryumin
Valery Victorovich Ryumin (russian: Валерий Викторович Рюмин; 16 August 1939 – 6 June 2022) was a Soviet cosmonaut.
Biography
In 1958, he graduated from the Kaliningrad Mechanical Engineering Technical College with th ...
in 1985 and has one daughter with him.
She attained her undergraduate degree in the field of mechanical engineering from Baumann Higher Technical School, where she specialized in production of aircraft. She was selected as a
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 ...
candidate in 1989. Kondakova's parents both worked at
Energia, and her father was concerned about her taking on role as cosmonaut because he was well aware of the dangers involved.
Prior to becoming a cosmonaut, she worked as an engineer for Energia. During her first excursion into space, her husband Valeri would often complain about how he desired a more traditional wife who would take care of the home and family. While Kondakova was away in space during this time, Energia appointed Ryumin to work from home and take care of his daughter until Kondakova's return.
Since 1999, Kondakova has served as a deputy in the
Duma
A duma (russian: дума) is a Russian assembly with advisory or legislative functions.
The term ''boyar duma'' is used to refer to advisory councils in Russia from the 10th to 17th centuries. Starting in the 18th century, city dumas were for ...
, the lower house of the Russian parliament.
Honors
*
Hero of the Russian Federation
Hero of the Russian Federation (russian: Герой Российской Федерации, Geroy Rossiyskoy Federatsii), also unofficially Hero of Russia (russian: link=no, Герой России, Geroy Rossii), is the highest honorary title ...
See also
*
List of female astronauts
The following is a list of women who have traveled into space, sorted by date of first flight. This list includes Russian cosmonauts, who were the first women in outer space travelers. Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to go to space ...
*
Women in space
Women have flown and worked in outer space since almost the beginning of human spaceflight. A considerable number of women from a range of countries have worked in space, though overall women are still significantly less often chosen to go ...
References
Further reading
*
*
Cavallaro Umberto. (2017) Elena Kondakova: The First Woman to Take Part in a Long-Duration Space Mission. In: Women Spacefarers. Springer Praxis Books. Springer, Cham
External links
1957 births
Living people
People from Mytishchi
United Russia politicians
Third convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation)
Fourth convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation)
Fifth convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation)
Russian cosmonauts
Women astronauts
Heroes of the Russian Federation
Space Shuttle program astronauts
Astronaut-politicians
Mir crew members
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