Happy birthday, cosmonaut Aleksandr Kaleri!

Cosmonaut Aleksandr Kaleri, born May 13, 1956 in present-day Latvia, ranks fourth in time spent in space.  

His first flight was as Flight Engineer on Soyuz TM-14 to the Mir space station in March 1992.  He spent over 145 days in space as part of Mir EO-11.

His second flight was as Flight Engineer on Soyuz TM-24 to Mir in August 1996.  He spent over 196 days in space as part of Mir EO-22.

His third flight was aboard Soyuz TM-30 as Flight Engineer to Mir in April 2000.  He spent over 72 days in space as part of Mir EO-28.

His fourth flight was as Commander of Soyuz TMA-3 to the International Space Station in October 2003. He participated in Expedition 8 and spent over 194 days in space.

His fifth and final flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-01M as commander to the International Space Station.  He participated in Expeditions 25-26, spending over 159 days in space.

In total, he has spent more than 769 days in space, which is over 2 years!  

Soyuz TM-30 launched 2000

Soyuz TM-30 crew (L-R): Sergei Zalyotin, Aleksandr Kaleri

Mission patch

Soyuz TM-30, launched April 4, 2000, was the last mission to the Mir space station. Its crew consisted of Commander Sergei Zalyotin and Aleksandr Kaleri.  It was the first privately funded mission to a space station.  MirCorp sent the crew to reactivate, repair, and resupply the station.  They also boosted the station's orbit since it was nearing the end of its operational life.  Plans had been developed to restore the station with commercially-funded mission but they never materialized.

Zalyotin and Kaleri performed one EVA during the mission.  returned to Earth after almost 73 days on June 16.

Soyuz TMA-01M launched 2010

Soyuz TMA-01M crew (L-R): Scott Kelly, Aleksandr Kaleri, Oleg Skripochka

Mission patch

Soyuz TMA-01M, launched October 7, 2010, carried the members of Expedition 25 to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Aleksandr Kaleri (RSA), Oleg Skripochka (RSA) and Scott Kelly (NASA).  It was the first flight of the new TMA-M spacecraft, which Kelly praised for the upgrades.

They continued experiments on life sciences, remote sensing and activities of the European Space Agency.  They returned to Earth in March 2011.

Soyuz TMA-3 launched 2003

Soyuz TMA-3 crew (L-R): Pedro Duque, Aleksandr Kaleri, Michael Foale

Mission patch

Soyuz TMA-3, launched October 18, 2003, was the seventh trip to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Aleksandr Kaleri (Roscosmos), Michael Foale (British astronaut, NASA) and Pedro Duque (Spanish astronaut, ESA).  Kaleri and Foale were part of Expedition 8, but Pedro Duque returned on Soyuz TMA-2 about a week later. 

Kaleri and Foale returned to Earth in April 2004 with Andre Kuipers (Dutch astronaut, ESA) after more than 194 days.

Soyuz TM-24 launched 1996

Soyuz TM-24 crew (L-R): Claudie Andre-Deshays, Valery Korzun, Aleksandr Kaleri

Mission patch

Soyuz TM-24, launched August 17, 1996, was the 27th expedition to Mir.  Its crew consisted of Commander Valery Korzun, Aleksandr Kaleri and Claudie Andre-Deshays, first French woman in space.

Andre-Deshays spent 16 days on Mir conducting biological and medical experiments before returning to Earth on Soyuz TM-23 in September 1996.

Korzun and Kaleri stayed for over 196 days and returned to Earth in March 1997.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Aleksandr Viktorenko!

Aleksandr Viktorenko, born March 29, 1947 in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of four Soyuz missions.

His first mission was as Commander of Soyuz TM-3, which launched July 1987 to the space station Mir. The flight was notable since fellow cosmonaut Muhammed Faris, was the first Syrian in space.  They made up the crew of Mir EP-1, but they were not a long-term duration crew.  They returned aboard Soyuz TM-2 about a week later.

His second mission was also as Commander aboard Soyuz TM-8 to Mir.  He and fellow cosmonaut Aleksandr Serebrov were the 5th long term crew, Mir EO-5.  They launched September 5, 1989 and returned February 19, 1990, after 166 days in space.

His third flight as commander was aboard Soyuz TM-14 to Mir, which launched March 17, 1992.  It was the first Russian mission after the collapse of the Soviet Union.  With Aleksandr Kaleri, they made up Mir EO-11 and retunred to Earth August 10, after 149 days in space.

Viktorenko's fourth and final mission was Commander on Soyuz TM-20 to Mir in October 1994, where he and Yelena Kondakova were crew Mir EO-17.  They returned to Earth in March 1995 after 169 days in space.

In total, Viktorenko has spent a total of 489 days in space.  He retired May 30, 1997.

Soyuz TM-14 launched 1992

Soyuz TM-14 crew: Klaus-Dietrich Flade, Alexandr Viktorenko, Alexander Kaleri

Soyuz TM-14, launched March 17, 1992, was the 14th expedition to Mir and the first Russian Soyuz mission after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Its crew consisted of Commander Alexandr Viktorenko, Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri, and Research Cosmonaut Klaus-Dietrich Flade from Germany.  The Russians returned to Earth with Michel Tognini (who arrived on Mir on Soyuz TM-15) August 10.  Flade remained on Mir and returned on Soyuz TM-13.