Happy birthday, cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev!

Sergei Krikalev, born August 27, 1958 in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now St. Petersburg, Russia), is a veteran of six space flights.

His first trip into space was aboard Soyuz TM-7 as Flight Engineer to the space station Mir.  He participated in Mir EO-4, spending 151 days in space.

His second trip into space was aboard Soyuz TM-12 as flight engineer to Mir in May 1991.  He participated in expedition Mir EO-9. He returned to Earth on Soyuz TM-13 in March 1992.

His third flight was aboard Discovery (STS-60) as mission specialist in February 1994. He was the first cosmonaut aboard a Space Shuttle.

His fourth mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-88) as mission specialist in December 1998.  The mission took the Unity node to the ISS.

His fifth mission was aboard Soyuz TM-31 to the International Space Station in October 2000.  He participated in Expedition 1.  He returned to Earth on Discovery (STS-102) in March 2001.

His sixth and final flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-6 as Commander in April 2005 to the International Space Station. where he participated in Expedition 11.  He returned to Earth in October. 

He has spent 803 days, 9 hours and 39 minutes in space.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Alexander Volkov!

Alexander (Aleksandr) Volkov, born May 27, 1948 in present-day Ukraine, is a veteran of three space flights, and is the father of cosmonaut Sergey Volkov.

His first mission was aboard Soyuz T-14 launched in September 1985 to Salyut 7.  It was the ninth mission to the space station.  He returned to Earth in November 1985.

His second mission was as commander aboard Soyuz TM-7 to Mir in November 1988. He was part of expedition Mir EO-4 and conducted an EVA with French astronaut Jean-Loup Chretien.  He returned to Earth in April 1989.

His third and final mission was as commander aboard Soyuz TM-13 to Mir in October 1991 as part of expedition Mir EO-10.  He and fellow cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev were dubbed as "the last citizens of the USSR" because when they landed in March 1992, the Soviet Union had dissolved.

Glücklich Geburtstag, cosmonaut Klaus Dietrich Flade!

Klaus-Dietrich Flade, born August 23, 1952 in Germany, visited the Mir space station in March 1992.  His mission started aboard Soyuz TM-14 on March 17 and returned aboard Soyuz TM-13 on March 25.

Soyuz TM-13 launched 1991

Soyuz TM-13 crew (L-R): Toktar Aubakirov, Alexander Volkov, Franz Viehbock

Mission patch

Soyuz TM-13 launched October 2, 1991 with an Austrian astronaut and a Kazakh astronaut.  Its crew consisted of Commander Alexander Volkov, Toktar Aubakirov, and Franz Viehbock.  Viehbock was the first astronaut from Austria to venture into space.  Toktar Aubakirov was from Kazakhstan (although not an independent country at the time), and Russia hoped by carrying a Kazakh astronaut, his country would continue to allow them to launch from Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Viehbock and Aubakirov stayed aboard Mir for only about a week and returned to Earth on Soyuz TM-12.

Volkov remained on Mir for 175 days and returned on March 25, 1992 with Sergei Krikalev and Klaus-Dietrich Flade.  Volkov and Krikalev were considered the "last citizens of the USSR" since they had launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (a part of the USSR) and landed in the independent Republic of Kazakhstan.

Happy birthday, Kazakhstani cosmonauts Toktar Aubakirov and Aidyn Aimbetov!

Toktar Aubakirov, born July 27, 1946 in  Kazakhstan, is a cosmonaut and former Air Force pilot.  He went into space aboard Soyuz TM-13 in October 1991 to Mir.  He returned to Earth about a week later aboard Soyuz TM-12.

Since Kazakhstan wasn't entirely independent of Russia at the time of his flight, he is officially Kazakhstan's first cosmonaut.  The official first Kazakhstani cosmonaut is Aidyn Aimbetov, born July 27, 1972 in Kazakhstan.  He went aboard Soyuz TMA-18M to the International Space Station in September 2015.  He remained aboard for almost 10 days and returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-16M.

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.