Alexander Stepanovich Viktorenko

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Alexander Viktorenko
Country: USSR / Russia
selected on May 23, 1978
Calls: 4 space flights
Start of the
first space flight: 		July 22, 1987
Landing of the
last space flight: 		March 22, 1995
Time in space: 489 d 1 h 33 min
EVA inserts: 6th
EVA total duration: 19 h 39 min
retired on May 1997
Space flights

Alexander Stepanowitsch Viktorenko ( Russian Александр Степанович Викторенко , scientific transliteration Aleksandr Stepanovič Viktorenko ; born March 29, 1947 in Olginka near Petropavlovsk , North Kazakhstan , Kazakh SSR ) is a former Soviet Cosmonaut . He spent a total of 489 days in space and is ninth on the list of most experienced astronauts.

Astronaut activity

Viktorenko was a pilot in the Soviet Air Force before being selected as a cosmonaut in 1978. In 1985 and 1986 he was on the backup team for Soyuz T-14 and Soyuz T-15 , the last flights to the Salyut 7 space station .

Alexander Viktorenko started his first space flight on July 22, 1987 as commander of the Soyuz TM-3 spacecraft . Together with Alexander Alexandrow and the Syrian Muhammed Akhmed Faris , he flew to the Mir space station , which was manned by Juri Romanenko and Alexander Lawejkin at the time . After a week Viktorenko landed together with Faris and Lavejkin in the Soyuz TM-2 spacecraft .

Viktorenko was a substitute for the Soviet-French mission with Soyuz TM-7 in 1988.

Viktorenko took off with Soyuz TM-8 for his first long stay on board the Mir on September 5, 1989 . Together with Alexander Serebrow he put the space station, which had been unoccupied for four months, back into operation. Viktorenko and Serebrov stayed in space for over five months.

Viktorenko was a substitute for Alexander Volkov for the Soyuz TM-13 flight from October 1991 to March 1992 .

Viktorenko took off for his third space flight on March 17, 1992 together with Alexander Kaleri and the German Klaus-Dietrich Flade in the Soyuz TM-14 spacecraft . Viktorenko and Kaleri spent almost five months on board the Mir.

Viktorenko began his fourth space flight on October 3, 1994 with the Soyuz TM-20 spacecraft . On board were the German Ulf Merbold and Jelena Kondakowa , who should be the first woman to fly a long-term mission. Viktorenko and Kondakova stayed in space for over five months.

When Viktorenko landed on March 22, 1995, he had spent a total of 489 days in space. At that time, only Valery Polyakov with 678 days and Musa Manarov with 541 days could have more.

At the end of May 1997 Viktorenko retired from active cosmonaut service and became an instructor at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center .

Alexander Viktorenko is married and has two children.

See also

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Viktorenko, Alexander Stepanowitsch
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Викторенко, Александр Степанович (Russian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION soviet cosmonaut
DATE OF BIRTH March 29, 1947
PLACE OF BIRTH Olginka , Northern Kazakhstan , Kazakh SSR , Soviet Union