Sergei Krikalev
Soviet and Russian cosmonaut (born 1958)
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Key Takeaways
- Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev (Russian: Сергей Константинович Крикалёв ; born 27 August 1958) is a Russian mechanical engineer and former cosmonaut.
- On STS-60, he became the first Russian cosmonaut to fly on the Shuttle, and on STS-88, he helped connect the first Russian and American ISS segments—becoming, alongside mission commander Robert Cabana, one of the first people to enter the station.
- Krikalev is sometimes referred to as the "last Soviet citizen," having been aboard Mir during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
- He ultimately accumulated 803 days, 9 hours, and 39 minutes in space, placing him fourth on the list of those with the most time spent in space.
- From 2009 to 2014, he headed the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev (Russian: Сергей Константинович Крикалёв; born 27 August 1958) is a Russian mechanical engineer and former cosmonaut. He is a veteran of six spaceflights, including two long-duration missions to Mir, two short-duration missions aboard NASA's Space Shuttle, and two long-duration missions to the International Space Station (ISS).
On STS-60, he became the first Russian cosmonaut to fly on the Shuttle, and on STS-88, he helped connect the first Russian and American ISS segments—becoming, alongside mission commander Robert Cabana, one of the first people to enter the station. He later joined the ISS's first long-duration crew, Expedition 1, and returned as commander of Expedition 11.
Krikalev is sometimes referred to as the "last Soviet citizen," having been aboard Mir during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. With the country that launched him no longer existing, his return was delayed, and he remained in space for 311 days—twice as long as planned. He ultimately accumulated 803 days, 9 hours, and 39 minutes in space, placing him fourth on the list of those with the most time spent in space.
He retired as a cosmonaut in 2007 and then served as deputy chief designer at Energia, where he contributed to the development of Russian spacecraft. From 2009 to 2014, he headed the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. Since 2014, he has worked for Roscosmos, Russia's space agency, where he is a Deputy Director General leading manned spaceflight efforts.
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