The first manned space flight took place in 1961. Since that time, about 600 people from 36 countries of the world have visited space. Since 2000, crews consisting of several people have been constantly living and working at the International Space Station. The record for the duration of the continuous stay at the station belongs to the Russian M. Kornienko.
Mikhail Borisovich Kornienko is a Russian test cosmonaut, a hero of the Russian Federation. After 2 flights in 2016, M. Kornienko took 22nd place in the list of “50 Most Influential People of the World,” according to Fortune. They compared Kornienko’s contribution to space exploration with the launches of the Apollo and Soyuz 19 spacecraft.
Biography
The future cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko was born in April 1960 in the city of Syzran, Kuibyshev region. His childhood years passed in Chelyabinsk. He studied first in Moscow, then at secondary school No. 15 of the city of Chelyabinsk, which he graduated in 1977. Higher education Mikhail Borisovich received at the Moscow Aviation Institute. He was awarded the specialty of a mechanical engineer at Russian Railways. Military service Mikhail Borisovich was in the airborne troops of the USSR army. He was enrolled in the 104th Guards Airborne Division of the Azerbaijan SSR. Demobilized in 1980 with the rank of junior sergeant.
Professional biography
Mikhail Kornienko was not always associated with the starry sky. After graduating from the Moscow Aviation Institute, Mikhail Borisovich served in the Moscow police for about 6 years. In 1986-1991 he worked as an engineer at the Baikonur Cosmodrome and at the Moscow Engineering Design Bureau. Then during the year he headed the technical department of Transvostok OJSC.
In 1993-1995 Mikhail Borisovich becomes the director of Este Limited Partnership. In 1995, Mikhail Kornienko returned to the space industry. He works as an engineer in the "Department of Cosmonaut Training for Out-of-Space Activities" at the Rocket and Space Corporation named after S.P. Queen.
Mikhail Borisovich admitted that his desire to become an astronaut was influenced by his father, who took part in search and rescue operations at the Uprun airport. Kornienko Sr. helped to search for the very first cosmonauts, facilitated the evacuation of crews after they landed on the ground.
In early February 1998, Mikhail Kornienko was officially included in the cosmonaut corps of RSC Energia. From the beginning of 1998 to 1999, he took a course in general space training. As a result, he successfully passed the state exam. And in 1999, Kornienko was qualified as a test cosmonaut.
Participation in space missions
In 2003-2005, cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko began active training in the international team as a flight engineer at the International Station. Unfortunately, due to the tragedy that occurred with the shuttle Columbia, the crew of the ISS-8 (it included Kornienko), it was decided to remove from the flight program and reorganize. But this did not stop Mikhail Borisovich. He continues to train in the ISS-15, 23, and 24.
The first space flight of Mikhail Borisovich occurred only in 2010 as part of the ISS-23244 crew on the Soyuz TMA-18 transport spacecraft. He was included in the team as an ISS flight engineer. The flight took place from April to September for 176 days. Together with Kornienko, Scott Kelly and Sergey Volkov went into orbit.
In March 2015, the board of the Soyuz TMA-16 M spacecraft delivered Mikhail Borisovich to the ISS for the second time. The cosmonaut team “ISS-45/46” spent almost a year at the orbital station - 340 days. In March 2016, all the astronauts successfully descended to Earth.
First interview:
Cosmonaut Kornienko is not going to stop his career. He told in an interview with AiF that he had passed the medical commission and was included in the flight plan for 2019.
During the first and second flights, Mikhail Borisovich went into outer space. The total time spent off the ISS is just over 12 hours. During the last flight, Mikhail Kornienko conducted more than 200 scientific experiments, circled the Earth 5440 times and covered about 230 million kilometers.
A family
Mikhail Borisovich tries not to spread about his family. It is known that he has a wife - Irina Anatolyevna Kornienko. She is a doctor by education and works in a Moscow clinic.
In the photo, Mikhail Borisovich meets his wife after the flight.
The elder brother of the astronaut, Kornienko Sergey Borisovich, finished his service with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Kornienko Faina Mikhailovna, mother of Mikhail Borisovich, is now retired. The cosmonaut's father, Boris Kornienko, tragically died in 1965 during a planned flight on MI-6. He took the lighted car away from the village, thereby saving dozens of lives. Mikhail Borisovich always emphasizes in his interviews that his father became his main example in life.
Awards and Achievements
He has the title of Hero of the Russian Federation and the Golden Star award. In addition, Mikhail Borisovich is marked with the sign "Pilot-Cosmonaut of Russia." He was awarded the "Sign of Gagarin" and the distinction "For Merit to the Hometown" (Syzran city).
Interesting Facts
Mikhail Kornienko is interested in sports. In 2007, he conquered Mount Kilimanjaro. The astronaut plans to conquer the summit of Everest.
Mikhail Borisovich was a candidate from the United Russia party to the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
Kornienko before the start of the ship listens to "Two Stars" performed by Alla Pugacheva.
Despite the fact that astronauts rarely believe in God, Mikhail Borisovich admits that he is confident in the existence of some “higher forces”.
The astronaut in an interview said that from space he likes to watch the coral islands in the Indian Ocean and fly through the northern lights.
Mikhail Borisovich said that during one of his flights he watched the Hollywood movie “The Martian,” and he really liked it. According to the astronaut, everything in the film looked quite realistic.
During the conference, after the first return to Earth, Mikhail Borisovich expressed the opinion that people are barbaric about the planet. This is especially noticeable from space. Deforestation, fires, climate change and ocean pollution affect the general condition of the Earth.
Kornienko said that his father once brought him a small flap, detached from the landing parachute, and to this day he keeps it as a memory of his father.