Sergei’s career

An overview of Sergei’s impressive career. The bulk of this is taken from Energiya’s biography as I couldn’t rewrite it any better. See also the Leaving Earth book extracts page for more details.

When he was young, Sergei decided that he would like to be a cosmonaut. This was not uncommon amongst young boys (this was the time when Yurii Gagarin made the first flight into space); the difference was that he actually attained this dream.

There was no easy path to becoming a cosmonaut though, and Sergei realized that it would be better to gain skills in a wide range activities that could be applicable towards going into space; that way he could still do interesting work even if he didn’t achieve his ultimate goal.

Some of these activities included athletics (he became a champion swimmer at school), engineering and learning to fly (he learned to fly at a Leningrad flying club).

On graduating high school he had to decide whether to become a professional pilot while trying to get some engineering qualifications, or get an engineering education while doing flying casually. He decided upon the latter, aware that there were two paths to becoming a cosmonaut: coming in as a military pilot, or alternately from the space industry. He thought that he would have more freedom of choice if he became a professional engineer with a degree in aeronautical engineering, then aim to become a pilot later (flying as a hobby in the meantime).

After graduating from the Leningrad Mechanical Institute in 1981 (he was first in his class), Sergei Krikalyov joined NPO Energiya’s PDB as an engineer. Having good grades meant he had more choice in where he could be assigned; he chose Energiya as many cosmonauts came from there.

He helped develop cosmonaut flight manuals, the proposals from operator’s data imaging on panels and displays of the Mir orbital complex, and updated flight documentation of the Salyut-7 space station’s life support systems. He was initially dismayed to be assigned to do what seemed like paperwork rather than working with hardware, but this gave him much experience with manned spacecraft equipment, enabled him to attend launches and to work on the problems encountered during the Salyut-6 and Salyut-7 space station missions.

In 1983 he passed the medical examinations needed to apply for cosmonaut training. He became senior engineer in 1985.

On 2 September, 1985, he joined the staff of NPO Energyia cosmonauts by the SIAC resolution. On 10 November he was appointed a test-cosmonaut candidate for Energiya’s cosmonaut team by the Order Number 384 of the GMM Minister.

In February 1987 he was appointed test-cosmonaut (космонавт-испытатель, kosmonavt-ispytatel’) of Energiya’s cosmonaut team. (Since 7 April, 1992, he has been instructor test-cosmonaut, NPO Energiya Deputy Head of Department.) He was employed at TsUP, Mission Control Center (MCC), at first as a radiogram developer, then as a specialist in crew actions and flight documentation throughout several long-duration expeditions. After loss of communication with the Salyut station in February 1985 he was involved in the team developing and testing the procedure to fly to the uncontrollable station. Before the prime crew (Vladimir Dzhanibekov-Viktor Savinykh) trainings started, he had tested various options of the procedures as part of the support crew (Aleksandr Viktorenko-Sergei Krikalyov). His impressive performance during Dzhanibekov’s risky docking with Salyut-7 saw Sergei’s cosmonaut application accepted within a year.

As part of his work in the Department, Krikalyov took part in cosmonaut training at CTC and Baikonur. After joining the cosmonaut team, he kept on working in the same Department as Team Lead and then as Deputy Head of Department. During 1985-1986 he took the course of basic space training at CTC after Yu.A. Gagarin. In 1986 he was qualified as test-cosmonaut by the IAQC solution.

A painting of what might have been – Buran docking with Mir – signed by Sergei. Painting originally published in a Soviet-era magazine.

In 1986-1988 he took part in the cosmonaut team training under the Buran program as a pilot; sadly, this program was cancelled in 1993 as there was no money to maintain it.

On 22 March, 1988 as member of the crew (4th crew with Schukin) he replaced A. Kaleri (who was discharged from the training because of cardiac health problems), in the Soyuz TM-7 prime crew.

During 22 March, 1988 through 11 November, 1988 he received training as the Soyuz TM-7 prime crew (ЭО-4) flight engineer under the Prime Crew-4/Aragats Program at the Mir Orbital Station along with Aleksandr Volkov and Jean Loup-Chretien (France).

He got training as the main tester for the first test of Extravehicular Maneuvering Unit.

Together with A. Volkov he made arrangements for the new Kvant-2 module acceptance and initial operational use. Under the Flight Program they received training in space walks. His pioneer flight took place from 26 November, 1988 to 27 April, 1989. He flew as a flight engineer onboard the Soyuz TM-7 space vehicle and Mir OS under the Prime Crew-4/Aragats Program. The flight duration was 151 days.

In 1990 he got training as a flight engineer of the Soyuz TM-11 backup crew under the Prime Crew-8 Program and the Joint Soviet-Japanese flight onboard the Mir OS together with Anatolii Artsebarskii and R. Kikuti (Japan).

From December 1990 through April 1991 he received training as a flight engineer of the SoyuzTM-12 prime crew under the Prime Crew-9 (ЭО-9) Program onboard the Mir OS along with A. Artsebarsky and Helen Sharman (Great Britain).

From 18 May, 1991 through 25 March, 1992 he took part in his second spaceflight with a duration of 312 days as the Soyuz TM-12 and Mir OS flight engineer under the Prime Crew-9 and Prime Crew-10 Programs. During the flight he performed 7 space walks with a total duration of 36 hours 29 min.

From 1 November, 1992 through January, 1994 he got training at JSC as a flight expert of crew No 4 carried by the Discovery Orbiter under the STS-60 program. He completed the training and was certified to operate the Shuttle manipulator (for grappling free-flying satellite, including handling the satellite with loss of orientation).

From 3 February, 1994 to 11 February, 1994 he took part in his third spaceflight as an STS-60 crewmember onboard the Discovery Orbiter in the capacity of mission specialist for an 8-day period.

From April 1994 through January 1995 he got training at Johnson Space Center as a backup cosmonaut of Titov, flight specialist of the Discovery crew-4 under the STS-63 program. Concurrently with the trainings as a backup crewmember under STS-63, he, along with the NASA Astronaut Office, began work related to a new International Space Station. After studying the U.S. EVA spacesuit and passing the corresponding test, Krikalyov donned the spacesuit and worked in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory on developing the procedures to assemble the future station in space. Prior to flight, he was involved in MCC-Houston operations assisting in the cooperation with two MCCs (the other, TsUP in Moscow).

On 3 February, 1995 he was a backup specialist of the Discovery Orbiter flight 4 under STS-63. During the flight he was appointed Lead of the 1st Consultative Team (the group of experts from MCC-M intended to work at MCC-H). In the most critical flight phases he worked in the main operations management room assisting in establishing communication between the two MCCs and two crews. He performed similar services during flight STS-71, -74 and -76. As a representative of the Lead Operational Control Team he participated in the RSA/NASA talks on the work breakdown.

In January 1996 he was appointed Flight Engineer of the International Space Station (ISS-1) prime crew. The launch was scheduled for May 1998. From October 1996 he got training together with Yurii Gidzenko and William Shephard (USA) as a Flight Engineer of the ISS-1 prime crew.

On 30 July, 1998 he was assigned to the Endeavour Orbiter crew under the STS-88 program.

From 17 September through November 1998 he received training at Johnson Space Center (USA) as a crewmember under STS-88. From 2 December through 14 December, 1998 he performed his fourth spaceflight with a 12-day duration as a specialist of the Endeavour flight 4 under the STS-88 program. This was the pioneer manned flight under the International Space Station Assembly Program. During the flight toward the Zarya Functional Cargo Block the US NODE 1/Unity Module was docked. Sergei and commander Robert Cabana were the first to open the hatches of a new station.

In 1999 Krikalyov proceeded with his training as a Flight Engineer of the ISS-1 prime crew along with Yu. Gidzenko and W. Shepherd (USA) on what would be his fifth spaceflight. After delays on both sides, Expedition 1 finally launched on 31 October, 2000, on a Soyuz rocket, to dock with the ISS. They spent their stay preparing the ISS for future crews and departed on STS-102, landing in Florida on 21 March, 2001.

His sixth flight assignment was as commander of the Expedition 11 crew, which launched on 15 April 2005 and landed on 11 October of that year. During that time he surpassed Sergei Avdeev’s accumulated time in space of 747 d 14 h 14 m, and finished the mission with the all-time record of 803 d 9 h 39 m. The mission saw the successful Return-to-Flight STS-114 Discovery launch and docking; the first Shuttle flight since the Columbia disaster grounded the Shuttle fleet in February 2003.

His next space assignment was to be as the commander of Soyuz TMA-14, launching to the ISS in March 2009, but in December 2007 he was dropped from the list. In 2008 he was back on the flight list as part of the backup crew for ISS-21A; the prime crew will launch on Soyuz TMA-18 in March 2010.

On 5 February 2007 Sergei was was elected as Vice-President of Manned Flights at RSC Energiya. After a management restructure on 6 August 2007 he was removed from this position for some reason and then became “Deputy General Designer” – Заместитель генерального конструктора, Zamestitel’ General’nogo Konstruktora, assistant to the General Designer.

In December 2007 he was a candidate for the Deputies of the State Duma 5th convocation on the list of the All-Russia political party “United Russia”, the regional group № 81 (St. Petersburg), but the group did not gain enough of a majority to get allocated seats.

What of the future? Sergei has achieved much – he is now the most experienced spaceman ever – but like all the cosmonauts he has yet to leave low-Earth orbit, so this is another goal for him. After his ISS-11 mission he expressed interest in participating in a Moon mission. But even better would be a Mars mission – and that Sergei be the first human to step on Mars!

From 2007 he was also in a senior position at Energiya, so perhaps he will end up as President of the Corporation.

Sergei’s career

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