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Fyodor Nikolaevich YURCHIKHIN

Hero of Russian Federation,
Test Cosmonaut-Instructor of Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia

DATA AND PLACE OF BIRTH:

January 3, 1959, Batumi, Adzhar Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic (Georgia)
Farther: Nikolai Fedorovich Yurchikhin, born in 1932, a pensioner.
Mother: Mikrula Sofoklievna Yurchikhina (Grammatikopulo), born in 1938, a pensioner.
Parents live in Sindos, Greece.

EDUCATION:

In 1983 he graduated from Moscow Aviation Institute after S. Ordzhonikidze and got qualification of a mechanical engineer and was specialized in Aerospace Vehicles. In April 2001 he finished the post-graduate course of Moscow State University of Service, defended a thesis for a candidate of science (economics).

FAMILY STATUS:

Married. Wife: Larisa Anatolievna Yurchikhina. They have two daughters.

AWARDS AND RANKS:

Decorated with Gold Medal of the Hero of the Russian Federation (2008), Order of Friendship (2003), For Services to the Fartherland Fourth Class (2011), Medals for Services in Taking the All-Russian Population Census (2003), For Services in Space Exploration (2011), NASA Medal For Spaceflight (2003), Distinguished Public Service Medal, RF Cosmonautics Federation Medals. He is a holder of the commemorative token Hydronaut of Baikal (2012).

WORK EXPERIENCE:

From 1983 to 1997 he worked as an engineer, senior engineer, leading engineer at NPO Energia/RSC Energia. He worked in the Main Operations Control Team (MOCT) of MCC and then as a shift manager of MOCT planning group.

From November 1990 to June 1991 he was a manager of the operations control team of floating command-measuring station “Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin”.

In 1995-1997 he was an assistant flight manager under the Mir-NASA program. On July 28, 1997 he was selected as a candidate for cosmonauts by decision of the Interdepartmental Qualification Committee and on October 14, 1997 he was enlisted as a candidate for cosmonauts in the RSC Energia cosmonaut corps.

In 1998-1999 he passed a course of general space training and on December 1, 1999 he was qualified as a test cosmonaut.

In 2000-2001 he passed training at Yu.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center as a member of the cosmonaut group under the ISS program.

From September 2001 to October 2002, he passed training at the Johnson Space Center as a member of the Atlantis Shuttle crew for a spaceflight (flight 9A).

On October 7-18, 2002 he performed his first spaceflight as the mission specialist of the Atlantis Shuttle (STS-112) under the ISS assembly program (mission 2A). The main task of this flight was to deliver section S1 of the main truss, scientific equipment and cargoes to the ISS. The flight duration was 10 days 19 hrs 57 min 49 s.

From January 2004 to October 2005 he passed training as the ISS and Soyuz TSC flight engineer and from October 2005 to April 2006 he passed training as the ISS flight engineer and the Soyuz TMA TSC commander within the backup crew under ISS-13.

From April 2006 he began training within the ISS-15 prime crew as the ISS commander and the Soyuz TMA TSC flight engineer.

At a period of May 26 – June 2, 2006 he passed training in operations in case of off-nominal water landing of the descent module.

Yurchikhin performed the second spaceflight from April 7 to October 21, 2007 as commander of ISS-15 crew and flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA-10 vehicle. The mission duration was 196 days, 17 hr, 5 min. He performed three EVAs in flight of the total duration of 18 hr 44 min.

In April 2009 Fedor Yurchikhin was assigned to the prime crew of the ISS Expedition 24.

At the meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission for selection of cosmonauts and their assignment to the crews of the manned vehicles and stations on April 26, 2010 he was certified as the RSC Energia detachment cosmonaut. On May 25, 2010 at the Cosmonaut Training Center he together with Douglas Wheelock and Shannon Worker passed the preflight examination training on the ISS RS. On May 28, 2010 the prime crew at the second try passed the integrated training on the Soyuz TMA simulator. On June 14, 2010 by the Interdepartmental Commission Yurchikhin was approved as commander of the Soyuz TMA-19 vehicle crew, the ISS-24/25 flight engineer.

He performed his third spaceflight at a period of June 16 – November 26, 2010 as commander of the Soyuz TMA-19 vehicle and the ISS-24/25 flight engineer. The mission duration was 163 days 07 hr 12 min. During the flight Yurchikhin performed two EVAs of the total duration of 13 hr 10 min.

On August 24, 2011 it was reported that he was appointed commander of the prime crew of the Soyuz TMA vehicle performing a flight under the ISS-39 program and the ISS-40 commander.

On December 15, 2011 by decision of the Interdepartmental Commission Yurchikhin was removed from the crew because of his appointment as commander of the ISS-36/37 crew; he replaced Maksim Suraev in this crew.

On February 7, 2012 he was enlisted in Yu.A. Gagarin CTC detachment.

On November 27 and 28, 2012, he successfully passed pre-flight examination training sessions on the ISS Russian Segment and Soyuz TMA trainers at the Cosmonaut Training Center together with Luca Parmitano and Karen Nyberg.

On November 29, 2012 he was approved by Interagency Commission as the commander of the backup crew of Soyuz TMA-07M. On December 18, 2012, a meting of the State Commission at the Baikonur launch site confirmed his appointment as the commander of the backup crew.

On December 19, 2012 he was the backup for the commander of Soyuz TMA-07M.

On April 30, 2013, together with Luca Parmitano and Karen Nyberg, he embarked on a 4-day series of integrated examination training sessions, conducting an exercise in the short four-orbit docking profile in a simulator of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft. On May 6, 2013 the crew passed the integrated pre-flight examination training session on the simulator of the Russian Segment of the International Space Station. On May 7, 2013, once again in the Soyuz TMA-M simulator, the crew went through integrated exam on the two-day mission profile, passing it with excellent grade.

On May 8, 2013, the Interagency commission recommended him to be approved as the commander of the main crew. On May 27, 2013, by decision of the State Commission he was approved as the commander of the main crew.

He made his fourth spaceflight on May 29 through November 11, 2013 as the commander of Soyuz TMA-09M, flight engineer of ISS-36 and commander of ISS-37. Mission duration: 166 days 6 hours 17 minutes. During the mission he made three spacewalks with the total duration of 19 hours 22 minutes.

In July 2014 by the decision of the Multilateral Crew Operations Panel (MCOP) he was named commander of Soyuz-MS (the first Soyuz in the new series) and commander of Expedition 49 to the ISS.

However, at the meeting of the Interagency Commission for cosmonaut selection and their assignment to the crews of manned spacecraft and space stations held on December 16, 2014, this assignment was not approved.

On June 25, 2015 he began training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center as a member of the main crew of ISS-52/53 together with Paolo Nespoli and Jack Fischer.

On August 6, 2015, his assignment to the main crew of Expedition ISS-52/53 was confirmed by NASA press release 15-161.

On January 28, 2016, at the Cosmonaut Training Center, together with Jack Fischer and Paolo Nespoli, he underwent training in actions in case of emergency landing in marshy and wooded country in winter.

On October 24, 2016 he together with Jack Fisher and Paolo Nespoli passed the examination training on the Soyuz MTV simulator. On October 25, 2016 the crew passed the integrated test training on the ISS Russian Segment simulator.

On October 26, 2016 at the meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission at the Cosmonaut Training Center the crew consisting of Fedor Yurchkhin, Jack Fisher and Paolo Nespoli was recommended to continue prelaunch training at the Baikonur Cosmodrome as a backup crew.

On November 16, 2016 at the meeting of the State Commission he together with Jack Fisher and Paolo Nespoli was approved in the backup crew of the Soyuz MS-03 MTV.

On November 17, 2016 during the launch of the Soyuz MS-03 MTV Yurchikhin was a backup of the vehicle commander.

On March 14, 2017 at the meeting of the Chief Medical Board (CMB) at the Cosmonaut Training Center he was recognized fit for a space flight.

HOBBY:

History of cosmonautics, literature, stamp collection, sports.