Gennady Ivanovich Padalka

Colonel, RF Air Force, retired,
Pilot-cosmonaut of Russian Federation,
Yu.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH:

June 21, 1958, Krasnodar, RSFSR (Russia).
Father: Ivan Vasilievich Padalka, born in 1931.
Mother: Valentina Mefodievna Padalka (Melenchenko), born in 1931.

EDUCATION:

In 1979 he graduated from Eisk Higher Military Pilot School after V.M. Komarov. In 1994 after training at the International Center of Training Systems he got a qualification of engineer-ecologist and a degree of Master of ecological monitoring.

In 2007 he graduated from the Russian Government Service Academy at the President of the Russian Federation.

FAMILY STATUS:

Married.

Wife: Irina Anatolievna Padalka (Ponomareva), born in 1959.
Daughters: Yulia, born in 1979, Ekaterina, born in 1985 and Sofia, born in 2000.

AWARDS AND RANKS:

Hero of the Russian Federation, Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation.

Decorated with the Gold Star Medal of the Hero of the Russian Federation, Order for Services to the Fatherland Second, Third and Fourth Classes, Medal of the International Fund of Cosmonautics Support for Services to Cosmonautics, Medal for Services in Space Exploration and RF AF Medals.

Prize winner of the Russian Federation Government in the field of science and technology.

HOBBY:

He is keen on theatre, sport games, running, swimming, skiing, badminton and parachute sport. In April 2005 he rided in air balloon Holy Russia over the North Pole.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

In 1979-1984 he served as a pilot, master pilot in guards fighter bomber regiments of the Soviet Forces Group in Germany and from 1984 to 1989 he served in Air Force units of Far-Eastern military region.

He is the 1-st class military pilot. By the time of enlistment in the cosmonaut detachment he mastered aircraft L-29, MiG-15UTI, MiG-17, Su-7B, Su-7U, Su-7BM, Su-24. His total flight-hours are more than 1300 hr, he made more than 300 parachute jumps.

In 1989 he was enlisted in the cosmonaut detachment.

From June 1989 to January 1991 he passed a course of general space training at Yu.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

On February 1, 1991 a qualification of a test-cosmonaut was conferred on him by decision of the Interdepartmental Qualification Committee.
In 1991-1996 he passed training in the group under the program of flights to the Mir Station.

From September 1996 to July 1997 he passed training as the backup crew commander under PC-24 program on the Mir Station together with S. Avdeev and Jean-Pierre Haignere (France).

In 1997 he was a backup of A. Soloviev, commander of the Soyuz TM-26 spacecraft.

In October 1997 – July 1998 he passed training as the prime crew commander of the Soyuz TM-28 spacecraft for flight under PC-26 program together with S. Avdeev and Yu. Baturin.

From August 13, 1998 to February 28, 1999 he performed the first space flight as the commander of the Soyuz TM-28 spacecraft and Mir Orbital Complex under PC-26 program together with S. Avdeev and Yu. Baturin. He made a landing together with I. Bella (Slovakia). During the flight he made one egress into open space and one transfer to the Spektr depressurized module; the total duration of these operations was 6 hr. 26 min. The mission duration was 198 days 16 hours 31 min.

On February 3, 1999 he was appointed as commander of the backup crew under PC-29 program together with S. Treschev by decision RSA Board. However, on June 1, 1999 General Designers’ Review adopted a decision on the Mir Orbital Complex shift to the unmanned flight mode since August 1999 and the crew including G. Padalka – S. Treschev was broken up.

From June 15, 1999 to July 6, 2000 he passed training as the prime crew commander under ISS-1R program for flight to the Zvezda Service Module (in case of failure of automatic docking to the ISS) together with N. Budarin.

From November 2000 he passed training for flight under ISS-4 program together with M. Fink and S. Robbinson as the backup crew commander.

He performed the second space flight from April 19 to October 24, 2004 under the ISS Expedition-9 program as the ISS commander, Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft commander. The ISS-9 crew received and unloaded the Progress M-49 and M-50 cargo transport vehicles, provided four ascents of the ISS orbit, restored CMG-2 power, repaired EMU and Electron-VM oxygen generation system, made scientific experiments and research under the Russian, U.S. and European programs. The Station was handed over to the crew for Expedition-10. During the flight he made four spacewalks of the total duration of 15 hours 44 min. The mission duration was 187 days 21 hours 16 min.

In May 2008 Padalka together with Michael Barrat (USA) began training as the ISS-18 back-up crew commander.

On September 18-19, 2008 he passed preflight tests with an excellent mark together with Michael Barrat, NASA astronaut at Yu.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.

On October 12, 2008 during the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft launch Padalka was the spacecraft commander backup.

On March 3-4, 2009 at the Cosmonaut Training Center Padalka together with NASA astronaut Michael Barrat and member of the visiting expedition, space tourist Charles Simonyi passed the preflight examinations with an excellent mark.

He performed his third space flight from March 26 to October 11, 2009 under the program of the ISS prime crew Expedition 19/20 (the ISS-19/20) as the ISS commander.

During the flight he performed two walks into open space of the total duration of 5 hr 6 min.

On October 9, 2009 during the official ceremony of handover he delegated his powers as commander to ESA astronaut Belgian Frank De Winne.
The flight duration was 198 days 16 hr 42 min.

In January 2010 it was announced that Padalka was assigned to the backup crew of Expedition 29 to the ISS.

On January 16, 2010 it was announced that he was assigned to the prime crew of Expedition 31/32 to the ISS (the ISS-31/32). On July 8, 2010 his assignment was officially confirmed by NASA in press-release 10-161.

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 Padalka was certified as a cosmonaut of Yu.A. Gagarin CTC NII detachment.

In January 2011 he took part in trainings for survival in the forest near Moscow as commander of the preliminary crew together with Joseph Acaba and Alexei Khomenchuk.

On August 22, 2011 at the meeting of State Medical Board (SMB) at Yu.A. Gagarin cosmonaut Training Center he was recognized fit to a space flight as commander of the Soyuz TMA-22 backup crew.

On September 1, 2011 at the Cosmonaut Training Center he together with Sergei Revin and Joseph Acaba passed the examination training on the Soyuz TMA simulator. On September 2, 2011 the crew passed the preflight examination training on the ISS Russian Segment.

On November 12, 2011 he was approved as commander of the Soyuz TMA-22 MTV backup crew.

On November 14, 2011 during the Soyuz TMA-22 MTV launch Padalka was the vehicle commander backup.

On April 23, 2012 at the Cosmonaut Training Center Gennadiy PADALKA together with Sergei Revin and Joseph Acaba passed the examination training on the ISS Russian Segment. On April 24, 2012 the crew passed a preflight examination training on the Soyuz TMA simulator with an excellent mark.

On April 25, 2012 at the meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission at Yu.A. Gagarin CTC Padalka was approved as commander of the prime crew of the Soyuz TMA-04 MTV. On May 14, 2012 at the meeting of the State Commission at the Baikonur cosmodrome he was approved as commander of the prime crew of the Soyuz TMA-04 MTV.

He performed his fourth space flight from May 15 to September 17, 2012 under the program for the ISS-31/32 prime crew as commander of the Soyuz TMA-04M MTV, ISS-31 crew flight engineer and ISS-32 crew commander.

In flight he performed one extravehicular activity of the duration of 5 hr 51 min.

The mission duration was 124 days 23 hr 51 min 30 s.

On September 25, 2013 it was declared that Gennadiy PADALKA was appointed Commander of the prime crew of ISS-43/44 (and a backup crew of ISS-41/42) instead of Yury Lonchakov who left the detachment.

On January 31, 2014 he as a member of the ISS-43/44 crew together with Mikhail Kornienko and Scott Kelly took part in trainings to take measures in case of the emergency landing in the forest and marshy area in winter.

On September 3, 2014 he began to pass comprehensive training as the backup crew commander of the ISS-41/42 together with flight engineer Mikhail Kornienko and Scott Kelly. This day the examination training on MTV Soyuz TMA simulator occurred, for which the crew received an excellent mark. On September 4 the crew passed the test training on the ISS Russian Segment.

On September 24, 2014 at Baikonur at a meeting of the State Commission for conducting flight tests of manned space complexes Padalka was approved as commander of MTV Soyuz TMA-14M backup crew. During the launch of MTV Soyuz TMA-14M on September 26, 2014 he was a backup of the vehicle crew commander.