Oleg Dmitrievich Kononenko

Instructor – Test Cosmonaut Class 1,
Yu. A. Gagarin CTC, Russia

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH:
June 21, 1964, town of Chardzhou, Turkmenia.

FAMILY STATUS: married.
Wife: Tatiana Mikhailovna Kononenko (Yurieva), son – Andrei, daughter – Alisa.

EDUCATION: In 1988 he graduated from Kharkov Order of Lenin Aviation Institute after N.E. Joukovsky (KhAI), specializing in the Vehicle propulsion systems. In 1986 he finished Higher State Extention Patent and Invention Courses for managers, engineering personnel and maintenance staff, scientists.

AWARDS AND HONORS:
Hero of the Russian Federation, Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation.
Decorated with Gold Star Medal of the Hero of the Russian Federation, Space Exploration Service Medal, Space Exploration Service Medal, Order For Services to Fatherland Class IV, Order of the President Star (Turkmenistan), as well as Distinguished Public Service Medal and Space Flight Medal, NASA.

HOBBY:
Cosmonautics, reading books, games, drawing. He likes to spend his time in the family circle.

WORK EXPERIENCE:
From 1988 he worked as an engineer, design engineer, leading design engineer at the Central Specialized Design Bureau of State Research & Production Rocket-Space Center TsSKB-PROGRESS (Samara) of the Russian Space Agency.

On March 29, 1996 by decision of the State Interdepartmental Committee he was selected as a candidate for test cosmonaut from TsSKB-PROGRESS.

From June 1996 to March 1998 he passed general space training at Yu.A. Gagarin CTC.

On March 20, 1998 by decision of the Interdepartmental Qualification Committee he got a qualification of a test cosmonaut.

Since October 1998 he has passed training as a member of the cosmonaut group under the ISS flight program.

Since January 1999 he has been a test cosmonaut of OAO RSC Energia.

From December 2001 to April 2002 he passed training together with G.I. Padalka in the Soyuz TM-34 backup crew (the ISS third visiting crew).

From April 2002 to February 2004 he passed training with G.I. Padalka and NASA astronaut Michael Fincke for a space flight as a flight engineer of the ISS-9 prime crew and then in the ISS-11 prime crew with NASA astronaut John Phillips. Due to the ISS flight program change the crews were reorganized.

From March 2004 to March 2006 he passed training in the cosmonaut group under the ISS flight program.

From March 2006 to March 2008 – training with S.A. Volkov and NASA astronauts Garret Reisman and Gregory Chamitoff in the ISS-17 prime crew for a space flight.

He performed his first space flight from April 8 to October 24, 2008 as a flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA-12 TMV, a flight engineer of the ISS-17 prime crew. During the flight he performed two EVAs on July 10, 2008 and on July 15, 2008 of the total duration of 12 hr 15 min.

The flight duration was 198 days 16 hours 19 minutes 48 seconds.

From December 2009 to October 2010 – training with S.A. Volkov and NASA astronaut Ronald Garan in the ISS-25/26 backup crew.
During the launch of Soyuz TMA-M TV on October 8, 2010 he was a backup of the vehicle flight engineer.

Since October 2010 he passed training together with ESA astronaut Andre Kuipers and NASA astronaut Donald Pettit within the backup crew of ISS-28/29.

To execute Roscosmos order on creation of a unified cosmonaut detachment Pettit retired from RSC Energia. On January 22, 2011 by order of CTC chief he was assigned to CTC cosmonaut detachment as a test cosmonaut.

On May 12-13, 2011 Oleg Kononenko together with Andre Kuipers and Donald Pettit successfully passed the examination training on the simulator of the ISS Russian Segment and Launch Site. On May 16, 2011 he was approved by Interdepartmental Commission as the Soyuz TMA-02M backup crew commander. On May 23, 2011 his assignment was confirmed at the meeting of the Federal Space Agency board.

On June 7, 2011 Kononenko was the spacecraft commander backup.

On November 24, 2011 at the Cosmonaut Training Center Kononenko successfully passed his examination on the Teleoperator simulator in rendezvous and berthing to the ISS and received a certificate for the right to monitor rendezvous, berthing and docking of European space vehicle ATV-3.

On November 29, 2011 at the Cosmonaut Training Center he together with Andre Kuipers and Donald Pettit passed a preflight examination training on the ISS Russian Segment. On November 30, 2011 the crew passed the examination training on the Soyuz TMA simulator.

On December 1, 2011 Oleg Kononenko was approved by the Interdepartmental Commission as commander of the prime crew of the Soyuz TMA-03M vehicle.

On December 20, 2011 at the State Commission meeting for flight tests of manned space complexes he was approved as commander of the prime crew of the Soyuz TMA-03M vehicle.

Oleg Kononenko performed his second space flight at a period of December 21, 2011 to July 1, 2012 as commander of MTV Soyuz-TMA-03M, a flight engineer of prime crew-30 and commander of prime crew-31 of the ISS. During the mission he performed one EVA of the duration of 6 h 15 min on February 16, 2012.

The mission duration was 192 days 18 h 59 min.

On December 3, 2012 by Order of Yu.A. Gagarin CTC Head he was assigned as Head of the 1st group (test cosmonauts-instructors) of the cosmonaut corps in which there were cosmonauts who had an experience of space flights.

On December 20, 2012 by decision of the Interdepartmental Commission (IDC) Kononenko was assigned to the prime crew of the ISS-44/45 Expedition and the backup crew of the ISS-42/43. The American party identified the remaining crew-members: Kimiya Yui (JAXA) and Kjell Lindgren (NASA).

At a period of January 27-28, 2014 he together with Kimiya Yui and Kjell Lindgren took part in autonomous integrated trainings in actions in case of the emergency landing in the wooded-marshy locality in winter.

At the meeting of the Chief Medical Board on October 16, 2014 Kononenko was flight-qualified.

On October 30, 2014 he began to pass the integrated training as commander of the backup crew together with flight engineers Kimiya Yui and Kjell Lindgren. That day the examination training on the Soyuz TMA simulator occurred. On October 31 the crew passed the test training on the ISS Russian Segment simulator with an excellent mark.

On November 6, 2014 he was approved by the Interdepartmental Commission as commander of the backup crew of the Soyuz TMA-15M vehicle. On November 7, 2014 his assignment was approved at the meeting of the Federal Space Agency Board.

On November 22, 2014 at the meeting of the State Commission on the Baikonur cosmodrome Kononenko was approved as commander of the backup crew of the Soyuz TMA-15M MTV. During the vehicle launch on November 24, 2014 he was a backup of the crew commander.