Randolf James BRESNIK

NASA Astronaut, USA

BIRTH DATA AND PLACE:

Born on September 11, 1967 in Fort Knox, Kentucky, but consideres Santa Monica, California, his hometown.

EDUCATION:

In 1985 he graduated from Santa Monica High School in California.

In 1989 he received a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from the Citadel Military College of South Carolina in Charleston.

In 2002 he received a Master of Science degree in Aviation Systems from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

In 2008 Randolf Bresnik graduated from the Air Force Air War College.

FAMILY STATUS:

Married, they have two children.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Since May 1989 he served in the Marine Corps of the United States. Bresnik studied at the Basic School – TBS and Infantry Officers Course – IOC in Quantico, Virginia. After the initial flight training on the Pensacola Base, Florida, he underwent additional training on the base in Texas and in 1992 was qualified as a naval pilot. Then in Navy Fighter/Attack Training Squadron VFA-106 at NAS Cecil Field in Florida he began training for flights on fighter/attack F/A-18 Hornet.

Upon completion of training Bresnik was assigned to Marine Fighter/Attack Squadron VMFA-212. He served at MCAS Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii, then at MCAS El Toro in California and at MCAS Miramar in California. During the service he took part in three campaigns to the western part of the Pacific Ocean and passed training at Marine Corps Weapons and Tactics Instructors Course – WTI and at Naval Fighter Weapons School TOPGUN.

In January 1999 Bresnik began training at U.S. Naval Test Pilot School – USNTPS at NAS Patuxent River in Maryland; he graduated from this School in December 1999.

In December 1999 he was assigned as a test pilot to Strike Aircraft Test Squadron – NSATS, flew F/A-18 A-D and F/A-18 E/F aircraft.

In January 2001 he returned to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as an instructor for flying F/A-18, T-38 and T-2.

In January 2002 Bresnik was newly assigned to Strike Aircraft Test Squadron – NSATS where he continued testing F/A-18 A-F aircraft as the project coordinator.

In November 2002 he was transferred to Marine Aircraft Group Eleven – MAG-11 as the Future Operations Officer.

In January 2003 Bresnik took part in the combat deployment of Marine Aircraft Group Eleven – MAG-11 on the Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait. As a pilot of F/A-18 aircraft in Marine Fighter/Attack Squadron VMFA-225 Bresnik performed combat flights during such operations as Southern Watch and Iraqi Freedom.

By the time of enlistment in the Corps he served in Marine Fighter/Attack Squadron (VMFA-225) as Operations Officer at MCAS Miramar.

On May 6, 2004 he was enrolled in NASA Astronaut Corps (the 19-th selection) as a candidate for shuttle pilots. He was examined and interviewed at Lyndon Johnson Space Center in the fifth group of finalists from November 16, 2003.

From June 2004 to February 2006 he passed training at Johnson Space Center. On February 10, 2006 upon completion of his training he was qualified as a shuttle pilot and was assigned to the ISS Branch of the Johnson Center Astronaut Office.

On September 30, 2008 it was reported in NASA press release that Bresnik was appointed as a mission specialist to the shuttle crew (STS-129); the flight was scheduled for October 10, 2009.

He performed his first space flight on November 16 – 27, 2009 as a mission specialist of the Atlantis shuttle crew (STS-129). During the flight he performed two EVAs of the duration of 11 hours 50 minutes.

The mission duration was 10 days 19 hours 21 minutes.

On July 22, 2013 Bresnik together with astronaut Serena Aunyon participated in the fitting (in two stages of 4 hours each) of CST-100 Command Module. The astronauts were housed inside the module in rescue suits but the Boeing specialists conducted tests of communications, accessibility to the control panels and the equipment operation.

On October 05, 2015 he was presented to the Cosmonaut Training Center Management and the staff before training as a flight engineer of the ISS-54/55 prime crew; the launch is scheduled for 2017. During two training sessions (the first session lasted 4.5 weeks, the second session duration was 5 weeks) till the end of 2015 Bresnik passed training including the study of the structure and systems of the Soyuz MS manned transport spacecraft and the ISS Russian Segment. He became the first astronaut to pass the full course of training for a flight on the Soyuz MS spacecraft.

On February 1-3, 2016 he together with Sergei Ryazansky and Norisighe Kanai passed training for actions in case of the emergency landing in the wooded-marshy area in winter. For three days the crew performed the training timeline overcoming the difficulties occurred when working in uneasy weather conditions.

On May 6, 2016 his assignment to the prime crew of the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft was confirmed in NASA press release 16-047.

On June 24-28, 2016 Bresnik together with Sergei Ryazansky and Norisighe Kanai passed training for “water survival”. On June 24 the crew performed the required tasks of the so-called “dry” training, on June 27 – the “long” training tasks and on June 28 the crew performed the “short” training tasks.

On September 7, 2016 at the meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission it was preliminarily determined an appointment of Sergei Ryazansky, Norisighe Kanai and Randolf Bresnik to the crew ISS-52/53.

On March 30, 2017 Randolph Bresnik began to pass the integrated training as the backup crew flight engineer together with commander Sergei Riazansky. That day the examination training on the Soyuz MTV simulator was provided. On March 31 the crew passed the test training on the ISS Russian Segment.

On April 3, 2017 at the meeting of Interdepartmental Commission at the Cosmonaut Training Center the crew consisting of Sergei Riazansky and Randolph Bresnik was recommended to proceed with prelaunch training at the Baikonur Cosmodrome as the Soyuz MS-04 backup crew.

On April 19, 2017 at the meeting of the State Commission which was held at the Baikonur Cosmodrome (Training and Educational Center of Yu.A. Gagarin CTC) he together with Sergai Raizansky was approved in the Soyuz MS-04 backup crew.

On April 20, 2017 during the Soyuz MS-04 launch he was the vehicle flight engineer backup.