Sergei Alexandrovich VOLKOV

Colonel of the Russian Federation Air Forces,
Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation
Test Cosmonaut-Instructor
of Yu.A. Gagarin CTC, Russia

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: April 1, 1973, town of Chuguev, Kharkov Region, Ukraine.
Farther: Alexandr Alexandrovich Volkov, born in 1948, Hero of the Soviet Union, USSR Pilot-Cosmonaut, retired colonel.
Mother: Anna Nikolayevna Volkova (Volik), born in 1950, librarian.

FAMILY STATUS: married.
Wife – Natalya Viktorovna Volkova (Shinkarenko), book-keeper.
In his family there are two children.

EDUCATION: In 1995 he graduated from Tambov Higher Military Aviation School after M.M. Raskova for Pilots specializing in “Command Tactical Bombardment Aviation”.

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 and Space Exploration Service Medal; Order For Services to the Fatherland Fourth Class.

HOBBY: Sports and games, tennis, wind-surfing, reading, likes to see museums.

WORK EXPERIENCE: From March 5, 1996 he was a pilot and from April 30, 1996 till his being enlisted in Cosmonauts Corps he had served as commander assistant of air squadron ship for control and relaying. The has flown the following airplanes: L-29, L-39, TU-134, IL-22. Total flying time is about 350 hours. He was qualified as Class 3 Military Pilot.

On December 26, 1997 he was enlisted as a test cosmonaut candidate to RGNII CTC after Yu.A. Gagarin.

From January 1998 to November 1999 he passed general space training course and on December 1, 1999 he was qualified as a test cosmonaut.
In January 2000 he took part in space flight training as member of the team under the ISS Program.

From September 2001 to February 2003 he undertook training as the Commander of Soyuz-ТМА transport space vehicle (call sign – “Eridan”) and ISS pilot included in the ISS-7 backup crew together with Sergei Krikalev and Paul Richardson (in March 2002 John Phillips replaced him). Following the Columbia Shuttle catastrophe, from February to October 2003 he trained together with Sergei Krikalev and John Phillips included in the ISS Prime Crew, which was to be launched onboard STS-114 Orbiter. In September 2003 the crew had ceased training due to a changed STS-114 Mission Program.

In February 2004 he was included in ISS-11 Prime Crew and resumed training. He was expected to be delivered to the ISS by STS-121. However, in January 2005 it was decided to include ESA cosmonaut Thomas Reiter in ISS-11 crew. Due to this fact, he was taken out of ISS-11 crew and ceased training.

In late July 2005 he was enlisted in the combined cosmonauts team designated as ISS-15/16/17, upon which ISS-15, ISS-16 and ISS-17 crews had been formed. On August 15, 2005 he got down to training within this team at RGNII CTC.

From February 13, 2006 he got training at RGNII CTC under the program of ISS-10 Visiting Expedition backup crew. On March 30, 2006 during Soyuz-ТМА-8 transport space vehicle he was backup participant of space flight. In May 2006, by the decision of Roscosmos, RGNII CTC and RSC Energia he was appointed preliminarily commander of transport space vehicle of ISS-17 Prime Grew, together with Oleg Kononenko.

From June 2 through June 10, 2006 he took part in training in Sevastopol (Ukraine) focused on cases of failed water landing of descent vehicle with conventional crew consisting of Oleg Kononenko and Daniel Tani. In August, by the Roscosmos/NASA joint decision he was preliminarily appointed ISS-17 Commander of Soyuz-ТМА-12, the launch of which was scheduled for April 2008.

On November 6, 2007 at the meeting of Roscosmos Interdepartmental Commission for Selecting Cosmonauts and their Enlistment in Crews of Manned Space Vehicles and Stations he was approved as the Commander of ISS-17 and Soyuz-ТМА-12 transport manned space vechicle.

He performed his first flight from April 8 to October 24, 2008 as commander of the Soyuz TMA-12 spacecraft and the ISS prime crew – 17.

During the flight he performed 2 EVAs, namely on July 10, 2008 – of the duration of 6 hours 18 minutes and on July 15, 2008 – of the duration of 5 hours 54 minutes.

The flight duration was 198 days 16 hours 20 minutes 31 seconds.

In April 2009 it was reported that Volkov was assigned to the backup crew of the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft. In July 2009 it was reported that he was assigned to the prime crew for Expedition 28 to the ISS. On October 7, 2009 his assignment was confirmed by NASA (press-release № 09-233).
At a period of January 20 to February 2, 2010 Volkov as the preliminary crewmember together with Ronald Garan and Michael Fossum participated in a two-day training for survival in the uninhabited locality in case of the emergency landing of the descent vehicle. The training passed in the forest new Moscow.

On April 26, 2010 at the meeting of the Interdepartmental Committee for selection of cosmonauts and their assignment to the manned spacecraft and station crews he was qualified as a cosmonaut of Yu.A. Gagarin CTC cosmonaut detachment.

On September 14, 2010 at the Cosmonaut Training Center he together with Oleg Kononenko and Ronald Garan passed the preflight examination training on the simulator of Soyuz TMA vehicle. On September 15, 2010 the crew passed the examination training on the ISS Russian Segment.

On September 17, 2010 by decision of the Interdepartmental Commission he was approved as the backup crew commander of Soyuz TMA-M vehicle. On September 21, 2010 his assignment was confirmed at the meeting of the Federal Space Agency board.

During the launch of Soyuz TMA-M TV on October 8, 2010 he was the vehicle commander backup.

On May 12-13, 2011 Sergey Vlokov together with Michael Fossum and Satoshi Furukawa successfully conducted the examination training on the ISS Russian Segment and Transport Vehicle simulator. On May 16, 2011 Volkov was approved by the Interdepartmental Commission as commander of the Soyuz TMA-02M prime crew.

On May 23, 2011 his appointment was confirmed at the board meeting of Federal Space Agency (FSA).

He performed his second space flight from June 7 to November 22, 2011 as commander of the Soyuz TMA-02M vehicle and a flight engineer of the ISS Prime Expedition 28/29. During the flight on August 3, 2011 he performed one spacewalk of the duration of 6 hours 22 minutes.

The mission duration was 167 days 6 hours 12 minutes.

On December 5, 2012 during a press conference based on the annual flight presentation by the crew he was appointed a backup of the Russian crewmember Mikhail Kornienko the launch of whom is scheduled for March 2015.

At a period of January 20 – 22, 2014 Sergey Volkov together with Andreas Mogensen and instruction of CTC S.V. Talankin participated in autonomous comprehensive training for actions in case of the emergency landing in a wooded-marshy area in winter.

On February 19, 2015 at the meeting of the State Medical Board at Yu.A. Gagarin CTC he was acknowledged fit to the space flight as the backup crew flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA-16M vehicle.

On March 4, 2015 Volkov began to pass the integrated training as the backup crew flight engineer of the vehicle together with the vehicle commander Aleksei Ovchinin and flight engineer Jeffrey Williams. On March 4 the examination training on the Soyuz TMA simulator was provided. On March 5 the crew passed the test training on the ISS Russian Segment.

On March 6, 2015 at the meeting of the State Commission at Yu.A. Gagarin CTC Sergei Volkov was approved as the backup crew flight engineer of MTV Soyuz TMA-16M.

On March 26, 2015 at the meeting of the State Commission at the Baikonur Cosmodrome he was approved as the backup crew flight engineer-1 of MTV Soyuz TMA-16M.

On March 27, 2015 at launch of MTV Soyuz TMA-16M Volkov was a backup of the vehicle flight engineer-1.