Biographical Data

NAME: Yuri Pavlovich Gidzenko (Colonel, Air Force)
Test Cosmonaut of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

PERSONAL DATA: Born March 26, 1962 in the village of Elanets, Nikolaev region. Married to Olga Vladimirovna Gidzenko, born in 1961. They have two sons, Sergei and Alexei.

EDUCATION: Graduated from the Higher Military Pilot School in Kharkov (Ukraine) in 1983, and from the Moscow State University of Geodesy and Mapping in 1994.

SPECIAL HONORS: Hero of the Russian Federation.

EXPERIENCE: Upon graduation from pilot school in 1983,Yuri Gidzenko served in the Air Force as a pilot and a senior pilot.

December 1987 to June 1989, he attended basic space training as a test cosmonaut candidate. Since September 1989 he attended advanced training as a test cosmonaut candidate.

Gidzenko is an instructor of general parachute training. He has logged a total of 145 parachute jumps.

March to October 1994 he trained for a space flight as a back-up crew commander (17th Primary Expedition/Euro-Mir-94 Program).

November 1994 to August 1995 he attended training for a space flight aboard the Soyuz TM transport vehicle/Mir orbital complex as the Expedition 20 Primary Crew Commander (Euro-Mir-95 Program). Yuri Gidzenko served aboard Mir from September 3, 1995 to February 29, 1996, and logged 180-days in space. One of the crewmembers on this mission was an ESA astronaut.

In October 1996, Gidzenko received his assignment as the ISS-1 crewmember, and started training as the ISS pilot and the Soyuz transport vehicle commander. Yuri Gidzenko served aboard the Soyuz transport vehicle/ISS/Space Shuttle from October 31, 2000 to 21 March 2001, and logged an additional 140 days in space.

Since August 2001 Gidzenko has been training as the Taxi-3 crew commander. Launch is scheduled for April 22, 2002.

JANUARY 2002