NAME: Oleg Dmitievich Kononenko
Test Cosmonaut of RKK ENERGIA

PERSONAL DATA: Born June 21, 1964, in Chardzhow, Turkmenia (part of the USSR till 1991). Married to the former Tatiana Mikhailovna Yurieva. His mother, Taisia Stepanovna Kononenko, resides in Chardzhow, Turkmenistan. His father, Dmitry Ivanovich Kononenko, died in 1993.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Chardzhow High School, Turkmenia in 1981. Graduated from Kharkov Aviation Institute (KhAI) in 1988 as a mechanical engineer/aircraft engine specialist. While at KhAI he attended the Moscow State Postgraduate courses for managers, engineers and scientists and was qualified as a patent specialist/inventor. In 1989 he graduated from the Kaliningrad Refresher Courses for managers (Moscow Region). In 1990 Oleg Kononenko graduated from the Postgraduate Courses of the Kuibyshev Aviation Institute (Samara) where he specialized in automation of control systems design.

SPECIAL HONORS: Best young specialist of the Samara Central Design Bureau (1991).

EXPERIENCE: From 1981 to 1982 Oleg Kononenko worked at the Chardzhov aviation logistics enterprise as a technician. After graduation from the Kharkov Aviation Institute he worked at the Central Design Bureau in Samara as an engineer, design engineer and leading design engineer. His responsibilities included design and development of aircraft power supply systems.

In 1996 Oleg Kononenko was selected as a test cosmonaut candidate to the Cosmonaut Corps of the Samara Central Design Bureau.

From June 1996 to March 1998 he attended basic training and in March 1998 was qualified for flight assignment as a test cosmonaut.

Since October 1998 he has attended test cosmonaut advanced training for a space flight to the International Space Station (ISS).

In January 1999 he was assigned to the RKK ENERGIA Cosmonaut Corps as a test cosmonaut.

In December 2001 Oleg Kononenko was assigned as a flight engineer of the Taxi-3 back-up crew.

MAY 2002