Dmitri Yuryevich Kondratyev, born in 1969 in Irkutsk, launched his first mission to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft on 15 December 2010. During his tenure, he served as a flight engineer for Expedition 26 and assumed command of the International Space Station for Expedition 27.
Military and Academic Background
Kondratyev completed flight training at the Alma-Aty Aviation Club in 1986. He graduated as a pilot-engineer from the Kacha Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots in 1990. Following his schooling, he served as a pilot and senior pilot within the air force, operating MiG-21, MiG-29, and Su-27 fighter aircraft. He is a Class 1 Air Force pilot and an instructor of General Parachute Training, having executed over 150 jumps. Beyond his military career, he earned a degree in economics from the Moscow State University for Economy, Statistics and Computer Science in 2000 and completed studies at the Yuri A. Gagarin Air Force Academy in 2004.
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Selected as a test-cosmonaut candidate in December 1997, Kondratyev underwent basic space training until March 2000. Over the following decade, he fulfilled multiple backup roles for space missions. Between May 2006 and April 2007, he acted as the Director of Operations for the Russian Space Agency, stationed at the Johnson Space Center. During this period, he obtained a private pilot license and an airline transport pilot license. He qualified as a test-cosmonaut in 2000.
Operations on Expedition 27
During his mission, Kondratyev performed two spacewalks to maintain the exterior of the orbital laboratory. On 21 January 2011, he and Oleg Skripochka deployed an antenna for a high-speed data transmission system and removed a plasma pulse generator from the Zvezda module. During a second spacewalk on 16 February 2011, the pair installed the Molniya-Gamma experiment to measure radiation during lightning and retrieved exposure panels from the Komplast experiment.
Fast facts
- Born: 1969, Irkutsk
- Military Rank: Colonel
- Expedition 27 Commander: 2011
- Spacewalks completed: 2
- Award: Hero of the Russian Federation
- Award: Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation (2012)
- Award: Nesterov Medal
- Citizenship: Russia
Questions readers ask
What military aircraft did he pilot?
Kondratyev flew the MiG-21, MiG-29, and Su-27.
What research did he conduct during his spacewalks?
He installed equipment for data transmission, plasma research, and gamma radiation measurement.
Achievements
- Educated at Kacha Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots
- Worked as astronaut
