Yury Onufriyenko logged 389 days in space over the course of two extended missions, serving as a commander on both the Mir space station and the International Space Station. A career military pilot who transitioned into cosmonaut training, he accumulated 42 hours and 33 minutes of extravehicular activity across eight separate spacewalks during his time in orbit.
Military Foundation and Early Training
Born in 1961 in Riasne, Ukraine, Onufriyenko followed a path in military aviation. He graduated from the V.M. Komarov Yeysk Higher Military Aviation Institute in 1982, receiving a pilot-engineer diploma. His early service involved logging over 800 flight hours operating aircraft such as the L-29, L-39, Sukhoi Su-7, and various iterations of the Sukhoi Su-17. In 1994, he furthered his academic qualifications by earning a degree in cartography from Lomonosov Moscow State University.
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Selected as a cosmonaut candidate in 1989, Onufriyenko underwent general space training before joining the test cosmonaut group. He commanded the Mir EO-21 expedition, launching aboard Soyuz TM-23 on 21 February 1996. During this 193-day mission, he oversaw the arrival of the Priroda module and conducted various scientific research, including materials science experiments utilizing the Optizon high-temperature melting oven. His mission concluded with a landing near Akmola on 2 September 1996.
International Space Station Command
Onufriyenko returned to orbit as the commander of Expedition 4 on the International Space Station. Launching on 5 December 2001 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour for the STS-108 mission, he spent 196 days aboard the station alongside Daniel W. Bursch and Carl E. Walz. The crew focused on maintaining station hardware and preparing the facility for expanded scientific research before returning to Earth on 19 June 2002 via STS-111.
Extravehicular Activity
His eight career spacewalks contributed to critical station development and scientific data collection. Between March and June 1996, he performed six spacewalks on Mir, which included installing the Mir Cooperative Solar Array on the Kvant-1 module and deploying the modular optoelectrical multispectral scanner. He performed two additional spacewalks during his tenure on the International Space Station.
Fast facts
- Born: 1961, Riasne
- Military rank: Colonel
- Total days in space: 389
- Total spacewalk time: 42 hours and 33 minutes
- Education: Yeysk Higher Military Aviation Institute, Lomonosov Moscow State University
- ISS Expedition 4 commander: 2001-2002
- Hero of the Russian Federation awarded: 1996
Questions readers ask
What was the purpose of the Pepsi can inflatable model during the 1996 spacewalk?
Onufriyenko and Yury Usachov inflated a model of a Pepsi can during a spacewalk to be filmed for a television commercial, though the footage was never broadcast.
Which major space stations did Yury Onufriyenko serve on?
He served as a mission commander on both the Mir space station and the International Space Station.
Achievements
- Knight of the Legion of Honour
- Educated at Yeysk Higher Military Aviation Institute and Lomonosov Moscow State University
- Worked as astronaut, aircraft pilot and test cosmonaut
