NII TsPK picture

Gennady Ivanovich PADALKA

Colonel, RF Air Force, retired,
Pilot-cosmonaut of Russian Federation,
Yu.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: June 21, 1958, Krasnodar, RSFSR (Russia).
Father: Ivan Vasilievich Padalka, born in 1931.
Mother: Valentina Mefodievna Padalka (Melenchenko), born in 1931.

EDUCATION: In 1979 he graduated from Eisk Higher Military Pilot School after V.M. Komarov. In 1994 after training at the International Center of Training Systems he got a qualification of engineer-ecologist and a degree of Master of ecological monitoring.
In 2007 he graduated from the Russian Government Service Academy at the President of the Russian Federation.

FAMILY STATUS: Married.
Wife: Irina Anatolievna Padalka (Ponomareva), born in 1959.
Daughters: Yulia, born in 1979, Ekaterina, born in 1985 and Sofia, born in 2000.

AWARDS AND RANKS:
Hero of the Russian Federation, Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation.
Decorated with the Gold Star Medal of the Hero of the Russian Federation, Order for Services to the Fatherland Fourth and Third Classes, Medal of the International Fund of Cosmonautics Support for Services to Cosmonautics, Medal for Services in Space Exploration and RF AF Medals.
Prize winner of the Russian Federation Government in the field of science and technology.

HOBBY:
He is keen on theatre, sport games, running, swimming, skiing, badminton and parachute sport. In April 2005 he rided in air balloon Holy Russia over the North Pole.

WORK EXPERIENCE:
In 1979-1984 he served as a pilot, master pilot in guards fighter bomber regiments of the Soviet Forces Group in Germany and from 1984 to 1989 he served in Air Force units of Far-Eastern military region.
He is the 1-st class military pilot. By the time of enlistment in the cosmonaut detachment he mastered aircraft L-29, MiG-15UTI, MiG-17, Su-7B, Su-7U, Su-7BM, Su-24. He logged more than 1200 hours, made more than 300 parachute jumps.
In 1989 he was enlisted in the cosmonaut detachment.
From June 1989 to January 1991 he passed a course of general space training at Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
On February 1, 1991 a qualification of a test-cosmonaut was conferred on him by decision of the Interdepartmental Qualification Committee.
In 1991-1996 he passed training in the group under the program of flights to the Mir Station.
From September 1996 to July 1997 he passed training as the backup crew commander under PC-24 program on the Mir Station together with S. Avdeev and Jean-Pierre Haignere (France).
In 1997 he was a backup of A. Soloviev, commander of the Soyuz TM-26 spacecraft.
In October 1997 - July 1998 he passed training as the prime crew commander of the Soyuz TM-28 spacecraft for flight under PC-26 program together with S. Avdeev and Yu. Baturin.

From August 13, 1998 to February 28, 1999 he performed the first space flight as the commander of the Soyuz TM-28 spacecraft and Mir Orbital Complex under PC-26 program together with S. Avdeev and Yu. Baturin. He made a landing together with I. Bella (Slovakia). During the flight he made one egress into open space and one transfer to the Spektr depressurized module; the total duration of these operations was 6 hr. 26 min. The mission duration was 198 days 16 hours 31 min.

On February 3, 1999 he was appointed as commander of the backup crew under PC-29 program together with S. Treschev by decision RSA Board. However, on June 1, 1999 General Designers' Review adopted a decision on the Mir Orbital Complex shift to the unmanned flight mode since August 1999 and the crew including G. Padalka - S. Treschev was broken up.
From June 15, 1999 to July 6, 2000 he passed training as the prime crew commander under ISS-1R program for flight to the Zvezda Service Module (in case of failure of automatic docking to the ISS) together with N. Budarin.
From November 2000 he passed training for flight under ISS-4 program together with M. Fink and S. Robbinson as the backup crew commander.

He performed the second space flight from April 19 to October 24, 2004 under the ISS Expedition-9 program as the ISS commander, Soyuz TMA-4 spacecraft commander. The ISS-9 crew received and unloaded the Progress M-49 and M-50 cargo transport vehicles, provided four ascents of the ISS orbit, restored CMG-2 power, repaired EMU and Electron-VM oxygen generation system, made scientific experiments and research under the Russian, U.S. and European programs. The Station was handed over to the crew for Expedition-10. During the flight he made four spacewalks of the total duration of 15 hours 44 min. The mission duration was 187 days 21 hours 16 min.

In May 2008 Padalka together with Michael Barrat (USA) began training as the ISS-18 back-up crew commander.
On September 18-19, 2008 he passed preflight tests with an excellent mark together with Michael Barrat, NASA astronaut at Yu.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center.
On October 12, 2008 during the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft launch Padalka was the spacecraft commander backup.
On March 3-4, 2009 at the Cosmonaut Training Center Padalka together with NASA astronaut Michael Barrat and member of the visiting expedition, space tourist Charles Simonyi passed the preflight examinations with an excellent mark.

He performed his third space flight from March 26 to October 11, 2009 under the program of the ISS prime crew Expedition 19/20 (the ISS-19/20) as the ISS commander.
During the flight he performed two walks into open space of the total duration of 5 hr 6 min.
On October 9, 2009 during the official ceremony of handover he delegated his powers as commander to ESA astronaut Belgian Frank De Winne.
The flight duration was 198 days 16 hr 42 min.

In January 2010 it was announced that Padalka was assigned to the backup crew of Expedition 29 to the ISS.
On January 16, 2010 it was announced that he was assigned to the prime crew of Expedition 31/32 to the ISS (the ISS-31/32). On July 8, 2010 his assignment was officially confirmed by NASA in press-release 10-161.
At the meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission for selection of cosmonauts and their assignment to the crews of the manned vehicles and stations on April 26, 2010 Padalka was certified as a cosmonaut of Yu.A. Gagarin CTC NII detachment.
In January 2011 he took part in trainings for survival in the forest near Moscow as commander of the preliminary crew together with Joseph Acaba and Alexei Khomenchuk.

September 2011.
By the data presented by Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
and site www.astronaut.ru