Fyodor Yurchikhin

Fyodor Yurchikhin, born on January third, nineteen fifty-nine, is a distinguished Russian cosmonaut of Pontic Greek descent, renowned for his multifaceted career as an engineer, economist, and aircraft pilot. His journey into the cosmos began with a remarkable ten-day mission aboard the Space Shuttle during STS-112, marking the start of an illustrious career in space exploration.

Yurchikhin's expertise as a flight engineer was showcased during his long-duration stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for Expedition 15, where he was launched in the Soyuz TMA-10 spacecraft. This mission laid the groundwork for his subsequent long-duration missions, including his participation in Expeditions 24 and 25, where he launched aboard Soyuz TMA-19 and returned in November two thousand ten.

In his fourth mission, Yurchikhin took on the role of Soyuz commander for Soyuz TMA-09M, serving as flight engineer for Expedition 36 and later as ISS commander for Expedition 37. His leadership and experience were further highlighted in April two thousand seventeen when he launched on Soyuz MS-04 for his fifth spaceflight, a six-month mission to the ISS as part of Expeditions 51 and 52, where he served as commander.