Oleg Atkov

Oleg Atkov on a 1985 Soviet stamp
Cosmonaut
Nationality	Soviet / Russian
Born	(1949-05-09) 9 May 1949 (age 67) Khvorostyanka, USSR
Other occupation	Medical Doctor
Time in space	236d 22h 49m
Selection	1983
Missions	Soyuz T-10/Soyuz T-11
Awards	Hero of the Soviet Union Order of Lenin

Oleg Yur'yevich At'kov (Russian: Оле́г Ю́рьевич Атько́в; born 9 May 1949) is a Russian cardiologist and former Soviet Cosmonaut. With a doctorate from the Russian Academy of Medical Science, Atkov was chosen to be the health specialist on board Soyuz T-10 and Soyuz T-11. After Atkov's rather long time in space, he returned to work at the Myasnikov Institute of Clinical Cardiology to continue his research on the adaptation of weightlessness and cardiology. With his published research and time in space, Atkov holds two of the USSR's highest honors; The Order of Lenin and the Title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Atkov currently serves as the vice president of Russian Railways and is a professor of medicine at the Russian National Research Medical University.

Oleg Yur'yevich Atkov was born May 9, 1949, in Khvorostyanka, the former USSR. In 1973, Atkov graduated from I.M. Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University. After his studies at the University, he worked on postgraduate training and received from the Russian Academy of Medical sciences his doctorate in cardiology. Upon receiving his doctorate, Atkov started as a research fellow at the Myasnikov Institute of Clinical Cardiology of the Academy of Sciences and soon became the senior research fellow. He gained some fame in his field when he discovered a method to diagnose cardiovascular diseases using ultrasound.

Atkov is notable for his lengthy time in orbit, with a total flight time of 236 days, 22 hours, and 49 minutes. As a cardiologist, it was his duty to monitor the health of the other cosmonauts on board and to research the long term effects of zero gravity on the human body.

In 1977, Oleg Atkov joined the training group of the Soviet cosmonauts. On September 3, 1983 Dr. Atkov was selected to be part of the AMN selection group along with Ural N. Sultanov and Magomed O. Tolboyev. On February 8, 1984 Atkov made a spaceward flight as a cosmonaut-researcher at the spaceship "Soyuz T-10V".

In 1984, a space flight was performed on board the orbital complex Salyut-7-Soyuz-T. The crew consisted of Oleg Atkov (Cosmonaut Researcher), member Leonid D Kizim (the commander), and Vladimnir A. Solovyov (the Flight-Engineer). As the cardiologist, Atkov brought with him his own invention—a portable ultrasound cardiograph—which he would use to over see the crews health throughout their time in space. The initiative for this team was to continue a major medical task that would advance the study of the acute stage of adaptation to weightlessness, phenomenology, and mechanisms of changes in hemodynamics, metabolism, and other functions. At the end of the Soyuz-T10 expedition, Atkov had estimated a total of 87 days spent on flight dedicated to medical work. When the three cosmonauts landed back on Earth they realized that they had become the new space endurance record holders, staying up in space over a month longer than Soyuz-T5. The crew spent a total of 236 days, 22 hours, and 49 minutes in space.