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Yury V. Usachev

Yury Vladimirovich Usachov
Usachev.jpg
Cosmonaut/Astronaut
Nationality Russian
Status Retired
Born (1957-10-09) October 9, 1957 (age 59)
Donetsk, Rostov Oblast, Russia
Other occupation
Mechanical Engineer
Time in space
552d 22h 25min
Selection 1989 NPOE Cosmonaut Group
Missions Mir EO-15 (Soyuz TM-18), Mir EO-21 (Soyuz TM-23), STS-101, Expedition 2 (STS-102 / STS-105)
Mission insignia
Soyuz TM-18 patch.png Soyuz TM-23 patch.png Sts-101-patch.png Sts-102-patch.png Iss expedition 2 mission patch.png Sts-105-patch.png
Awards Hero of the Russian Federation medal.png

Yury Vladimirovich Usachov (Russian: Юрий Владимирович Усачёв; born October 9, 1957 in Donetsk, Rostov Oblast, Russia) is a former cosmonaut who resides in Star City, Moscow. Usachov is a veteran of four spaceflights, including two long duration missions on board the Mir Space Station and another on board the International Space Station. During his career, he also conducted seven spacewalks before his retirement on April 5, 2004.

Married to Vera Sergeevna Usachova (née Nazarova) from the Kaliningrad. They have one daughter, Zhenya. His mother, Anna Grigorevna Usachova resides in Donetsk. His father is deceased. He has a brother, five years older, and a twin sister, five minutes older. He enjoys photography and video production.

Usachov graduated from the Donetsk Public School in 1975. In 1985, he graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute with an engineering diploma.

Upon graduation from the Aviation Institute, he went to work for Energia, participating in groups working with EVA training, future construction in space, public relations, and ergonomics.

In 1989, he was appointed to the position of cosmonaut candidate at the Cosmonaut Training Center. From 1989 to 1992, he underwent a course of general space training. He was a member of the back-up crew for the Mir-13, 14 and 19 missions. From January 8, 1994 to July 9, 1994, he served as Board Engineer on Space Station Mir.

Usachov made his first trip into space on January 8, 1994. The Soyuz TM-18 spacecraft carrying Usachov with cosmonauts Viktor Afanasyev and Valeri Polyakov lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 10:05:34 UTC. Usachov served as the Flight Engineer. After two days of solo flight, Soyuz TM-18 docked at the Kvant-1 module of the Mir space station on January 10 at 11:15 UTC. The three cosmonauts became the 15th resident crew of the Mir. Usachov joined as a Flight Engineer. He was on board the Mir on January 14, when the departing Soyuz TM-17 spacecraft struck Kristall module two glancing blows during the customary inspection fly-around prior to the deorbit burn. After the incident, the EO-15 crew on Mir checked over Kristall and found no damage. During Usachov's stay three Progress spacecraft arrived at Mir. On 30 January, on March 24 and on May 24: Progress M-21, Progress M-22 and Progress M-23 spacecraft arrived at Mir. The Progress spacecraft delivered food, water, fuel, spare parts and equipment for the maintenance of Mir's systems and additional equipment for medical experiments.


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