Zalyotin Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male. Born in Shchekino, Tula, Russia. Soviet Air Force Soviet Air Force Soviet Air Force

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: Air Force Group 11 - 1990. Inactive Entered space service: 8 August 1990. Left space service: 20 September 2004. Number of Flights: 2.00. Total Time: 83.69 days. Number of EVAs: 1.00. Total EVA Time: 0.20 days.

Official NASA Biography

NAME: Sergei Zaletin (Lieutenant Colonel, Russian Air Force)
Test Cosmonaut at the Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

PERSONAL DATA: Born April 21, 1962, in the town of Tula. Resides at Star City, Moscow region. His wife, Elena Zaletina, was born Jun 21, 1962. They have a son, Sergei. His mother, Valentina Zaletina, lives in Tula. His father, Viktor Zaletin, died in 1988. Sergei Zaletin enjoys sports, art, traveling.

EDUCATION: In 1983, Sergei Zaletin graduated from the Borisoglebsk Higher Military School of fighter pilots.

In 1994, he graduated from the International Training Systems Center with a specialty in ecologically balanced resource management applications for aerospace systems. He also holds a master of ecological management degree.

EXPERIENCE: He is a 1st Class Air Force Pilot, Instructor. He is a Flight Commander, and has logged a total of 1,400 hours. He has flown L-29, L-39, MIG-21, MIG-23, SU-17.

Sergei Zaletin joined the cosmonaut corps in 1990. He completed a general space training course in 1992. He was the back-up crew commander for the 26th Mir expedition in 1998.

FEBRUARY 1999

• 4 April 2000 Flight: Mir EO-28. Flight Up: Soyuz TM-30. Flight Back: Soyuz TM-30. Flight Time: 72.82 days.

• 30 October 2002 Flight: ISS EP-4. Flight Up: Soyuz TMA-1. Flight Back: Soyuz TM-34. Flight Time: 10.87 days.

11 May 1990 - Soviet Air Force Cosmonaut Training Group 11 selected..

This morning Expedition Five Flight Engineer Peggy Whitson set up and activated the ultrasound equipment at the Human Research Facility rack in the Destiny laboratory, then with guidance from flight surgeons in Houston, used it on herself to capture live video images for more than four hours. The ability to capture and downlink ultrasound imagery from orbit expands the kinds of medical research that can be conducted in space by scientists on Earth, and could offer physicians the chance to diagnose ailments in space station crewmembers earlier than they could otherwise. This possibly could improve the chances of effectively treating the problem without requiring an emergency deorbit of the crew and abandonment of the station.

Whitson completed another research milestone on Wednesday when she removed the last sample of the experiment known as SUBSA (Solidification Using Baffle in Sealed Ampoules), the first science project conducted inside the Destiny lab's new Microgravity Sciences Glovebox. Investigators observed via videotape as semiconductor materials were melted inside a transparent furnace. They are investigating methods for reducing the magnitude of motions in those melting materials as a means of reducing defects in the manufacture of semiconductors. The next MSG experiment, which begins operation next week, is PFMI (Pore Formation and Mobility Investigation), in which scientists will observe the formation and movement of bubbles trapped in melting metal and crystal samples, which might diminish material strength and effectiveness.

Thursday, Expedition Five Commander Valery Korzun and Whitson used the station's Canadarm2 to visually examine the Common Berthing Mechanism on the nadir (Earth pointing) side of the Unity module. The examination was prompted by the discovery of some foreign object debris on the CBM of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module that was docked to Unity during the most recent shuttle mission in June. During a three-hour procedure, the station crewmembers gathered close-up views of Unity's berthing port with its protective petals closed and open. Specialists in Houston are reviewing the images along with crewmember descriptions to determine if any action is required.

Wednesday night Russian flight controllers commanded a firing of thrusters on the Progress cargo craft docked to the aft end of Zvezda, raising the station's average altitude by 1.5 nautical miles to 243 statute miles (391 kilometers). The reboost sets the stage for the arrivals of a new Progress resupply ship, targeted to launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan Sept. 24, and a new Soyuz rescue craft, planned to launch on Oct. 28 carrying a "taxi" crew consisting of Russian cosmonaut Sergei Zalyotin and European Space Agency astronaut Frank De Winne of Belgium.

Along with getting time for rest and family conferences last weekend, the station crewmembers fashioned a temporary grounding strap for the Active Rack Isolation System in the Destiny laboratory's Express Rack No. 2 using standard grounding straps found in the lab's zero-g stowage racks. This temporary repair, permitting ARIS activation for operations recalibration, became necessary when the original strap became frayed. New hardware to finalize this repair is being scheduled for delivery to the station on the next shuttle flight.

The shuttle that next will visit the International Space Station moved to Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida Tuesday for final preparation for the next assembly mission (9A). STS-112 is targeted for an Oct. 2 launch on a flight to install the next component of the station's Integrated Truss Structure, the S1 Truss, during three planned spacewalks. The move to the launch pad was completed following replacement of bearings in the Jacking, Equalization and Leveling cylinders of shuttle Crawler Transporter No. 2.

Next week Korzun and Whitson are expected to return to maintenance of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly in the Destiny laboratory, which is still scrubbing the station's environment of carbon dioxide despite indications of interior leaks. Troubleshooting by flight controllers in Houston led to the conclusion that the desiccant valves in the Desiccant/Sorbent Bed Assemblies are seated properly, and that a leak is likely in one of the hydroflow lines; a visual inspection of that area by Whitson confirmed the analysis. Time should be scheduled for Korzun and Whitson next week to open the system rack housing CDRA, as they did when they replaced one of the sorbent bed assemblies in July, to make repairs.

Next week, the taxi crew will bring a new Soyuz to the station and remain on board the ISS for eight days. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch at 9:11 p.m. CST Oct. 29 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Docking to the station is scheduled for 11 p.m. CST Oct. 31. The taxi crew will undock the Soyuz now at the station and land Nov. 9. The crew, which consists of Russian Commander Sergei Zalyotin, European Space Agency Flight Engineer Frank DeWinne from Belgium and Russian Flight Engineer Yuri Lonchakov, will perform science experiments during their stay on board.

Endeavour is planned to launch from the Kennedy Space Center Nov. 10 between midnight and 4 a.m. EST. Endeavour's STS-113 flight will deliver the next segment of the station's backbone, the (P1) Truss, and the three members of the station's Expedition 6 station crew.

The Expedition 5 crewmembers - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev - have already begun packing for their return to Earth aboard Endeavour.

On Thursday, from the robotic workstation in the Destiny lab, Whitson and Korzun successfully "flew" the space station robotic arm through a dry run of the procedure to install the P1 truss. Working in the station's Quest airlock, Whitson prepared the batteries and air regeneration system for the spacesuits that STS-113 spacewalkers Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington will wear when they conduct three spacewalks to help install and activate the P1 truss to the station.

Whitson's own science investigation on board the space station was completed this week with a final data collection. The experiment tests a drug that may prevent the formation of kidney stones during long duration space flights.

Flight controllers at Houston's Mission Control Center Houston sent new files to the three systems computers in the Destiny lab module this week. The computers run life support, thermal control and power systems in the lab. The new files upgraded the operating system in Destiny for the first time since it was mated to the station in February 2001.

Russian "taxi crew" Commander Sergei Zalyotin, European Space Agency Flight Engineer Frank DeWinne from Belgium and Russian Flight Engineer Yuri Lonchakov lifted off in dense fog in the new Soyuz TMA-1 vehicle at 9:11 p.m. Central time (311 GMT Oct. 30). About nine minutes later, the new Soyuz had reached orbit and its solar panels and navigational antennas had deployed.

The new Soyuz is designed to accommodate larger or smaller crewmembers, and is equipped with upgraded computers, a new cockpit control panel and improved avionics. Zalyotin, who commanded the last mission to the Mir Space Station in 2000, DeWinne, a first-time flier, and Lonchakov, who flew on the shuttle Endeavour to deliver the Canadarm2 robotic arm to the ISS in 2001, are scheduled to dock their Soyuz vehicle to the station's Pirs Docking Compartment Thursday night around 11 p.m. CST (500 GMT Nov. 1) for the start of eight days of joint operations. Hatches between the Soyuz and the ISS are scheduled to swing open around 12:40 a.m. CST Friday (640 GMT).

The Expedition 5 crewmembers - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev - were asleep at the time of the Soyuz launch. When they are awakened, they will begin their 147th day in space, the 145th day aboard the ISS.

After arriving at the station, Zalyotin, DeWinne and Lonchakov will join their Expedition resident colleagues in performing a variety of scientific experiments, many of them furnished under a commercial contract between the European Space Agency and the Russian Aviation and Space Agency on behalf of DeWinne. The taxi trio is scheduled to board the Soyuz TM-34 return craft that has been linked to the ISS since April, and undock on Nov. 9 for a landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

A fresh Soyuz is delivered to the ISS every six months to provide an assured return capability for station residents in the unlikely event a problem would force them to come home prematurely.

Russian "taxi crew" Commander Sergei Zalyotin, European Space Agency Flight Engineer Frank DeWinne from Belgium and Russian Flight Engineer Yuri Lonchakov docked their new Soyuz TMA-1 capsule to the Russian Pirs Docking Compartment of the ISS at 11:01 p.m. Central time last night (501 GMT Nov. 1) as the two craft flew 230 statute miles over central Russia, linking up to the ISS along side an older Soyuz TM-34 return vehicle which has been at the station since April. Zalyotin, DeWinne and Lonchakov will depart the ISS in the older Soyuz on Nov. 9.

A fresh Soyuz is delivered to the ISS every six months to provide an assured return capability for station residents in the unlikely event a problem would force them to come home prematurely. The new Soyuz is designed to accommodate larger or smaller crewmembers, and is equipped with upgraded computers, a new cockpit control panel and improved avionics.

The Expedition 5 crewmembers - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev - monitored the arrival of their new visitors from the Zvezda Service Module to which the Pirs docking port is attached.

After conducting leak checks between the Soyuz and the ISS, hatches swung open between the two spacecraft at 12:26 a.m. Central time (626 GMT), enabling the six crewmembers to greet one another and receive congratulatory calls from Russian and European dignitaries gathered at the Russian Mission Control Center in Korolev, outside Moscow.

The visiting "taxi" crew will spend eight days on the ISS. During that time, DeWinne will conduct a host of scientific experiments, some of them in the Microgravity Glovebox housed in the station's Destiny Laboratory.

The arrival of the "taxi" crew sets the stage for the launch of the shuttle Endeavour Nov. 11 to bring a new crew of residents to the ISS to replace Korzun, Whitson and Treschev, who have been in space since June. Endeavour's crew, led by Commander Jim Wetherbee, will also deliver the Port One (P1) truss segment to the ISS, the fourth of 11 such trusses which form the backbone for the ISS for the addition of new modules and power-producing solar arrays.

-MOREDetails about the final days of the work on orbit by the Expedition Five crew and the progress of the Soyuz "taxi" flight to the station will be offered in an ISS Mission Status Briefing to be held at the Johnson Space Center, TX on Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 1 p.m. CST.

The week started out with Expedition 5 Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev making sure station systems are ready to support installation of the next piece of the orbiting outpost's truss structure. They performed a final checkout of the Mobile Transporter, Canadarm2, the Quest airlock, and the spacewalk tools and equipment that already are on board. After those activities were complete, they began pre-packing items that will come home with them aboard Endeavour, which is set to launch with a replacement crew between 11 p.m. Sunday and 3 a.m. Monday CST.

Once the Port One (P1)1 truss is installed, the Expedition 5 crew will hand over control of the station to Expedition 6 Commander Ken Bowersox and Flight Engineers Nikolai Budarin and Don Pettit and return home with Endeavour's crew - Commander Jim Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart and Mission Specialists Mike Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington.

The visiting taxi crew - Commander Sergei Zalyotin, European Space Agency Flight Engineer Frank DeWinne from Belgium and Russian Flight Engineer Yuri Lonchakov - will undock from the station at 2:41 p.m. CST on Saturday. Zalyotin will fire the Soyuz deorbit engines at 5:10 p.m., bringing his crew in for a landing on the Kazakh steppes at 6:04 p.m.

The taxi crew, which rode into orbit aboard an upgraded Soyuz TMA capsule with more legroom and more modern cockpit controls, displays and computers, will ride home in the older Soyuz TM-34 return vehicle that has been at the station since April. A fresh Soyuz is delivered to the ISS every six months to provide an assured return capability for station residents in the unlikely event they would need to come home early.

During their eight-day stay on the station, the taxi crew conducted a host of medical, protein crystal growth and materials processing experiments. With DeWinne leading the investigations, the crew looked at human physiology in microgravity and how crystals grow and alloys form inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox in the Destiny Laboratory module.

Flight controllers in Houston are troubleshooting with the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly in the Destiny lab. CDRA is a system of absorption beds, tubing and valves that remove excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere after it is expelled during breathing and vents it overboard. Two of six valves appear to be malfunctioning, causing the system to shut down several hours after it is started. The system supplements the station's Russian Vozdukh carbon dioxide removal system when more than three crewmembers are on board.

Troubleshooters have confirmed that a recent lab systems software update is not the cause of the problems, and they are refining their activation procedures to try to support the upcoming shuttle and Expedition 6 crews with CDRA using additional ground commanding. Lithium hydroxide canisters, which absorb carbon dioxide through a chemical process, may also be used to supplement the primary system; one canister was used during some of the CDRA troubleshooting activities.

The Elektron unit that generates oxygen by separating the oxygen and hydrogen atoms from water molecules also is not working properly. Korzun and Treschev conducted troubleshooting activities this week and are scheduled to replace the unit's liquid electrolysis module on Sunday. Additional oxygen is available in the Progress vehicle docked to the aft end of Zvezda. Oxygen and nitrogen also are available in tanks attached to the Quest airlock. Oxygen also is available from Russian oxygen generating "candles."

Saturday's departure of the taxi crew will set the stage for the launch of the shuttle Endeavour. The crew arrived at the Kennedy Space Center last night, and the launch countdown began today. Endeavour will take the 1 truss structure and additional resupply items, as well as two replacement valves for the station's CDRA system to the ISS. The three-pound aluminum replacement valves are about 5 by 9 by 6 inches, and look like valves in a home air conditioning system.

Russian "taxi crew" Commander Sergei Zalyotin, European Space Agency Flight Engineer Frank DeWinne from Belgium and Russian Flight Engineer Yuri Lonchakov undocked the Soyuz TM-34 capsule from the Zarya Control Module's nadir docking port at 2:44 p.m. Central time (2044 GMT) and backed away from the ISS to a safe distance through a series of thruster firings. The Soyuz TM-34 vehicle arrived at the ISS in April. Left behind docked to the Russian Pirs Docking Compartment of the ISS is the new Soyuz TMA-1 return craft which carried Zalyotin, DeWinne and Lonchakov from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan during their launch on Oct. 30. They arrived at the ISS on Nov. 1.

A fresh Soyuz is delivered to the ISS every six months to provide an assured return capability for station residents in the unlikely event a problem would force them to come home prematurely. The new Soyuz is designed to accommodate larger or smaller crewmembers, and is equipped with upgraded computers, a new cockpit control panel and improved avionics.

The Expedition 5 crewmembers - Commander Valery Korzun, NASA ISS Science Officer Peggy Whitson and Flight Engineer Sergei Treschev - bid the "taxi" crew farewell earlier today before closing hatches between the station and the Soyuz return vehicle.

Later today, Zalyotin will perform a deorbit maneuver using the Soyuz thrusters to begin the descent back home for a landing on the steppes of Kazakhstan at 6:04 p.m. Central time (0004 GMT Nov. 10, 5:04 a.m. Kazakhstan time Nov. 10).

The departure of the "taxi" crew sets the stage for the launch of the shuttle Endeavour on the STS-113 mission early Monday to bring a new crew of residents to the ISS to replace Korzun, Whitson and Treschev, who have been in space since June. Endeavour's crew, led by Commander Jim Wetherbee, will also deliver the Port One (P1) truss segment to the ISS, the fourth of 11 such trusses that will form the backbone for the ISS for the addition of new modules and power-producing solar arrays.