VOLKOV Alexander

Astronaut Russia. Born May 27, 1948 in the town Gorlivka Donetsk Oblast of Ukrainian SSR (now - Republic of Ukraine). In 1970 he graduated from the Kharkov Higher Military Aviation School behalf SI Gritsevets. After graduating from college he served in the Air Force instructor pilot of the USSR. He mastered several types of aircraft. Has qualification "Military Pilot Class 1" and "test pilot in class 2". In 1976 he enlisted in the detachment of Soviet cosmonauts (1976 Group of the Air Force? 6). It has been a full course of cosmonaut training and preparing to fly to the ship type Soyuz T and orbital stations Salyut. His first space flight began on Sept. 17, 1985 together, Vladimir Vladimirovich Vasyutin and Georgi Grechko as a cosmonaut-researcher of the Space Shuttle Soyuz T-14 ",
. He worked on board the orbital station Salyut-7 ". Owing to illness, the commander of the flight crew was prematurely terminated. Returned to Earth on Nov. 12, 1985 aboard the same ship together with Vladimir Vasyutin and Viktor SAVIGNY.

Length of stay in space was 64 days 19 hours 52 minutes. In December 1987, was part of the backup crew during the flight of Soyuz TM-4. His second space flight began April 26, 1988, together with Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev and French astronaut Jean-Loup Chretien as commander of Soyuz TM-7 and fourth expedition on board the orbital station "Mir",
. Returned to Earth March 27, 1989, together with Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev. Length of stay in space was 151 day, 11 hours, 8 minutes. In May 1991, was part of the backup crew of spacecraft "Soyuz TM-12". His third space flight began on Oct. 2, 1991, together with the Kazakh cosmonaut Toktar Ongarbaevichem Aubakirova and Austrian cosmonaut Franz FIBEKOM as commander of Soyuz TM-13 ". He worked on board the orbital station "Mir". Returned to Earth March 25, 1992, together with Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev and German astronaut, Klaus-Dietrich Flood on board the same ship. Length of stay in space was 175 days 2 hours 51 minutes. Over 3 flights in space flew 391 day 9 hours 51 minutes. Graduated in absentia of the Military Political Academy imeni VI Lenin. In 1988 - 1991 years - deputy commander of the cosmonaut training center for Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on the political part of. Since 1991 - the commander of the cosmonaut corps.

Hero of the Soviet Union (Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of 20 December 1985). He was awarded the Order of Lenin, the October Revolution, Friendship of Peoples. Commander of the Order of the Legion d'Honneur (France).