Cosmonaut Suraev Maxim: biography (photo)

Maxim Suraev is a Colonel of the Air Force, the first Russian astronaut to lead his blog from orbit and regularly answers questions from readers.

Pilot-cosmonaut Maxim Suraev

Many children of the Soviet Union saw themselves in their dreams as cosmonauts, they wanted to explore the universe, as Yuri Gagarin did in his time. Dreams are dreams, and it is not everyone who succeeds in carrying this desire through the years and realizing it.

104th cosmonaut of Russia and 503rd world. This is how the hero of this article appears before us. A bright slogan in which the desire to promote mankind was traced, and new horizons opened before him, was followed by cosmonaut Maxim Suraev. His biography is full of numerous awards and merits, and his smile is compared with the smile of Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin.

Below we will get acquainted with this outstanding personality in more detail.

A little about Suraev's childhood

MV Suraev was born in Chelyabinsk on May 24, 1972. The future cosmonaut spent his childhood in the town of Shadrinsk in the Kurgan region. Having reached the junior school age, in 1979 he was enrolled in the secondary school No. 5 in Noginsk, which is located in the Moscow region.

Maksim Viktorovich grew up in a military family and began thinking about the continuation of the family dynasty in early childhood. But nevertheless, the profession of the cosmonaut was never discussed. Looking at his father, the Air Force colonel, and in the past a military pilot, Suraev decided without hesitation to follow his father's path. The cosmos then seemed to him something supernatural and unattainable.

Student years

After the end of the ten classes, Suraev was enrolled in the first course of the Military School. Myasnikov, which he later graduated with a diploma of military-special higher education pilot-flight engineer. Later, he was assigned to the Voronezh Air Force Academy. Zhukovsky, who graduated with a red diploma in June 1997. After a lapse of years, he also received training in the RAGS in the direction of "jurisprudence" with the assignment of further qualification of a lawyer.

The first "space" steps

In early 2007, Suraev Maxim already commanded a group of novice space explorers RGNII CTC. Later, in early August 2009, by order of the head of the FGBU and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, he was appointed commander-in-chief of the cosmonaut detachment of the FGBU CCP.

On this basis, Maxim Suraev was received by order of the Ministry of Defense in the detachment of the RGNII CPC as a possible candidate for test cosmonauts and then was recommended for admission to the above-mentioned detachment. About a year Suraev carried out the necessary training. Two years later he was already awarded the title of test cosmonaut.

Introduction to the ISS

As part of this unit, since 2000, he has started training based on the provisions established by the program of flights to the International Space Station. Four years later he was sent to exercise in accordance with the survival program, which operates in cases of emergencies at the Baikonur.

In August 2005, he began preparations for participation in the RGNII of the CPC in the number of the above composition. The result of this operation was to be his inclusion in the work of a space station flight engineer, as well as the commander in the reserve unit of the ISS-15. Simultaneously with N. Stott and T. Kopra participated for two days in a test aimed at surviving in non-residential areas in the event of an emergency landing, where he was appointed commander of the temporary structure. The place of this test was the Moscow region, planted with forest.

In early May of the same year, Suraev was elected in advance as a design engineer for the reserve unit of the future expedition of the ISS-17. By mutual consent of NASA and Roskosmos, in May 2006 Maxim Suraev was appointed commander in chief of "SOYUZ-TMA-12". The cosmonaut was also awarded this post in February 2007 and officially by the NASA department.

By a unanimous decision of the Roskosmos collegium, he was later elected a participant in the reserve structure of the ISS-19, the departure of which took place in March 2009.

Thus, since January Suraev was on the ISS-22 team, and in February of the same year NASA solemnly announced his acceptance into the main unit. In the summer of 2008, he was appointed a member of the ISS-21 and the commander of the crew "SOYUZ-TMA-16". This post was witnessed by Roskosmos, and then the same decision was made by NASA.

"Battle baptism" Suraev was accomplished on September 30, 2009. Then he acted as commander of "UNION TMA-16", and also became a participant of space research expeditions Nos. 21 and 22. In October of the same year the ship made a successful docking with the ISS. And on January 10, Maxim Viktorovich Suraev held his debut entry into open space.

Their ship was undocked on March 18, after 169 days.

Hobbies and interests

His main hobbies astronaut considers game sports, reading, caravanning. In addition, the first person who began to continuously share his impressions of the flights, taking the appropriate pictures, is cosmonaut Maxim Suraev. Photos of his flights give an opportunity to see the beauty of the cosmos.

Personal life

In June 1997, immediately after receiving the diploma, Suraev married Anna Kharohordina. He is also the happy father of two beautiful daughters: Arina and Xenia. Victor Grigorievich, the father of an outstanding cosmonaut, was once awarded the rank of Air Force Colonel. In his youth, Viktor Grigorievich gave lectures in the Chelyabinsk school of navigators. Maxim Viktorovich is not the only child in the family. He grew up with his sisters - Daria and Natalia.

Awards and achievements

Many gratitudes and decorations were received by Maxim Suraev. The cosmonaut was awarded the Medal of Honor "For Services in the Development of Outer Space", which is awarded for a significant contribution to the development of research activities. Also this medal is a gratitude for the continued cooperation and continuous socially useful activity.

In his native Noginsk he was awarded the title of honorary figure of the Noginsk municipal district. And in June 2010 Suraev Maxim was awarded the title "Valor of Kuzbass".

Despite such significant services, the Ministry of Defense did not support the CPC Council to award the cosmonaut Maxim Suraev with the title Hero of the Russian Federation. Not once sent the CPC to the Ministry of Defense a recommendation to assign this rank to Suraev, who has a large number of flights behind him and lived on the ISS for about six months. But, despite such great merits, the Ministry of Defense refused. They argued this is a lack of grounds for awarding the title of this kind.

And, finally, on the decree of President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, on October 30, 2010 Suraev Maxim was awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

Finally

Such is the great Russian cosmonaut, public figure, researcher Maxim Suraev. His biography is full of many merits, his contribution to the development of space science in Russia can not be overestimated.

He was the first who could grow real wheat ears on the ISS. Despite such significant merits, Suraev did not dream of dreams of rewards. Day by day his photos are inspired by the future conquerors of the stars, who are just stepping on their cosmic path.

To date, Maksim Surayev has been awarded a high military rank and proudly wears a cosmonaut-researcher status. His blog of space travel is daily viewed by a huge number of users from all over the world. He also made the first astronaut, who conducted the broadcast and answered the questions of "earthlings", staying in outer space.

Astronaut Maxim Suraev is also the first who started actively blogging during his star travels. Photos and video of his flights give us the opportunity to personally touch the mysteries of the vast universe.