Gennady Ivanovich Padalka
Gennady Ivanovich Padalka is a Russian Air Force officer and Roscosmos cosmonaut whose career made him one of the defining long-duration station of the Mir and International eras. Before cosmonaut selection, he trained as a military pilot and built the operational discipline that later shaped his work as a Soyuz commander and leader.
- Born
- June 21, 1958
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Krasnodar,Soviet Union
Flights
5
Spacewalks
10
EVA time
38 hours, 40 minutes
In space
878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes
Bio
Padalka's first mission was Soyuz TM-28, a long stay aboard Mir during Expedition EO-26. That flight placed him in the final years of Russia's Mir program, when crews were maintaining an aging station while preparing the transition to the new International Space Station partnership.
He later commanded or served on four ISS-linked Soyuz missions: Soyuz TMA-4, Soyuz TMA-14, Soyuz TMA-04M, and Soyuz TMA-16M. Across those flights he commanded multiple station expeditions, performed ten , supported research and maintenance, and became known for calm operational leadership during long orbital campaigns.
Padalka finished his flight career with 878 days, 11 hours, and 29 minutes in space, a world record at the time of his retirement and still one of the highest totals in human spaceflight history.