Russian Cosmonaut In Ethiopia
By Mekonnen Teshome
Dr. Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, the 124th cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, is in Addis Ababa to deliver a Public Lecture, according to the Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSGI).
Sergey spent 185 days in orbit in 2020-2021 working as a flight engineer alongside his Russian and American colleagues.
Sergey will make public lecture and share his experiences of space to Ethiopian space enthusiasts and students . Russia is a pioneer in space exploration. It contributed a lot to humanity by developing space technologies and skills that enable human being to make the first steps in space .
Sergey was born on 23 August 1983; he was selected in 2010 by Roscosmos. He made his first spaceflight in 2020 aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer for ISS Expedition 63/64.
In 2006, Kud-Sverchkov graduated with honours from Moscow State Technical University with a degree specializing in rocket engineering.
Sergey Kud-Sverchkov worked as an engineer at RSC Energia from August 2006 until being selected to become a cosmonaut in April 2010 with another engineer of RSC Energia, Andrei Babkin.
The Cosmonaut Sergey
After he was selected, Kud-Sverchkov began approximately two years of training from which he graduated in August 2012, becoming available for assignment to a long-duration flight to the International Space Station.
In 2014, he participated in the ESA CAVES mission of the European Space Agency alongside Scott Tingle, Alexander Mirsurkin, Luca Parmitano and Matthias Maurer.
He also participated in the ESA PANGAEA program in November 2018. This was the third mission of the Pangaea program. Kud-Sverchkov and veteran ESA astronaut Thomas Reiter went to the Ries Crater in Germany, the Italian Dolomites and the volcanic landscapes of Lanzarote, Spain. ESA’s Pangaea program prepares astronauts and space engineers to identify planetary geological features for future missions to the Moon, Mars and asteroids
In May 2020, Kud-Sverchkov was assigned to ISS Expedition 63/64 as a flight engineer. He launched aboard Soyuz MS-17 on 14 October 2020 alongside Russian cosmonaut Sergey Ryzhikov, commander of the Soyuz MS spacecraft, and NASA astronaut Kathleen Rubins.
The Soyuz MS-17 followed a 2-orbit rendezvous and docking procedure to dock with the Rassvet module of the ISS 3 hours and 3 minutes after launch. This was the first time a crew reached the ISS in less than 4 orbits and approximately 6 hours.
2020 Expedition
On the 18th of November 2020, Kud-Sverchkov, wearing the Orlan MKS-N°4 suit, performed his first spacewalk with his crewmate Sergey Ryzhikov. The spacewalk begin at 15:12 UTC and finished after 6 hours and 48 minutes.
The tasks were a leak tightness check for the exit hatch in Poisk, replacement of the liquid flow regulator’s removable panel on Zarya (aborted because of a “bulky bolt”), work on scientific equipment, commutation of the Tranzit-B antenna on Pirs to the Poisk module (to ensure continuity of communications with the Orlan suits), and changing the position of sensors for the precipitation and pressure control unit on the Poisk module.
On the 19th of March 2021, he and his Soyuz crew mate performed a relocation of their Soyuz from the Rassvet module to the Poisk to let Rassvet for the Soyuz MS-18 schedule to arrive at the station on the 9th of April 2021. The ride lasted 34 minutes and was performed manually by Soyuz Commander, Sergey Ryzhikov They returned to Earth on 17 April 2021, after almost 185 days in orbit.
The Public Lecture by Sergey Kud-Sverchkov organized in collaboration with Russian Embassy will be held tomorrow, Friday 31 March 2023, at the Addis Ababa science and Technology University (AASTU) starting at 10:00AM (4 seat local time) and everyone is invited, SSGI statement noted.