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Valeriy Grigoryevich KORZUN

Colonel, test-cosmonaut
of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center NII, Russia

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: March 5, 1953, Krasniy Sulin, Rostovskaya Area. Father - Grigoriy Andreevich Korzun, retired. Mother - Maria Arsentyevna Korzun, retired.

EDUCATION: in 1974 he graduated fro Kachinsk higher military aviation pilot school after A.F. Myasnikov. In 1987 - Gagarin Military Aviation Academy.

MARITAL STATUS: married.
Wife - Elena Ivanovna Korzun (Nazina), born in 1953, research officer of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center NII.
Son - Nikita, born in 1979.

AWARDS AND RANKS: Hero of Russian Federation, pilot-cosmonaut of Russian Federation, Cavalier of Legion of Honour (France), has been awarded with Russian and NASA medals.

HOBBY: tennis, badminton, theater.

WORK EXPERIENCE: from 1974 till 1984 he was on service at the Military Air Force. First-class military pilot. He has got flight of 1500 hours. He has learned 6 types of air-planes. He is a trainer of the Military Air Force PDP (377 parachute jumps).
In 1987 he was taken on the list of the cosmonaut team.
From 1987 till 1991 he was under general space training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and training as a part of cosmonaut team for the Mir station program.
May 20 to July 10, 1991, he trained for a space mission as a commander of the main crew for a visiting mission to Mir. The training stopped due to a change in flying program and re-forming of crews.
October 1991 through March 1992 he trained for a mission to Mir as as the commander of a backup crew under the program of Expedition 11.
October 1992 through March 1994 he trained within a group of cosmonauts under the program of Soyuz TM crew rescue vehicle.
March 1994 through June 1995 he trained within a team of cosmonauts under Mir program.
October 1995 through July 1996 he trained as the commander of a backup crew under Russian/US/French program Expedition-22/NASA-3/"Cassiopeia". Because of the main crew commander falling ill, he was appointed in his stead.
August 17, 1996, through March 2, 1997, he accomplished the first 197-day space mission as the commander of Soyuz TM-24 and Mir under the program of Expedition-22/NASA-3,-4,-5/"Cassiopeia"/Mir-97, together with C.Andre-Deshaus (France) and R.Evald (Germany). He perfomed two space walks with the total duration of 12 hours 36 minutes.
Since January 15, 1999 he is a commander of the cosmonaut corps of the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Pilot-Cosmonaut, 2nd class.
June 15, 1999 through July 6, 2000 he trained as the commander of a backup crew of ISS-1R under the program of the ISS crew rescue vehicle. Presently he is training as the commander of a backup ISS-3 crew and the commander of the main crew of ISS-5.

August, 2001