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Salizhan Shakirovich SHARIPOV

Colonel, RF Air Force,
Test Cosmonaut of Yu. A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Russia

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH: August 24, 1964, Uzgen, Oshsk Area, Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic (Kirgizia).
Father: Shakirzhan Sharipov, born in 1929, a pensioner.
Mother: Turgnai Sharipova (Tashmatova), born in 1936, a pensioner.

EDUCATION: In 1987 he graduated from Kharkov Higher Military Pilot School after S.I. Gritsevets, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union with a diploma of engineer pilot, specializing in Command Tactical Fighter Aviation. In 1992-1994 he was at the International Center of Training Systems (tuition by correspondence) of the State Academy of Oil and Gas on the Aerospace Ecology faculty specializing in the Mated Processing of Aerospace Ecological Materials. Upon graduation from it he got a qualification of engineer-ecologist, and a degree of Master of ecological management.

FAMILY STATUS: Married.
Wife: Nasiba (Nadezhda) Mavlianovna Sharipova (Satkulova), born in 1964, an economist, works at the Savings Bank of the Star City.
Daughter: Nigara Salizhanovna Sharipova, born in 1988.
Son: Zhakhongir Salizhanovich Sharipov, born in 1992, a schoolboy.

AWARDS AND RANKS:
Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation (1988), Hero of the Kirghiz Republic (Kyrgyz Respublikasynyn Baatyry) (1998), First Cosmonaut of the Kirghiz Republic. He is decorated with Gold Star Medal of the Hero of the Kirghiz Republic (Ak Shumkar Medal, 1998), Russian Federation Air Force Medals, Space Flight Medal, NASA (1998).

HOBBY: Football, book-reading.

WORK EXPERIENCE:
In 1987-1990 he served as a pilot-instructor of the Central Training Extension Courses for Air Staff of the military district, Central Asia, Tokmak. He flew aircraft L-29, L-39, MiG-21. He has logged about 950 flight hours. He is the 3-rd class military pilot, 3-rd class military pilot-instructor.
On August 8, 1990 he was enlisted in the cosmonaut detachment of the Air Force CTC. From October 1990 to March 1992 he passed a course of general space training and on March 11, 1992 a qualification of a test cosmonaut was conferred on him.
In 1992-1997 he passed training in the cosmonaut group under the program of flights to the Mir Orbital Complex.
From August 1997 to January 1998 he passed training as a member of the STS-89 crew at the Johnson Space Center, USA.
On January 22-31, 1998 he performed the first space flight as a mission specialist onboard the Endeavour Shuttle (STS-89) under the program of the 8-th docking of the Shuttle with the Mir Orbital Complex. He worked onboard the Mir Orbital Complex together with Russian cosmonauts A. Soloviev and P. Vinogradov and U.S. astronaut D. Wolf as well. The flight duration was 8 days, 19 hours, 46 minutes, 54 seconds.
From March 1998 to February 1999 he passed training as the backup crew commander under EC-27 program for the Mir Orbital Complex together with Claudie Andre-Deshaus (Haignere) (France) and Mihal Fulier (Slovakia).
On February 20, 1999 he was a backup of V. Afanasiev, commander of the Soyuz TM-29 spacecraft.
From March 1999 to March 2000 he passed training as the backup crew commander under EC-28 program for the Mir Orbital Complex together with P. Vinogradov.
On April 4, 2000 he was a backup of S. Zaletin, commander of the Soyuz TM-30 spacecraft.
Presently he is training for a space flight in the ISS-9 backup crew as commander.

March 2004.
By the data presented by Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center and reference book The Soviet and Russian Cosmonauts, 1960-2000.