Sergei Viktorovich Zalyotin is a Russian cosmonaut and a veteran of two space missions. Zalyotin was born in Tula and attended the Borisoglebsk Higher Military School before becoming a fighter pilot in the Russian Air Force. He also holds a degree in ecological management. Zalyotin was selected as a cosmonaut candidate in 1990. In 2000, Zalyotin was a member of the final resident crew aboard the Mir space station. He briefly visited the International Space Station aboard Soyuz TMA-1 in 2002.
Soyuz TM-30 was the 39th mission and the 28th long-duration expedition to Mir space station. It was the final human spaceflight to Mir. The mission began on April 4, 2000, 05:01:29 UTC, launching Commander Sergei Zalyotin and Flight Engineer Aleksandr Kaleri into orbit. They docked with Mir two days later. During their stay there, cosmonauts performed an EVA and various maintenance and repair tasks. Station crew was visited by several Progress resupply spacecrafts. The mission was privately funded by MirCorp company, which planned to refurbish and privatize the aging Mir space station, however insufficient funding and investment made these plans impossible to come true. The mission concluded with a safe landing back on Earth on June 16, 2000, 00:44 UTC.
Low Earth OrbitSoyuz TM-34 was a visiting mission to ISS, which carried 3 cosmonauts and astronauts. Russian Commander, cosmonaut Yuri Gidzenko alongside Flight Engineer, ESA astronaut Roberto Vittori and Flight Engineer/Spaceflight Participant Mark Shuttleworth launched aboard the Soyuz spacecraft on April 25, 2002, 06:26:35 UTC. They docked with the station two days later. During their stay there, crew assisted Expedition 4 members in station work. Soyuz TM-34 crew returned aboard Soyuz TM-33, landing safely back on Earth on May 5, 2002, 03:51:53 UTC.
Low Earth OrbitSoyuz TMA-1 covers Expedition 5 and 6 by carrying 3 astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station. Russian Commander, cosmonaut Sergei Zalyotin alongside Flight Engineers, Frank De Winne (ESA) & Yury Lonchakov (RSA) will launch aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and then rendezvous with the station. The landing crew on TMA-1 are Commander Nikolai Budarin (RSA) and Flight Engineers Kenneth Bowersox (ESA), Donald Pettit (NASA). It landed on May 4, 2003, 02:04:25 UTC
Low Earth OrbitThe Roscosmos State Corporation for Space Activities, commonly known as Roscosmos, is the governmental body responsible for the space science program of the Russian Federation and general aerospace research. Soyuz has many launch locations the Russian sites are Baikonur, Plesetsk and Vostochny however Ariane also purchases the vehicle and launches it from French Guiana.