Yuri Lonchakov

Infobox Astronaut
name =Yury Valentinovich Lonchakov


type =Cosmonaut
nationality =Kazakh / Russian
date_birth =4 March, 1965
place_birth =Balkhash, Kazakhstan
occupation =Pilot
rank =Colonel, Russian Air Force
selection =1997
time =22d 18h 24m
mission =STS-100, Soyuz TMA-1
insignia =|

Yury Valentinovich Lonchakov ( _ru. Юрий Валентинович Лончаков; born 4 March, 1965) is a Russian cosmonaut and a veteran of two space missions.

Lonchakov was born in Balkhash and entered the Russian Air Force following graduation from high school in 1982. He served as a paratrooper and pilot and was selected as a cosmonaut candidate in 1997. Lonchakov's first spaceflight was Space Shuttle mission STS-100, visiting the International Space Station. Lonchakov again visited the ISS in 2002 aboard the Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA-1.

He was assigned as a Flight Engineer on Expedition 19 [Cite web| url=http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/feb/HQ_08052_Crew_Announcements.html|title=NASA Assigns Crews for STS-127 and Expedition 19 Missions |accessyear=2008|accessmonthday=February 11| publisher=NASA| year=2008| author=NASA] , but was transferred to the Expedition 18 crew as a Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander, after Salizhan Sharipov was removed from the crew due to health concerns.

References

External links

* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/lonchakov.html NASA Biography]