Soyuz TMA-21

Aleksandr Samokutyayev

• Birthday: 03/13/1970
• Role: Commander
• Nationality: Russian
• First Flight: 04/04/2011
• Last Flight: 09/25/2014

Aleksandr Mikhailovich Samokutyayev (Александр Михайлович Самокутяев – born 13 March 1970 in Penza / Penza Oblast / Russian SFSR) is a former Russian cosmonaut. Samokutyayev served as a Flight Engineer for the International Space Station (ISS) long duration Expedition 27/28 missions. He also served as the Soyuz TMA-21 commander. He most recently served on the Soyuz TMA-14M Expedition 41/42 crew aboard the ISS. He was hired as a cosmonaut in the summer of 2003.

Andrei Borisenko

• Birthday: 04/17/1964
• Role: Flight Engineer
• Nationality: Russian
• First Flight: 04/04/2011
• Last Flight: 10/19/2016

Andrei Ivanovich Borisenko (Андрей Иванович Борисенко – born April 17, 1964 in Leningrad, Russia) is a Russian cosmonaut. He was selected as a cosmonaut in May 2003, and is a veteran of two long duration missions to the International Space Station.

Borisenko served as a flight engineer onboard Soyuz TMA-21 for Expedition 27, the 27th long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He also served as the commander of the International Space Station for Expedition 28. He launched for the second time in October 2016 onboard Soyuz MS-02 as a flight engineer of Expedition 49 and Expedition 50. He returned to Earth in April 2017.

Ronald J. Garan Jr.

• Birthday: 10/30/1961
• Role: Flight Engineer
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 05/31/2008
• Last Flight: 04/04/2011

Ronald John Garan Jr. is a NASA astronaut. After graduating from State University of New York College at Oneonta in 1982, he joined the Air Force, becoming a Second Lieutenant in 1984. He became an F-16 pilot, and flew combat missions in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Before becoming an astronaut he was the Operations Officer of the 40th Flight Test Squadron (FTS). He first flew in space as a Mission Specialist on the STS-124 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He returned to ISS on April 4, 2011, for a six-month stay as a member of Expedition 27.

Soyuz TMA-21

• Type: Human Exploration
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit

Soyuz TMA-21 begins Expedition 27 by carrying 3 astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station.
Russian Commander, cosmonaut Aleksandr Samokutyayev alongside Flight Engineers, Andrei Borisenko (RSA) & Ronald J. Garan (NASA) will launch aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and then rendezvous with the station.
It landed on September 16, 2011, 03:59:39 UTC

1/5

Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan

1/5 has witnessed the launch of 487 rockets, including 487 orbital launch attempts, while Baikonur Cosmodrome, Republic of Kazakhstan, has been the site for 1547 rocket launches.

Progress Rocket Space Center Soyuz FG

The Soyuz FG rocket is an expendable launch vehicle most commonly known for carrying humans to the International Space Station today.

Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)

The 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.