Zaletin Sergey Viktorovich Deputy of the Regional Duma. Zalyotin, Sergey Viktorovich

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Zaletin Sergey Viktorovich (1962- gg.)

Short biography:

Russian cosmonaut:№92;

Astronaut of the world:№392;

Number of flights: 2;

EVAs: 1;

Duration: 82 days 40 hours 35 minutes;

Sergey Zaletin- 92nd Russian cosmonaut and Hero of Russia: biography with photo, personal life, first flight, Mir station, spacewalk, Soyuz commander.

92 cosmonauts of Russia and 392 cosmonauts of the world.

Zalyotin Sergey Viktorovich was born on April 21, 1962. Small homeland - Tula region, the city of Shchekino.

Sergey studied at secondary school No. 13. After graduating in 1979, he entered the Borisoglebsk Aviation School. After graduation, he served as a pilot and won a certain prestige. He served as a senior pilot and flight commander. He often took to the skies. The pilot's track record includes more than 1300 flight hours, about 210 parachute jumps, he mastered 5 types of aircraft.

Space

After walking on the ground, flying in the air, Zalyotin decided not to stop and send him into an airless space. His space journey "started" in 1990. He becomes a candidate for cosmonauts, and after completing general training - a test cosmonaut. From this moment, another stage of training begins - they are going to send Zalyotin to the Mir orbital complex.

Sergei's first flight was scheduled for 1999, but was canceled for financial reasons. It was possible to break away from the Earth only on April 4, 2000. The astronaut spent more than 72 days away from the planet (he was the commander of the Soyuz TM-30 spacecraft and the Mir orbital complex). Among the other tasks of the astronaut was going beyond the space house, into outer space. As Zalyotin himself recalls, it is a dangerous business, it requires good preparation and does not give the right to make a mistake. The team coped with all the tasks, and in June 2000 returned to Earth.

The next, second start to the stellar flight sounded for the Shchekino astronaut on October 30, 2002. The crew included three people. Zalyotin - commander, and two engineers. The expedition was short (just over 10 days).

For two flights, the astronaut was awarded. The title of Hero of the Russian Federation was awarded for the first, and the Order of Merit for the Fatherland for the second flight. In 2003, the name Zalyotin was given to his native school No. 13.

Despite the love of flying, Sergey Zalyotin decided not to stop on extraterrestrial achievements. Back in 1994, he graduated from the State Oil and Gas Academy and became a qualified environmental engineer. Later, in 2007, the space pilot again goes to study and graduates with honors from another academy - the Air Force Academy. Gagarin.

In 2004, Sergei Zalyotin leaves space activities and is engaged in socio-political. Nominates his candidacy for the post of deputy of the Tula Regional Duma. He is supported in Shchekino, and he runs in the elections in 2004 and 2009.

Among the astronaut's hobbies are intellectual and sports games - he plays chess well and plays tennis.

Personal life

Sergei Viktorovich Zalyotin is married and has a son.

From April 4 to June 16, 2000 he made his first space flight as the commander of the Soyuz TM-30 and Mir spacecraft. During the flight he made one spacewalk. The flight duration was 72 days 19 hours 42 minutes.

From October 30 to November 10, 2002 he made the second space flight as the commander of the Soyuz TMA-1 and the fourth Russian visiting expedition to the ISS. The flight duration was 10 days 20 hours 53 minutes.

In December 2003, he ran for deputies of the State Duma of the Russian Federation of the IV convocation in the Shchekino single-mandate constituency No. 177 of the Tula region. In October 2004, he was elected to the Tula Regional Duma in the 12th single-mandate constituency (the city of Shchekino). He left the cosmonaut corps in October 2004 in connection with his election as a deputy of the Tula Regional Duma. Lives in the hero-city of Tula.

Hero of Russia (2000), holder of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 4th degree (09/01/2003), medals, including "For Merit in Space Exploration" (04/12/2011), the Order of the Crown of the Commander degree (2011, Belgium).

Laureate of the Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation for 2000, Honorary Citizen of Shchekino (2001).

Literature:

- Zaletin S. Star guest of the editors: Interview with S. Zaletin, cosmonaut, native of Shchekino / Vela L. Soshneva // Soshneva L. Shchekintsy / L. Soshneva. - Shchekino, 2011. - P.188-190.

Star guest of the editorial

Recently, the Hero of Russia, cosmonaut, honorary resident of the city of Shchekino Sergey Viktorovich Zalyotin, once again visited his native city and found time to visit the editorial office of the Shchekinsky Vestnik newspaper. Together with Sergei Viktorovich, the directors of the firm "Instrom" and the charitable foundation "Constellation" N. G. Gotsenko and V. S. Alyakin, accompanying him, became the guests of the editorial office. Sergei Viktorovich has just returned from a trip to Belgium. He, along with his flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov, was there at the invitation of his second flight engineer, astronaut of the European Space Association, Belgian Frank De Win. The conversation naturally developed into an interview with the astronaut.

- Sergey Viktorovich, what are your impressions of your last trip abroad?

From June 29 to July 8, our star crew visited Belgium, as well as those organizations in Germany and France that took part in the preparation of our flight to the International Space Station from October 30 to November 10 last year.

Were at the reception of the Belgian king. The audience lasted about three hours. They really treated us like royalty. True, for Frank, this was the second reception. The first - immediately after the flight into space. Flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov and I were given the rare opportunity to fly several flights on NATO combat aircraft, including the F-16, which we studied only theoretically.

We attended the meeting of both chambers of the Belgian Parliament. They, unlike ours, have equal rights and status and carry out their legislative activities, each in its own territorial half. But sometimes there are inconsistencies. Crossing this fictitious border, you notice, for example, the difference in funding for road construction and other infrastructures.

- Sergey Viktorovich, meeting with the Sheki cadets in the spring of this year, you promised to organize an excursion to the Star City for them. How are our boys? Didn't hesitate?

I confess, I always enjoy meeting these guys. They arrived, left, lined up, clearly reported on their arrival. And everyone's bearing, and discipline ... I was proud to introduce my young fellow countrymen to colleagues from Star City. In four hours they managed to see and learn a lot. We got acquainted with the hydrolaboratory, centrifuge, Mir station model, and other modules. The expedition ended with the laying of flowers at the monument to the first Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin.

- Sergey Viktorovich, doubts sometimes slip in the press whether American cosmonauts really were on the Moon? What if all the lunar landscapes with astronauts shown on television were filmed in one of the Hollywood pavilions?

Personally, I have no doubts about the authenticity of this historical fact. I worked for NASA for half a year, I saw the lunar soil and other physical evidence of the authenticity of these flights.

- You have already flown into space twice, spent a fair amount of time on the ISS. Have you personally met “flying saucers”, “little green men” and other inexplicable phenomena that ufologists “deal with”?

Serious pre-flight preparation practically excludes the very possibility of meeting in space with something “unknown”. And both of my flights confirm this. I personally did not meet any aliens in near-Earth space, just as I did not have to see their aircraft. However, I cannot categorically deny such “phenomena”. I am skeptical about the numerous eyewitnesses who talk in the media about their encounters with extraterrestrial beings and phenomena. But I believe my friend, a pilot, who, while serving in Germany, once saw a cigar-shaped object hanging over the runway, about 150 meters long and about 5 meters in diameter. After a few seconds, this object soared up and disappeared ...

- Do you hope to make a space flight?

As they say, God loves a trinity! I would also like to visit in space. Today, very interesting and long-term plans are being developed in the space field. For example, a human flight to Mars scheduled for 2018 is quite real. So today's boys from fantasies can move on to real preparation for future flights.

- Thank you, Sergey Viktorovich, for an interesting interview, which is clearly not limited to these newspaper lines, we wish you the realization of all your plans both in space and on earth.

Soshneva L. Shchekintsy / L. Soshneva. - Shchekino, 2011.- P.188-190.

- Zaletin S. An earthling from the city of Shchekino: An interview with S. Zaletin, a cosmonaut, a native of Shchekino / Vela M. Cherkasskaya // Shchekinsky Bulletin. - 2001. - January 13, - P.5.

Zaletin Sergey Viktorovich

April is an amazing, cosmic month. Sergey Zalyotin was born exactly one year later than the legendary start of Y. Gagarin at the Vostok. In April 2000, he celebrated his 38th birthday aboard the Mir Orbital Complex, a unique celestial laboratory that has already been visited by 135 cosmonauts from 11 countries and 30 international programs have been completed. This is the first birthday marked by him so far and high from the Earth, at a distance of 400,000 meters, and the first stellar flight in his biography. The 28th expedition to the Mir, which he led, was assessed by most experts as special: the crew of the Soyuz TM had to not only resurrect the station that had been flying in unmanned mode for more than six months and carry out complex (for about six hours S. Zalyotin and flight engineer A. Kaleri were in open space) repair and restoration work, but also to carry out a number of important scientific experiments.

Despite all the extremity and extreme richness of the program, limited time and funds, it was fully implemented. And in just over 70 days. A few days ago, Sergei Zalyotin arrived in Shchekino (where his family and friends live), our correspondent met with him and interviewed him.

First of all, I would like to congratulate you, Sergey Viktorovich, on your happy arrival on Earth (I apologize that these apologies were somewhat late), on your return home, to your hometown.

Thank you.

Probably, now, from the height of space flight, our Shchekino seems to you especially tiny and insignificant? Have you felt what is often referred to as "the pull of the Earth"?

Certainly. Your native roots are here on Earth - in the Cosmos you understand this especially sharply. We cannot live without this. For me personally, "nostalgia" is not just a beautiful word. I have very little free time, but at every opportunity I try to come to Shchekino, where, like in my own home, everything, down to the smallest detail, is equally close and expensive. It is very pleasant, joyful to see fellow countrymen once again, to communicate with them: you know many by sight, you have been friends since childhood. We meet with classmates every year: quite recently, at the end of August, there was such a meeting.

Your mother once said that there are, in general, a lot of astronauts now, but there is only one in Shchekino. Do you feel this burden of responsibility on yourself: in the sense that for us, Shchekinites, you are almost like Yuri Gagarin - the first?

Interest Ask. If only on a subconscious level, and so - perhaps not. For me, Yuri Alekseevich is a person of such a magnitude that I would not dare to compare myself with him in any way. And then, there are not so many of us: today there are 35 people in the detachment (for comparison, there are 120 astronauts in the USA).

- Total? But each Russian cosmonaut, I hope, costs 3-4 American ones?

Perhaps. I believe that the level of training of Russian cosmonauts, despite certain (including economic) difficulties, is still higher than that of the Americans. And there is nothing to say about our colossal orbital experience.

This inspires optimism. Unfortunately, we are starting to get used to the fact that everything is so bad and worthless here ... Did you have call signs, a serial number?

According to the account, I am the 92nd Russian cosmonaut and the 392nd - on a planetary scale. There were several call signs, the last one was “Yenisei”.

You graduated from the Borisoglebsk Higher Military School and mastered several types of aircraft. In my opinion, you are destined by fate to soar in space: you were born in Gagarin's April, and what does your last name sound like - Zaletin? When did you make the “decision” to commit your future to such a risky profession?

Long time ago, still in school. Like all boys, he read Belyaev, Efremov, dreamed, as they say, of the sky. But this dream acquired its clearest and most distinct outlines at the age of 12-13, when I first saw a snow-white airliner coming in for landing. It was at that moment that I realized that I would be a pilot.

So you are a romantic?

By the nature of my work, I am most likely a pragmatist. But without a certain amount of romanticism, I would probably not be able to fly and do research work. I like to sit by the fire, listen to a good, soulful melody. By the way, on board the Mir, Sasha (A. Kaleri - M.Ch.) and I listened to bards, Vysotsky. There was no time to rest - we did not watch video films, but listened to songs with pleasure. They did not distract from the work and did not let them feel cut off from the Earth.

Did you keep in touch with your family in any way?

Yes, twice a week we communicated with relatives: with the help of audio - (via the "space phone") and video. Each time - about 15 minutes.

About forty years ago, psychologists argued that a person who finds himself above the planet will tremble before the greatness of the Cosmos, will not be able to withstand loneliness, and his mind will become clouded. Did you feel fear when you were alone with the starry abyss?

If I say that I did not feel fear, you will not believe me, and you will do the right thing. But he could not afford to get bogged down in emotions, he simply had no right: the degree of responsibility was too great. Everything is scheduled not only by the hour, but by the minute, in accordance with the cyclogram (which is monitored by the Control Center). Working day from 9 am to 8 pm. There was no time to be afraid.

- How did you get into the cosmonaut corps: by chance or providence?

As a 1st class pilot, I understood that, in fact, I had reached my ceiling, I wanted more, and for this you need to rise higher. And above - only Space. And here the case helped. In the late 80s, while serving near Smolensk, “buyers” (as we called them) from the MCC came to our regiment. Six out of 64 people were selected, and I was one of them. Then there was a difficult, lengthy selection, a tough “rejection”, as a result of which I was left alone from this six. In 1990 he became a candidate, and in 1992 he received a diploma as a test cosmonaut.

The height of the Mir station is about 400 kilometers, the view is 4 thousand kilometers (from two windows): it’s not for nothing that the cosmonauts probably say that seeing our planet correctly is a whole art that needs to be learned?

Just looking at the Earth from the window is not difficult, but seeing exactly what you need is another matter. You really need to spend a certain amount of time on this (the speed of the ISS is almost 10 km / s). Without sophisticated gyroscopic equipment, of course, we would not be able to see either swirling Etna or forest fires, and also to conduct special surveys for volcanologists, for the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Were it not for the overcast, our productivity would no doubt be higher.

- What did you experience when you first saw the Earth from a borg spaceship?

You will not believe it, but only after 2-3 weeks from the moment I started working at Mir, for the first time, I had the opportunity to take a breath and look at our blue beauty. True, there is one more nuance here: doctors do not recommend looking down in the first days, so as not to provoke motion sickness (i.e., "motion sickness"): about half of the astronauts are predisposed to it.

No words can describe the sensations that I experienced at the same time: our language is too poor to describe the cosmic palette. All my feelings and emotions were "from the Earth" (I'm probably too earthly a person); and then already - from the sky itself, reminiscent of a mysterious black velvet: It was at that moment that I especially clearly realized that we are not alone in the Universe.

Sergey Viktorovich, I heard that there is almost an instruction that instructs cosmonauts to register UFOs and other anomalous phenomena with all the means available on board. Did you record anything... something?

Unfortunately, Kaleri and I were not lucky: we were not able to meet representatives of the Higher Mind there. But, to tell the truth, I would very much like such a meeting to take place.

- Did your ideas about Space, about working on the ISS coincide with what you saw and experienced in reality?

Yes, but only forty percent, at most - fifty. (It is one thing to train on a bench base, and another thing is direct work in orbit. First of all, as regards weightlessness. I will not hide the “Vestibulary” at an average level, so during the first two days I felt unwell. The ISS itself (International Space Station - M.Ch.) actually turned out to be much less spacious and comfortable, but this, in principle, should be so.

How did the “star house” meet your crew (which flew unmanned for almost 8 months): probably, with terrible darkness and unearthly cold?

It was just that there was no cold, on the contrary, it was very warm, plus thirty Celsius. We waited with great impatience when we would finally open the hatch cover. The ship was only sixteen degrees Celsius (limited volume, moreover, hampered movement), and we were very cold. So we warmed up only on Mir.

- The press often mentioned the word “reopen”: what does this mean?

Imagine that after a long absence you return to your home (by analogy with earthly life): the refrigerator is turned off, there is no water, the heating is also in a “muffled” state. It is necessary to restore elementary order, clean it from dust, fix what needs urgent repair, connect the coolant (life support system) - in a word, solve problems of paramount importance.

- In what condition did the Zalyotin-Kaleri crew find the station?

The service life of Mir is five years. But the ISS flies almost 3 times longer and looks good, I must say. I hope that through our efforts, the "old woman" will still serve humanity. When they flew away, they left bread and salt on the table for their understudies (they should arrive at Mir in March - April) - there is such a tradition among astronauts - for the future.

Space flight is fraught with many dangers. What turned out to be the most difficult for you personally: launch, reloading, the orbital watch itself, landing?

I am a beginner, this is my first space flight (for 9 long years I have been waiting for the most important and important start in my life and preparing for it) and, to be honest with you, that's it. At each stage, endurance, composure, self-control are needed. But the most responsible for me personally was the stage of docking with Mir. (This process requires masterful, virtuoso mastery of technique from the astronauts - M.Ch). At the most inopportune moment, when we had already passed the long-range rendezvous segment, the automatic docking system failed. I had to continue the rapprochement in the manual version. The time allotted for this final stage is strictly limited, and the matter was complicated by the fact that only a few meters remained to the station: there was, of course, no time for maneuvering - it was necessary to act promptly, clearly, competently. Synchronicity, consistency in the work of the crew at such moments can hardly be overestimated. But thanks to the fact that we easily found a common language with Alexander on Earth, it helped us in space as well.

M. Cherkasskaya

- Zaletin S. A dream that has become a reality // Newsletter of the candidate for the State Duma of the Russian Federation Sergey Viktorovich Zaletin. - Tula, 2003. - S.2-3.

Dream come true

About parents

Simple people

Neither my father nor my mother have ever held high positions. These are ordinary people whom I love and respect very much. It was they who instilled in me love for the Motherland, taught me to help people.

Father, Viktor Dmitrievich Zaletin, was born in the Shchekino district of the Tula region and lived on this land all his life. Worked as a driver. Mother, Valentina Ivanovna, is from Plavsk herself. After she signed with her father, she moved in with him. She worked as an accountant and is now retired.

My parents have always been an example of honesty and decency for me.

About Me

"Silver Bird"

I was born here, in Shchekino. I went to a regular school and was an ordinary Soviet boy. But in addition to the knowledge determined by the school curriculum, I learned the most important lesson in my life, for which I am especially grateful to my teachers: confidence in victory when you defend a just cause.

I had the same hopes, ideals, aspirations as all my peers. Well, what a boy of that time did not dream of becoming a pilot! After all, the names of those who conquered the expanses of heaven did not leave the lips, they were pronounced with special reverence.

For me, the decision to rise into the sky and look at the earth from a bird's eye view matured at the age of seven, when I saw a “silver bird” in the spring blue sky. Then I madly wanted to go up and from there look at my house, my street, my city. It was this plane, this "silver bird" that predetermined my whole future life, forcing a seven-year-old kid to take an oath for himself, sooner or later, to rise above the ground.

About family

"Together from the school bench"

My wife and I have known each other for over 30 years. The fact is that Elena and I studied in the same class for ten years, even sat at the same desk for a year. Who liked who first, I don’t remember now, but sympathy arose immediately. True, Elena turned out to be a strict neighbor: write off - no, no, but explain, help - it's always welcome.

We signed with her when I was already in the third year of the Borisoglebsk Higher Aviation School. V.P. Chkalov. Lena at that time comprehended the basics of water supply at the Tula Polytechnic Institute. Signed - and parted to study. This is how the first years of family life passed: in multi-page letters, phone calls and infrequent trips to each other.

According to the distribution, I was sent to Smolensk. We lived for several years in a hostel, then received a one-room apartment. Maybe those years were difficult, but I remember them with special warmth. In the hostel we lived with the same young guys as we are. Everyday problems faded into the background, because there were people nearby who were close in spirit, ready to support at any moment.

The son was born on November 7, 1984. His wife chose his name. I didn't protest. Now Sergei Sergeevich Zaletin is studying at the Plekhanov Academy. In terms of character, he is more like Elena. The profession of a father is not unusual for him, because he grew up in Star City. And an astronaut for him is practically the same as a driver, a plumber, a doctor.

It seems that my son will not follow in my footsteps. But he is a strong-willed person who knows what he wants and achieves his goal. I am very proud of them.

About the profession

“So that the state is not offended”

He kept the word he gave himself as a child. True, at that time I did not even imagine what a big responsibility it was to be a pilot, especially an aviation commander. After all, you are responsible not only for your life, but also for the lives of your comrades! It was then that I developed the ability to instantly make decisions, calculating all possible consequences. And if circumstances so require, I am a very tough person.

I maintain constant contact with my flight school comrades, not only because of the need for work, but above all because during our studies we really became friends. We are bound together by a common grief. On December 5, 1996, the Russian Knights aerobatic team crashed in Kubinka. Our comrades have died. Every year on this day, no matter what, we come together. For us, this is Memorial Day.

Much in my life, it seems to me, is destined by fate itself. And one of its predestinations is astronautics.

Colonel Anatoly Solovyov came to our base from Star City. He came to recruit a group of cosmonauts.

Of the sixty people, five were selected. I was included in this top five.

The requirements for pilots were the most stringent, everything was taken into account - from age to the level of class qualification. By that time I was a first-class pilot, and this is preparation for combat sorties during the day in any weather and at night in simple weather conditions. This was the first step on the way to the stars. And there were so many such steps to the commander of the SoyuzTM-30 spacecraft that a decent mileage runs up. Constant training, tests, tests ... I must say that at that moment it was the family that gave me great moral support.

General space training lasted from October 1990 to March 1992, after which I was awarded the qualification of "test cosmonaut". This procedure is very simple: you are called to the credentials committee, where you are confronted with the fact that you are a candidate for astronauts. And only then you realize that you are the best of 150 applicants. The next four years are preparations for flight aboard the Mir orbital complex. After that, I was appointed commander of the backup crew of the 26th main expedition.

It was only in April 2000, when the 28th expedition aboard the Mir complex, that the 28th expedition took place to really feel weightlessness.

Preparation for the flight was also unusual because the famous actor Vladimir Steklov took part in it. A very stubborn and hardy person, he went through a full cycle of training, but he was not included in the crew: the project for filming a movie at the Mir station was not funded. It is sincerely a pity that Steklov was so let down by foreign partners, who turned out to be frivolous people. We are still friends with Vladimir, I am glad that I met such a cheerful person with an unbending will on my way.

This flight was threefold difficult for me. Firstly, a month before the launch of the Soyuz TM-30 spacecraft, a rocket exploded during tests at Baikonur. And although expert opinions were given on the cause of the malfunctions, the subconscious fear still remained. Secondly, it was my first flight, and besides that, I was appointed commander of the ship. This placed a very great responsibility on me.

The sensations after the start are insanely complex: you realize yourself in a car with a million horsepower and understand that you are the one driving it. Our crew spent 72 days in orbit. Even the shooting does not convey the beauty that opens up to the eyes from the porthole. Every day the Earth is different, like a constantly changing living organism.

It was during this flight that the Kurs system malfunctioned: I had to turn off the automatic docking system and take control.

The situation was complicated by the fact that the docking was carried out manually from an extremely uncomfortable position: the range was only 10 meters. In order to feel the ship, the distance must be at least 150 meters. The docking was successful. And this, perhaps, is what is called fate.

The return to earth was joyful and difficult at the same time: congratulations from friends and colleagues, a meeting with family, a report on the work done and a meeting with the president in the Kremlin.

We knew Vladimir Putin even before he took office. Our first meeting with him took place during his visit to Star City in March 2000, then he was shown the training base. Vladimir Vladimirovich then still held the post of prime minister, while I carried out the final preparatory work before starting at the Mir station. Putin presented me with a watch and wished me a successful flight, in response I wished him to become president.

When, after the flight, at a meeting in the Kremlin, where I was awarded the Star of the Hero of Russia, I reported on the successful completion of the flight program, Putin replied that he, too, had completed his program. April was a turning point for him and for me.

The second flight was shorter, only ten days, but no less responsible. In October 2002, an international crew launched into space, in addition to the Russians, me and flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov, the crew included Belgian flight engineer Frank de Winne.

The flight went well, and all the planned programs were completed. It couldn't be otherwise.

Astronauts have a tradition of watching the film "White Sun of the Desert" before the flight. I know the picture of Vladimir Motyl almost by heart. Vereshchagin’s phrase is especially significant for me: “I don’t take bribes, I feel sorry for the state.” This man became for me a symbol of courage and incorruptibility. That's why I try to live like this not to be "offended for the state".

S. Zaletin

Information bulletin of the candidate for deputies of the State
Duma of the Russian Federation Zaletin Sergey Viktorovich. - Tula, 2003. - S.2-3.

- Zaletin S. Our plenipotentiary in Houston: A conversation with cosmonaut S. Zaletin about his stay at the American Astronaut Training Center / Vela L. Evstafieva // Shchekinsky Bulletin. - 2003. - 18 Oct.

- Zaletin S. "From Shchekino to the stars - at hand!": A conversation with a pilot-cosmonaut, Hero of Russia S. Zaletin / Interviewed by I. Blyk // Zasechny frontier. - 2004. - July. - P.1-2.- /special issue/.

Sergey Zaletin:
"From Shchekino to the stars - within easy reach!"

Pilot-cosmonaut, hero of Russia Sergei Zaletin tells about himself to the correspondent of the newspaper "Zasechny frontier".

Our corr.: Tula residents are proud that among the hundred Soviet and Russian cosmonauts, three are natives of the Tula land. You, Sergey Viktorovich, are one of the Tula star trio. Were your parents also born in our area?

ZALYOTIN: My father, Viktor Dmitrievich, was born in the small village of Fominka, Shchekino district (there are only a little more than a dozen households in it), and my mother, Valentina Ivanovna, comes from the city of Plavsk. All my distant ancestors are Tula, peasants of the Tula province.

Our corr.: It seems to many that in order to become an astronaut, one must be born into some extraordinary family. What were your parents' jobs?

ZALYOTIN: Dad was a simple driver in motorcade 1451, mom worked almost all her life as an accountant in the district social security. As you can see, they had the most massive ordinary professions. And the elder sister Lyudmila also does not belong to any aristocracy. She is a dental technician in the Shchekino dental clinic, and her husband works at Synthetic Fiber.

Our corr.: And your childhood, as far as I know, was spent on the working outskirts, with all its signs: dovecotes, siskin street football, yard-to-yard fights?

ZALYOTIN: Yes, I grew up on Sapperny dead end street, which is located between the military registration and enlistment office and the dairy, the most outskirts of Shchekino. This side is really famous for its dovecotes, and we boys enthusiastically followed the flight of snow-white birds, knew their breeds, knew their habits.

As for the fights, I don’t recall any cruelty, enmity between the boys. The older guys gathered us in the yard when we were still elementary school students - they gave us boxing gloves, arranged sparring fights. But it was not a fight to the point of blood, it was more of a training, training of future men who could stand up for themselves in a dangerous situation...

Our corr.: At that time, sports among young people were popular, Physical training was given a lot of time at school, and the boys themselves tried to become strong. I remember how in our yard the horizontal bar was the center of attraction, on which our peers of those years tried to master the most unimaginable figures. What sport were you into?

ZALYOTIN: In my development, the school military instructor Viktor Andreevich Sidorov played a big role, thanks to which we formed one of the best teams in the field in officer pentathlon (which includes shooting, grenade throwing, overcoming obstacles). The team for which I played became the winner of regional competitions and entered the top three in the Tula region.

But the most passionate hobby of youth was, of course, hockey. It was the golden age of Soviet hockey. The USSR national team won the world championships in a bitter struggle with the Czechs and Canadians. We boys raved about the names of Mikhailov, Petrov, Kharlamov, Tretiak. In all yards they chased a puck, or even a simple can. But I must say that the authorities then paid very serious attention to children's sports. For example, in many yards, hockey rinks were flooded for the winter.

Our corr.: Now the authorities are more likely to flood the collar than flood children's ice rinks ...

3ALYOTIN A: Then it was different. Children's sports rooms were formed in microdistricts, where the children were given sports equipment and helped to organize themselves. We had such a room in the courtyard of Leo Tolstoy and Liza Shamshikova streets. At first I just chased the puck, and then the coaches from Kord came and offered to defend the honor of the district. For several years I played for the youth "Kord", traveled throughout the region, visited competitions in Tula, Aleksin. Hockey brought up not only perseverance and the will to win, but also a sense of the team. There was an understanding that it was impossible to win even the brightest star alone, you had to play in a team, work for a common success. This I consider very important.

Our corr.: But still, most of the time was spent not on the ice arena, but at school. Tell me, was your class friendly? Do you keep in touch with your classmates now?

ZALYOTIN: Yes, at school we always stuck together. They often spent joint evenings, "lights", I remember joint trips to Kulikovo field. And just recently, our class celebrated twenty-five years of graduation. Surprisingly, almost everyone turned up. Although the fate of my classmates was different, and many no longer live in Shchekino. Many of my schoolmates have achieved significant success in life. For example, Yura Novikov became the director of the famous Bogucharovo fruit farm.

As for me, although I had to serve far from my father's home, I never lost contact with my classmates. Even in Moscow, they came to visit me, stayed for the night. Many school comrades asked for advice when they sent their already grown children to the army. I advised them on entering military schools, helped to send recruits to normal military units. My principle - with all the people with whom fate brought me - is to maintain friendly relations. And school friendship is sacred ...

Our corr.: And with one of your classmates, as far as I know, you do not part at all all your life. Did you and your wife go to school together?

ZALYOTIN: Yes, Lena and I even sat at the same desk. I have known her since I was seven years old. It rarely happens that way. Many people are looking for something unusual, amazing, and they choose a life partner among previously unfamiliar people. But it seems to me that it is worth taking a closer look, and it turns out that all the most beautiful things in the world are very close by.

Our corr.: When was your wedding with Elena Mikhailovna?

ZALYOTIN: I came on vacation from the third year of the flight school, and we submitted documents to the registry office. This was in August 1982. But for another year and a half after the wedding, I had to live apart: Lena graduated from the Tula Polytechnic University, I was a cadet in Borisoglebsk. We saw each other literally once a month: either I would come to her, then she would come to me.

And when I became an officer and was sent to the place of service, since then we have not parted. Where the needle goes, there goes the thread. My wife followed me through the military camps, through the garrisons. There was no question of her working in her specialty. Civil engineers are not needed at airfields. For some time, the wife was a housewife, raised her son. True, these years of forced “downtime” allowed her culinary talent to fully manifest itself. As they say, there is no bad without good. And now my wife works as a junior researcher in Star City.

Our corr.: Is your wife really a good cook?

ZALYOTIN: Come visit - see for yourself! During an American business trip, I called her on international calls, consulted on culinary wisdom. Tired of American fast food, all these semi-finished products, I wanted normal homemade food. And I myself do well only barbecue, well, I can also boil potatoes, fry eggs. So I had to keep in touch with my wife, just like we consult with the mission control from orbit.

Our corr.: You had to work on a business trip abroad for almost half a year, at the American Johnson Space Center. Probably, not only home-made food had to be missed? For a long time to live among people who do not speak a word of Russian, probably, is also not easy?

ZALYOTIN: Of course, there was a lack of communication. But even during a space flight one has to be laconic, the circle of communication is very narrow. So I was ready for such tests.

Our corr.: What about the language barrier?

ZALYOTIN: I already had basic knowledge of English, and before the business trip I took special language courses. But the fastest way to learn a foreign language is when you find yourself in a foreign language environment. Although in certain cases in America you can not know the language at all, you will be served in the supermarket, even if you do not say a word out loud.

It was embarrassing otherwise. The Americans more than once began to guess from my appearance, from my pronunciation, where I came from. It used to be taken for a German. But several times they reacted quite wildly to the phrase: “I am from Russia”: “Where is this?” That is, many Americans no longer know that such a country exists. But until quite recently we were a great power, which the whole world heard and knew about. Including thanks to our successes in space.

Our corr.: But we still maintain space parity with America today. Due to malfunctions in their own equipment, the United States is even forced to use the services of our spacecraft. Why are they now so dismissive of us?

ZALYOTIN: It's not about scientific and technological progress, but about politics. How the state will position itself in the international arena, how firm state power will be, how predictable diplomatic principles will turn out to be. Astronautics is not only hard work, not only scientific experiments in weightlessness, it is also international diplomacy. Both at the Johnson Center and in European countries, I have had to represent our country more than once, meet, among other things, with high-ranking politicians, and defend the honor and dignity of Russia. Moreover, in terms of orbital research, we really have something to be proud of.

Our corr.: You once said that it was your trips abroad that prompted you to run for the State Duma.

ZALYOTIN: Yes. I really have a heightened sense that Russians can and should live better. Our Motherland has achieved such success in various fields, and the standard of living of ordinary people remains extremely low. Especially in the Tula region and in our native Shchekino region. For us, time seems to have stopped and even gone backwards. I see that the material condition of the people of Shchekino, the appearance of the city, is worse than in the years of my childhood.

Our corr.: But politics is not astronautics. You have repeatedly shown courage in difficult situations during flight control, you have carried out complex experiments in thermal physics. And the State Duma represents a completely different kind of activity. What experience of previous years could you apply there?

ZALYOTIN: As I said, an astronaut is also a diplomat and a politician. We had to negotiate at the highest level. Our colleagues have connections in the government. The accumulated federal authority could help the Tula region. In particular, in the formation of federal funding programs. After all, our region, in terms of support from the center, still remains deprived.

In addition, I have three specialties: military pilot, test cosmonaut and environmental engineer. Environmental problems for the Tula region, and above all - for the Shchekino region, are especially relevant. This is the Chernobyl problem, and the presence on our land of large chemical and metallurgical enterprises.

Our corr.: Although the residents of Shchekino gave you preference in the elections, in general, another candidate gained the advantage in the district. Were you discouraged by the results of the parliamentary elections?

ZALYOTIN: No, I respect the choice of my countrymen. Moreover, Andrei Anatolyevich Samoshin is a worthy person. Our life views coincide in many ways. I am ready to use all my possibilities to help him in his parliamentary work. After all, the main thing is not personal success, but benefit for the residents of the Tula region.

Our corr.: Do you often have to visit your hometown? After all, the status of the hero of Russia implies a different geography of travel: Star City, the Kremlin, abroad ...

ZALYOTIN: I visit my hometown every month. My mother, sister and nephews, relatives and friends live here. I regularly speak to schoolchildren, to future conscripts. I spend regular trips of Shchekino boys and girls to the cosmonaut corps.

After those distances and speeds that I got used to in orbit, Shchekino is a stone's throw away. And the fate of my native city remains much more important to me than the fate of, say, Moscow.

Interviewed by Igor BLYK

- Zaletin S. A man with an unearthly biography: Interview with the Hero of Russia, cosmonaut S. Zaletin / Vela L. Varfolomeeva // Shchekinsky Bulletin. - 2009. - 18 Apr. - C.3.

Profession
A MAN WITH AN UNEARTHLY BIOGRAPHY

On the eve of Cosmonautics Day, we managed to talk with the Hero of Russia, cosmonaut, deputy, member of the United Russia faction of the Tula Regional Duma Sergey Zaletin.

... It was not possible to catch Sergei Viktorovich in Tula on the eve of the main "space" date - according to tradition, he celebrated the holiday in Star City with colleagues, relatives and friends, and therefore our conversation took place by phone. This method may not be the most convenient for a newspaper interview, but it gives the feeling that the astronaut is getting in touch directly from orbit.

- How is it in Zvezdny?

Of course, festively, solemnly. With great joy, they honored their colleagues - the world's only hereditary cosmonaut Serezha Volkov and his partner Oleg Kononenko, congratulated them on the high state award - the star of the Hero of Russia, received from the hands of President Dmitry Medvedev, - Sergey Zaletin said. - The guys have half a year of work as part of the seventeenth main expedition to the ISS, from which they returned last fall ...

Two awardees, who joined the heroic detachment of Russian cosmonauts, shared with their colleagues their impressions of the meeting with the head of state. In particular, they talked about the problems that arose in the process of transferring the Cosmonaut Training Center from the Ministry of Defense to a civilian agency - Roscosmos, as well as about the situation around the space industry. As the President assured, in the context of the global financial crisis, money for space exploration will continue to be allocated. After all, when flights began, the country was also going through difficult times ...

There is no reason to dramatize the state of affairs in the domestic manned cosmonautics, Sergey Zaletin is sure. Russia still occupies a leading position in this area. Our rockets are among the best and provide reliable launches. In addition, interesting scientific projects will be implemented in Russia in the near future, funding for the International Space Station continues, and the issue of increasing its crew is being resolved. So, this year, the cosmonauts have enough reasons for "unearthly" joy in these April days. And not only because of professional, but also sports achievements.

I have just returned from the traditional tennis tournament in memory of Yuri Gagarin, which took place in the Zvezdny, - Sergey Zaletin shared. - Your humble servant won the duel in both singles and doubles. This victory is also in honor of our holiday...

- Probably, the twelfth of April is not just a significant day for you? Is it associated with any special memories?

Certainly. My first space flight took place from April 4 to June 16, 2000, and, as you understand, the holiday was celebrated on board. We ate deliciously, sipped sublimated space cognac ...

- I will not hide, these "star" details are surprising. I wonder what was the most unusual for you in space?

It is impossible to describe these sensations, no matter how much I tried. Space must be felt once! And these feelings are really indescribable, unforgettable, fabulous. Especially when you first see through the porthole a small ball called the Earth. Beautiful! And most importantly, you understand that below you is your home planet. You see how the world works, admire it! Fly - Egypt. There must be pyramids around here somewhere! I took binoculars - indeed, pyramids ... For a long time I could not get used to sleeping in weightlessness, without support - not on a bed, but in special sleeping bags attached to the walls of the orbital module. If you lie down without gaining a foothold, you run the risk of breaking away and flying all over the station. Since in ordinary life I am used to and love to sleep on my side, at first I could not wean myself to turn around ...

- In a hanging position, and dreams, probably, differ from earthly ones?

Dreams are like dreams. Once, however, I dreamed that I urgently needed to return to Earth, and without telling anyone, I left orbit, but I don’t know how to get back, there is no ship. I suffered terribly, worried until my partner, Sasha Kaleri, woke me up. I still remember this incident.

... They say that astronauts are superstitious people! According to Sergey Zaletin, what else! Never in his life will an astronaut live in an apartment or house at number thirteen. Never violate the ritual before the start. A few days before departure to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, the crew arrives at Red Square, lays flowers at Gagarin's grave, visits the memorial room in Star City, where Gagarin left a memorial note before the flight. Then a mandatory trip to the barber - the astronauts cut their hair short, and the day before the start they traditionally watch the film "White Sun of the Desert" ...

What does it mean to "go out into outer space"?

I had to do it once, on my first expedition. Of course, going outside the space house is a risky business - you don’t just get up and go out the door, - Sergey Viktorovich explained. - It is necessary to prepare the station in case of an emergency escape, if there is a sudden depressurization. Any slightest mistake, wrong movement can lead to a rush of the suit. You must be prepared for any force majeure: suddenly you have to go into the module and return to Earth. Each step is controlled, and the result of the work of the entire team, everyone who participated in the preparation and conduct of the flight depends on your actions - this is very responsible.

- According to the United Russia deputy, these qualities also help in politics.

In my opinion, space and politics are two sides of the same coin. A long stay in a confined space, in a small team and away from home teaches you to reckon with those who are nearby. You can't slam the door there - there's nowhere to go, there's an abyss all around. Therefore, you live in the interests of the common cause, in the name of the common good, acting in harmony. This also applies to politics.

Ambition and “pulling the blanket” (although every politician is a priori a leader) have no place here. According to Sergei Zaletin, a member of the United Russia faction of the Tula Regional Duma, professionalism and determination are important. Needless to say, the astronauts do not care. The path to the stars requires colossal work, the desire to follow the chosen path without turning off, overcoming difficulties in order to reach the goal ...

The average period of preparation for a flight takes twelve years! And all these years - endless classes, training, tests, exams. During pre-flight preparation, possible emergency situations are simulated, the behavior of each member of the group is worked out in stages. Once every three years - passing the standards for survival, when the situation with the emergency landing of a spacecraft is simulated - in the forest, in the steppe, in the swamp, in the open sea. Such exercises began to be held after more than forty years ago, Alexei Leonov and Pavel Belyaev, having made an emergency landing in the taiga, fought for their lives for two days.

... In the track records of astronauts there is such a column - the time spent in space, and for a simple layman, these figures may seem to be the main result of an "unearthly" biography. But Sergey Zaletin considers this criterion not so important. After all, the main thing is that the profession gave him space and a special, bright and beautiful, like our planet, outlook on life - you need to live in the name of people.

L. VARFOLOMEEVA

- Zaletin Sergey Viktorovich // Our famous countrymen. - Shchekino, 2003. - S.168-173.

Zaletin Sergey Viktorovich

Sergey Viktorovich Zaletin was born on April 21, 1962 in the city of Shchekino. In 1969, he entered the 1st grade of secondary school No. 13. His first teacher Koroleva Valentina Vasilievna recalls: "Sergei was an obedient boy, he studied well and was friends with Lena Goryacheva from the 1st grade, who later became his wife." Serezha studied well, especially loved physical education and initial military training. At literature lessons, he liked to argue about the actions of the heroes of the works of L. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, A. Aleksin, etc. Literature teacher V.V. Bukalova recalls: “At the lessons, I was often surprised by Sergei’s deep answers, his reasoning about smart, delicate people. And once Sergei exclaimed: “I wish it were like that in life!”.

Sergei grew up as a hardworking, purposeful, conscientious person. Sergei made the decision to connect his life with the profession of a pilot at school. “Like all boys, he read Belyaev, Efremov, dreamed of the sky. But this dream acquired its clearest and most distinct outlines at the age of 12-13, when I first saw a snow-white airliner coming in for landing. It was at that moment that I realized that I would be a pilot, ”recalls Sergey Viktorovich. After school, Sergei's dream came true - he entered the Borisoglebsk military school, mastered several types of aircraft, then served as a fighter pilot in the Smolensk region, in Shatalovo. And then a case helped: in the late 80s, representatives of the MCC came to the regiment where Sergey served. Of the 64 people selected six and Zaletin was among them. Then there was a difficult, lengthy selection, a tough “rejection”, as a result of which only Sergey remained from this six. In 1990 he became a candidate, and in 1992 he received a test cosmonaut diploma.

To date, there are 35 people in the cosmonaut corps (for comparison, in the USA there are 120 astronauts), but not everyone will fly into space. Sergei Viktorovich waited in the wings for 9 years. And that hour has come.

On April 4, 2000, Sergei Viktorovich Zaletin led the 28th expedition to the Mir orbital complex. He became the 92nd Russian cosmonaut who carried out flight No. 392 on a planetary scale. There were several calls. One of the last - "Yenisei".

Zaletin was supposed to spend 45 days with his partner Alexander Kaleri at the Mir station, a unique celestial laboratory where 135 cosmonauts from 11 countries visited and 30 international programs were completed. Most experts regarded this expedition as special: the Soyuz-TM crew had to not only revive the station that had been flying in unmanned mode for more than six months and carry out complex repair and restoration work, but also carry out 50 important scientific experiments: in the field of new biotechnologies, medicine, agriculture, and also work on creating a plasma crystal.

The astronauts spent 6 hours in outer space. Sergei Zaletin recalls: “I am a beginner, this is my first space flight. And at each stage, endurance, composure, self-control are needed. But the most responsible for me personally was the stage of docking with Mir. At the most inopportune moment, when we had already passed the long-range rendezvous segment, the automatic docking system failed. I had to continue the rapprochement in the manual version. The time allotted for this final stage is strictly limited, and the matter was complicated by the fact that only a few meters remained to the station: it was necessary to act promptly, clearly, competently. Synchronicity, consistency in the work of the crew at such moments can hardly be overestimated. But thanks to the fact that we easily found a common language with Alexander Kaleri on Earth, it helped us in space as well.”

"Star House" - the orbital complex "Mir" - welcomed the astronauts with warmth: plus 30 degrees Celsius. But there was no order - I had to restore elementary cleanliness, get rid of dust, repair and connect the life system. And when they flew away, they left bread and salt on the table for their understudies - there is such a tradition among astronauts.

Sergei's return to earth was difficult. Instead of six engines in the TDU, four worked, and this prevented a soft landing. But what joyful meetings on Earth were with relatives and friends, with friends.

They were waiting for Sergei in his native Shchekino land, at school No. 13, which Sergei Viktorovich visited on February 23, 2001, as evidenced by photographs, stands and video materials stored in the museum of the history of the school. Sergey, together with his wife Elena, also a graduate of the thirteenth, walked along the floors of the school, along the lively corridor of students and teachers, showered with flowers and applause. A long conversation took place with the guys: Sergey and Elena had to answer a lot of questions from inquisitive teenagers. A close friendship developed between the children and the astronaut.

Zaletin came to the school twice more: on the days of its 40th anniversary in September 2001 and in February 2002 for the evening of the meeting of graduates. Simple, resourceful, with a great sense of humor, Sergei took part in the performance of the school theater, where in L. Filatov's fairy tale "About Fedot the Archer, a daring young man" he played the role of an ambassador. And then he talked for a long time with the guys about space, about his profession, about life, about the meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in December 2002, told how the President handed him the Gold Star of the Hero of Russia.

At the invitation of Sergei Zaletin, a trip was made for 40 best students of the school, headed by director V.M. Stekunova, to Star City. Sergei Viktorovich organized an excursion to the cosmonaut training center, a hydro pool, and a training hall with a centrifuge, where cosmonauts train. Then the group visited the Museum of Cosmonautics, the Museum of Yu.A. Gagarin and his office. Sergey Viktorovich conducted part of the excursions himself, answered numerous questions from schoolchildren. The stay at Zvezdny ended with a festive dinner in a wonderful hotel complex. This trip will be remembered by young residents of Shchekino for the rest of their lives. As a memento of the trip, the students were photographed with the Hero of Russia, cosmonaut SV Zaletin.

November 1, 2002 at 6:11 a.m. The manned spacecraft Soyuz TMK took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, on board of which were: commander Sergei Viktorovich Zaletin, crew members Yuri Lonchakov and Belgian Frank de Winne. They landed at the International Space Station and worked for a week with the station crew, Valery Korzun, Sergei Treschev and NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. They performed 20 scientific experiments and the crew of S.V.Zaletin returned to Earth on another spacecraft, Soyuz TM-34, which has been flying with the station for half a year. Soyuz, whose resources are designed for half a year, perform the functions of rescue ships, so they should always be at the ISS berth. The new Soyuz TMK spacecraft is equipped with more advanced control equipment and can be used by cosmonauts who are 190 cm tall and weigh 95 kg. After 10 days, a soft landing on planet Earth was carried out. Sergei safely and successfully completed his second flight.

Our famous countrymen. - Shchekino, 2003. - S.168-173.

- Zaletin Sergey Viktorovich // Leonov I.A. Named a man from the legend / I.A.Leonov. - 4th ed., revised. and additional - Tula, 2006. - S. 330-335.

SERGEY VIKTOROVICH ZALETIN

The star guest of the earth is the natural way of life of the hero of our story. It (wingedness) lasts and does not end for 44 years already - exactly as long as Seryozha lives in this world. This extraordinary human quality made him a leader among his peers - students of the 13th school in the city of Shchekino, Tula Region, where the future cosmonaut studied ...

Winging became a professional quality of the 1st class pilot S.Zaletin after graduating from the Borisoglebsk military flight school, and then the pilot-cosmonaut, who was included in the cosmonauts' congratulations according to the results of the strictest competition - 150 professional candidates for one place. The current cosmonaut (at any moment Colonel-Order-bearer S.Zaletin will answer the order of the command: “Yes!”) is busy with the diverse work of a deputy of the Tula Regional Duma.

Deputy Zaletin is now inspired by the opportunity to act in the name and for the benefit of voters, dictates his active life attitude: “If not me, then who will help a suffering person?”

This is not a question, but the action program of the Hero of Russia S. Zaletin.

Serezha was born and raised in the outback - in the city of Shchekino in a family of people with the most everyday professions: father Viktor Dmitrievich worked as a driver, and mother Valentina Ivanovna (she turned 80 in November 2006) was an accountant. Respectful attitudes of children (son and daughter) to their parents, and adults to their generation - have formed the need for everyone to be in business. Work in the sky meant Zaletin-son, when he firmly decided: “I will be a pilot!”

Work on oneself - a diverse and difficult process - goes on and continues throughout one's conscious life. Zaletinsky's character made Seryozha ... himself, approved the habit of being dissatisfied with what was done. Over the years, the growing volume of worries and deeds by itself implies an even greater return, which means self-improvement has become his nature. It cannot be otherwise - responsibility to the voter is equivalent to responsibility to oneself.

That is why the efficiency of his work is high, that is why the number of voters' appeals to the deputy is growing: if no one helps them, Zaletin will certainly fulfill his promise! Sergey Viktorovich is the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Economic Policy, Taxes and Property of the Tula Regional Duma - he helps people in solving their problems.

S.Zaletin: “I try to justify the trust of people, but I, the father of a university student, are disturbed by the plight of our younger generation, whose moral and physical health leaves much to be desired…”

Teenage crime is growing, the number of young drug addicts is multiplying - this is a state of emergency throughout Russia. The chronic ill health of the majority of boys and girls requires decisive cardinal measures to improve their health. The very future of the country is under threat.

... Serezha is like a son to me, we are both pilots, we understand each other perfectly. To captivate teenagers with interesting things and thereby distract them from the pernicious influence of the street is the meaning and goal of the initiative of Deputy Zaletin to create the Tula Center for Aerospace Education. TCAKO is designed to help a young person decide on the choice of his favorite business for life. It is from such a purposeful teenager that a cool specialist will grow up and a personality will be formed.

The foundations of the future Korolevs and Gagarins are being laid in the Land of Childhood, and in favorable conditions for receiving additional education, high school students will grow up as Workers, Masters, Scientists.

The regional administration supports the initiative of the deputy S.Zaletin - the governor V.Dudka is interested that schoolchildren acquire additional education in the most comfortable conditions for personal development. And indeed - child prodigies do not grow up in poverty ...

S.Zaletin is a storehouse of knowledge, experience and skill. Another rare quality distinguishes him from all earthlings - with the exception of astronauts, of course. Serezha saw our Earth from a space orbit, our earthly problems are clear to him on the scale of the Universe. Realizing "Earthly existence" - he realizes the lack of justice in it for ordinary working people. In different (almost all!) countries, and especially in Russia, the rich are getting richer, and the poor, alas, are getting poorer.

Justice should be the national idea of ​​our country. It is with a capital letter and for all citizens.

S. Zaletin by right and on full grounds, in accordance with his intellect and conscience of a man of duty and honor, order and decency, assesses the unfavorable social and economic life of the country. He has an academic education in the volume of several universities. Judge for yourself.

Long-term training gives the applicant for space flight extensive and deep knowledge, he must study the advanced achievements of many branches of science, and understand modern technologies. His knowledge and skills are reliable, extraordinary unpredictable situations that arise in flight require clear, competent decisions, and an earthling flying in a spaceship must promptly make the only correct decision. There are simply no other options - life or death ...

After graduating from the Borisoglebsk Higher Flight School, our countryman began serving as a pilot (since October 29, 1986 - senior pilot of the 3rd class) in the 32nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 9th Fighter Aviation Division of the Moscow Military District. During his service he mastered five types of combat aircraft. The flight experience of the military pilot of the 1st class Zaletin amounted to 1350 hours. He made more than 220 parachute jumps and received the qualification of an instructor in parachute training. On March 11, 1992, by decision of the Interdepartmental Qualification Commission, he was awarded the qualification "test cosmonaut". From April 1992, he was trained in the D-8-2 cosmonaut group under the program of flights on the Mir orbital complex and, following the results of the training, was appointed commander of the backup crew. In 1994, he qualified as an environmental engineer and received a master's degree in environmental management from the Faculty of Aerocosmology of the State Oil and Gas Academy.

Sergei Zaletin began preparations for space flight in September 1997 together with Alexander Kaleri, and since May 1998 with Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Kotov. Sergei Zaletin made his first flight into space from April 4 to June 16, 2000 as commander of the Soyuz TM-30 transport vehicle on the Mir orbital complex under the EO-28 program. During the flight, he made one spacewalk lasting 5 hours and 3 minutes. The duration of the entire flight was 72 days 19 hours 42 minutes 16 seconds. Sergei Zaletin made his second flight into space from October 30 to November 10, 2002 as commander of the Soyuz TMA-1 transport spacecraft during the fourth Russian visiting expedition to the ISS. The task of the flight is to replace the Soyuz TM-34 rescue ship with the Soyuz TMA-1 on the ISS. The flight duration was 10 days 20 hours 53 minutes 9 seconds. As a result of space flights, Sergei Zaletin received the qualification of a 2nd class cosmonaut and an instructor-test cosmonaut.

During the second flight, Belgian cosmonaut Frank de Winne was with Sergei Zaletin and flight engineer Yuri Lonchakov. After returning to Earth and a recovery period, the participants of the space expedition in July 2003 visited the homeland of Frank de Winn and received a reception from the heir to the royal throne of Belgium, Prince Philip. The prince is a professional pilot, and therefore the conversation with the guests of honor took not half an hour (the norm is according to the protocol), but four hours!

The cosmonauts were awarded high state awards.

S.Zaletin: “The conversation was not only about “high topics”, but also about earthly life. Not only the king, but also all the people of Belgium treat their cosmonaut Frank de Winn as reverently as we treat Yuri Gagarin. We were convinced of this during the ten days of July 2003 on a trip around the country ... "

Serezha is the 92nd out of 99 all cosmonauts in Russia, the 392nd out of 423 cosmonauts of the Earth. He recently turned 44 years old.

Humanly curious, what happened to him at the age of 33?

Pilot-cosmonaut S.Zaletin celebrated his 33rd birthday at the geographic pole of the Earth - the North Pole. Here, on a multi-meter-thick ice floe, a friendly football match took place with participation in each of the teams of Russian Olympic champions in various sports, as well as people's artists, television people and, of course, cosmonauts Yu.

The story about S. Zaletin would be incomplete without mentioning the dedicatory inscription in the book "Earth's Gravity" by my friend and writer Yuri Kogtev: "Seryozha - to the Star Guest of the Earth."

Flying is now his work and rest - a joyful flight ...
As if someone is looking down from above and calling in a female voice…

With these verses by Y. Kogtev, dedicated to Serezha and all winged earthlings, I conclude my story about my fellow countryman S.V. Zaletin.

Leonov I.A. Named a man from the legend / I.A.Leonov.
- 4th ed., revised. and additional - Tula, 2006. - P.330-335.

- Vladimirova O. Flights in a dream and in reality / O. Vladimirova // Shchekinsky Bulletin. - 2003. - 16 Aug.

- Evstafieva L. The king broke the tradition for the first time / L. Evstafieva // Shchekinsky Bulletin. - 2003. - 11 Oct.

THE KING BREAKED TRADITION FOR THE FIRST TIME

At one of his meetings with fellow countrymen, cosmonaut, Hero of Russia Sergei Zaletin, once said about a trip to Belgium - the country where astronaut Frank de Winn comes from, with whom he happened to work in space orbit. We wanted to learn more about the stay of the Russians in the homeland of their colleague. Surely such meetings leave a noticeable mark in the life of astronauts. Continuing acquaintance on earth, in the family circle, strengthens the bonds of friendship on a new turn, and, who knows, perhaps the earthly and orbital paths-roads of these people will cross more than once. And the meetings after the expeditions have already become traditional, and we begin to learn more about each other, find common interests and gradually bring together our seemingly so different life orbits. Ultimately, the French and the Belgians, the Americans and the Russians ... come to the conclusion: we are all earthlings, and we have many common responsibilities to our planet. And the conquerors of space are called upon to solve these problems. “Oh, how many wonderful discoveries we have” they brought from the beginning of the space age - from the memorable October 4, 1957, when the whole world was watching a small star moving in the sky, the first artificial satellite of the Earth.

... The second flight for S. Zaletin to the International Space Station (ISS) took place on October 30, 2002. The people of Shchekino proudly said on occasion to their friends, acquaintances from other places: “Have you heard? This is our Sergei flew again. Belgian Frank de Winn, flight engineer No. 1, and Russian Yuri Lonchakov, flight engineer No. 2, went on the expedition with him.

They were to test the Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft of the new series, replace the rescue ship on the ISS, carry out a Russian-Belgian scientific program and, for the first time in the world, carry out a planned night landing. The crew led by S.Zaletin successfully completed their tasks.

After a rehabilitation period and a report on the expedition, the crew was supposed to meet in Brussels on February 3, 2003. The trip had to be postponed until the summer - everything was overshadowed by the death of the Shuttle.

However, life goes on, and now Sergey and Yuri, together with their families, are visiting Frank's homeland. Ten days in July were just fantastic there.

The program was so busy that we barely had time to move from place to place, changed 6 hotels, - says S.V. Zaletin. The highlight of our acquaintance with the country was a visit to the regiment led by Frank. The most interesting thing is that I was offered to fly on different planes. I sat at the helm of an F-16 jet fighter, and then I tried out an Alpha Jet test fighter. Impressive. I speak like a professional. But not without pride, I note: our equipment is superior to them in many respects, and the SU-27 will have no equal in the coming years.

As a military pilot, it was interesting for me to see the aircraft and weapons control system in action. We also visited the center of aerospace agencies in Cologne (Germany).

And then we had an audience with the King of Belgium. Usually he takes 30-40 minutes for appointments, and in a meeting with us, a high-ranking person violated the protocol for the first time - the conversation lasted about four hours! It was nonsense. The king asked questions mainly on the aerospace topic, talked about the results of our expedition. I was surprised by the knowledge of the subject, the preparedness of a person far from space. Later it turned out that Prince Philip was a military pilot, and we understood the enlightenment of the king in such specific matters.

By the way, we were also surprised by this fact: only a year ago, at the insistence of doctors, the king stopped riding a motorcycle around the city, and he is already about 70.

We spoke not only on "high" topics, but also on mundane ones - about life.

Making a small digression, let's say that Sergei Viktorovich was primarily interested in how ordinary Belgians live, what level of social security they have, what they honor, what they are proud of, what worries them? What do you, dear Belgians, have that we don't have in Russia to live at least half the height of the bar to which you have grown?

You know what struck me: they have no difficulties in the country. They live, constantly bathing in something good, pleasant. Belgium is based on strong families, where, as a rule, from 2 to 4 children or more. This is the cell that cements the state. They take loans, build their homes with love, provide themselves with everything they need, treat the street, the city where they live with the same love. Cleanliness and tidiness everywhere.

It was nice to see the particularly reverent attitude of the Belgians towards Frank - like ours towards Yuri Gagarin, although their first astronaut flew on the Shuttle.

I also managed to notice such a detail: there is no strict subordination, as we have (boss - subordinate), there is no swagger. Everything is very democratic, but without familiarity. They put people first and technology second.

Although I must say, the Belgians are mentally very close to us: sometimes you can see manifestations of a kind of recklessness. Let's say they can go across the street to a red light, which, for example, their German neighbors will never do.

There are no words when you see the country's concern for the disabled, and it is literally everywhere: in shops, institutions, on transport. Sports competitions are regularly held here among this category of the population, which does not feel its physical inferiority due to the created situation in society. Disabled people live full lives.

As it turned out, Belgium does not suffer from such our "disease" - wild "scissors" in salaries.

I looked, compared and wanted to understand how it is possible to achieve such a standard of living, what to adopt from the Belgians. We talked about many things in Parliament.

What conclusion did our cosmonaut come to?

Once again, I visited abroad, as if in a Garden of Eden, however, after visiting, I again missed my Russia - powerful and weak, uncomfortable and cruel, rich and poor, dear and beloved. What was I thinking when I left Europe? How can we learn to respect the Law, work, love our home, as they do there? I am sure that all the problems of our society can be solved through competent socially just laws, the essence of which is concern for the growth of the well-being of all segments of the population, and not a handful of already fabulously rich. It is with such thoughts and desires that I walk today through the stages of the pre-election struggle for the Duma of my state.

Ludmila EVSTAFIEVA

- Evstafieva L. Attraction of the Earth / L. Evstafieva // Shchekinsky Bulletin. - 2003. - 4 Oct.

Earth's attraction

We walk the earth, rejoice and grieve, fall in love and suffer, study and work, fight and reconcile - in a word, we live on our blue planet for more than one millennium. But only a few manage to escape from its captivity and attraction and look at a beautiful ball from space. To look “from there” and experience such a range of new feelings that can only be felt there, in cosmic silence: how good it is, our earth, how fragile and defenseless, how dear and loved, how every earthling is responsible for its prosperous existence. And in general, it’s somehow strange to see your house from such a dizzying height from the outside and realize: that’s where you were born, grew up, studied, started a family, that’s where the closest people are waiting for you. Among those who were lucky enough to temporarily escape from the embrace of the earth's gravity and return to them again, was our fellow countryman - Sergei Viktorovich Zaletin. Even the name of his father was destined for him to fly, fly, fly! And Sergey flew higher and higher, and on August 8, 1990 he was enlisted in the cosmonaut corps.

In April 2000, the Soyuz-TM30 spacecraft was launched, piloted by Air Force lieutenant colonel Sergei Zaletin and flight engineer Alexander Kaleri. But this was preceded by a huge amount of work. After the official qualification of a test cosmonaut (in March 1992), Sergei Viktorovich, as part of a group, trained for five years under the program of flights to the Mir station. At the same time, he studied, graduated in 1994 from the Faculty of Aerospace Ecology of the International Center for Educational Systems of UNES-CO. Received the qualification "environmental engineer" and a master's degree in environmental management.

After his first flight into space, our countryman became a welcome guest in his homeland. He was invited by schools, enterprises, public organizations. People were interested in many things: both his personal life and everything connected with his work on earth and in orbit. Thanks to these meetings, we learn more and more about the everyday life and holidays of the conquerors of space.

We know the sad end of the Mir orbital complex - a unique celestial laboratory in every sense. But then she still lived and acted. March 24, 2000 in the White Hall of the headquarters of the RGNII TsPK them. Yu.A. Gagarin The Interdepartmental Commission unanimously decided to recommend to the State Commission to approve the crews of the 28th main expedition to the Mir station in the following compositions: the main one - commander S. Zaletin, flight engineer A. Kaleri, backup - commander S. Sharipov, flight engineer P. Vinogradov. The expedition was special, because it was necessary not only to revive the station that had been flying in unmanned mode for more than six months and carry out complex repair and restoration work, but also to conduct a whole range of scientific experiments.

And the tasks were as follows: reactivation of the station; search for a leaky compartment and elimination of leaks; repair and restoration work of the solar array orientation system; power supply systems and telemetric systems of the complex and a number of others. In addition, at the end of April, the crew was supposed to receive and unload the new Progress M1-2, and in the first half of May - an EVA to dismantle the experimental thin-film solar battery and perform the Panorama and Hermetizator experiments.

Wow! - I just want to take a breath after piling up this terminology, but it's too early. The list of various kinds of experiments that fell to the lot of the crew occupies more than one line: technological "Vibrocrystallization", "Vibration", "Damper"; biotechnological "Recomb" and "Limit", geophysical "Focus", "Seismic", "Relaxation" ... Further astrophysical, biological, technical, material science, biomedical, applied.

Imagine how much you need to know (and how to know!) To cope with such a complex program. There was no time for rest (except sleep), and the crew kept records of their favorite songs. They were a trouble-free connecting thread with the Earth, with their home.

Twice a week we communicated with relatives via audio and video communication, - Sergey Viktorovich recalls. - We always looked forward to these minutes and were in high spirits for a long time after the “dates”.

The cosmonaut spoke many times about his impressions during his first expedition, about his second flight. He spoke about the attraction of the Earth both literally and figuratively.

There, in space, you are especially acutely aware of your spiritual and physical connection with the planet Earth, which has become a hospitable, hospitable home for people. You understand the full extent of humanity's responsibility for its fate. Now, if every son of the Earth had such an opportunity, like astronauts, to see it from the darkness of the universe - so wonderfully beautiful, so charmingly earthly and unearthly - believe me, there would be less grief and suffering. The hand holding the atomic sword would fall, disarmed by this beauty, and people would direct their mind and will only to good deeds, where there is no place for conflicts and wars.

Ludmila EVSTAFIEVA

On April 12, Cosmonautics Day is celebrated all over the world. The secrets of this profession were shared with the readers of Sloboda by our countryman, first-class cosmonaut Sergei Viktorovich Zaletin.

FROM THE DOSSIER "SLOBODA"
Sergei Viktorovich ZALETIN
Pilot-cosmonaut
Was born April 21, 1962 in the city of Shchekino, Tula region.
Awards: Hero of Russia, Commander of the Order<За заслуги перед Отечеством>, Laureate of the Russian Government Prize for 2000.
Graduated: Borisoglebsk Higher Aviation School for Pilots. V.P. Chkalova (1st class military pilot), Faculty of Aerocosmology of the International Center for Training Systems (environmental engineer).
Space: from April 4 to July 16, 2000 - flight as a ship commander<Союз ТМ-30>and orbital complex<Мир>, from October 30 to November 10, 2002 - flight as an expedition commander under the Russian-Belgian scientific program to the International Space Station.
Family: wife Elena Maksimovna. The son Sergey is growing (born November 7, 1984).
Favourite drink: freshly squeezed orange juice.

Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, USSR pilot-cosmonaut, the first person to fly into space. For the flight he was awarded the star of the Hero of the USSR. Time spent in space: 1 hour 48 minutes. Suit SK-1: light (about 10 kg), altered from an aviation suit, does not provide protection in case of depressurization	Sergei Viktorovich Zaletin, Russian pilot-cosmonaut, 92nd person to fly into space. Time spent in space: 87 days. Suit "Falcon": light (about 15 kg), made of a special heat-resistant material. Provides protection in case of depressurization of the rocket, the air supply is designed for 20 minutes.

MASTERED "MIG" - YOU CAN MARRY
Pilot-cosmonaut Sergei Zaletin, now a deputy of the Tula Regional Duma, we found in an office on the seventh floor of the Tula "white house". Here, in a small working room, literally everything breathes space: the wall is decorated with calendars with famous space explorers, on the bedside table there is a model of the domestic ship Buran, and on the table is a portrait of the first cosmonaut in the USSR, Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin.
As a child, little Serezha dreamed of becoming a pilot, as a teenager he studied in an aircraft modeling circle, and after school he entered a flight school in Borisoglebsk.
- I was 17 years old then, I thought, after passing the exams I will come home, I will sit with my friends, I will note. No matter how! They lined us up, they said: those who entered - to the right, those who did not enter - all around, march home at a step. Those who entered were shaved bald, given boots ... and the most ordinary course of a young fighter began.
- Did you come on vacation in uniform? Probably, they were in high demand among local brides?
- I had a school sympathy, her name was Elena. We studied together for 10 years in the same class, sat at the same desk for a year. Soon we will have an anniversary with Elena - 25 years together. As soon as I finished the 3rd year of the school, I mastered the MIG-21 - we immediately signed. At the Polytechnic University, as the sopromat passed, you can get married. We had this: flew for the first time on a combat aircraft - play a wedding.

THE ROAD TO THE COSMODROME
In 1986, a group of officers came to the regiment to select young pilots for the cosmonaut corps. Zaletin was lucky, they took him. Friends are still joking - the flying surname helped, they say, Zaletin - so he flew.
- In 1990, you became a cosmonaut at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, and only in 2000 did you make your first flight. What happened in between?
- What is the job of an astronaut? This is the work of a student: classes, classes, classes, tests-exams, tests-exams! Studied, passed exams, prepared for flight. We have been preparing space tourists for a year, but they are responsible only for the spacesuit and for themselves. And in order to study all space technology, just 7-10 years are needed.
- Do you remember your feelings before the start?
- Start and preparation for the start are associated with certain rituals. A week before the start, on April 4, 2000, we arrived at Red Square, laid flowers at the graves of Gagarin, Korolev, Seregin. We visited the memorial room in Star City, where Gagarin left a note before the flight. Then we arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, where three days before the launch we had a short haircut - such a tradition. A day before the start there was a traditional screening of the film "White Sun of the Desert", a live broadcast on television. Before leaving the hotel, they signed on the doors of the room where they lived before the flight. By the way, there all the doors are painted with carriages.
- They say that on the way to the rocket, astronauts walk a little on the bus wheel ... Is that so?
- Yes. Before we took the elevator to the rocket, we stopped the bus 200-300 meters away, and, sorry, did the same thing. This tradition went back to Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin, because the cosmonaut is in a spacesuit before the launch and after the launch for about 7-8 hours.

SPACE AS A PRESENTATION
- What did you feel when you were in orbit for the first time?
- A rocket is millions of dollars and millions of horsepower. The less you are distracted by emotions and feelings, the more you will make from the flight program. If you think how cool, beautiful, then you will have less time. It is not recommended to look out the window, otherwise you can "catch a glitch" (smiles). I looked briefly, of course, but only later, when I got used to it.
- Beautiful?
- This is geography, a globe, in front of you below is a map. Fly - Egypt. There must be pyramids around here somewhere! I took binoculars - indeed, the pyramids.
What does it mean to "go out into outer space"?
- Of course, it's not just got up and walked out the door. It is necessary to prepare the station in case of an emergency escape, if there is a sudden depressurization. You have to be ready - suddenly you have to go into the module and return to Earth. Every step is controlled by you, partner, the Earth. On average, a real exit lasts about six to seven hours.
- Did you eat in space in the same way as the first astronauts - from tubes?
- The tube has weight and volume, it must be disposed of. In space, everything is very expensive: it costs $3,000 to lift a kilogram of cargo into orbit. The products were stored in polyethylene packaging, which can be compressed into a smaller volume.
- How was the landing?
- Both the first and the second time I landed in Kazakhstan, not far from Baikonur. We were found quickly - only half an hour waiting for the special squad.
Today Sergei Zaletin is a deputy of the Tula Regional Duma, and according to the law, he cannot be both a people's choice and an astronaut at the same time.
- I had to suspend my membership in the space squad. But the ways of the Lord are inscrutable - let everything go as planned!

TULYAKS IN SPACE
To date, there are 99 cosmonauts in Russia who have been in space, of which three are from Tula: Evgeny Khrunov, a cosmonaut of the Gagarin recruitment, a participant in the first docking, Valery Polyakov, a cosmonaut-doctor, Sergei Zaletin, commander of the expedition to the Mir station.

Sergei Biryuk.

Leading specialist of the organizational and planning department of the CTC cosmonaut corps.

Sergei Zaletin was born on April 21, 1962 in the city of Shchekino, Tula Region. In 1979 he graduated from secondary school No. 13 of his native city. Then in 1983 he graduated from the Borisoglebsk Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots. Since December of the same year, he served as a pilot, senior pilot in the 32nd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 9th Fighter Aviation Division of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District.

Since December 1989, he served as an aviation commander of the 274th fighter-bomber aviation regiment of the 9th fighter aviation division of the Air Force of the Moscow Military District.

In August 1990, by order of the Ministry of Defense, he was appointed to the post of candidate for test cosmonauts of the 4th group of the cosmonaut detachment of the Cosmonaut Training Center of the Air Force. From October 1990 to March 1992 he passed general space training. In March 1992, he passed his final final exam. At the same time, Zaletin was appointed test cosmonaut of the second group. From April 1992 he was trained in the group of cosmonauts "D82" under the program of flights to the orbital complex "Mir".

Two years later, Zaletin received a diploma from the State Academy of Oil and Gas at the Faculty of Aerospace Ecology.

In February 1996, Sergei Viktorovich was appointed commander of the backup crew to the Mir Orbital Complex. He began preparations for the flight in September 1997, together with Alexander Yuryevich Kaleri. In February 1998, he was appointed commander of the prime crew of the 28th expedition to the Mir orbital complex, the launch of which is scheduled for August 1999. However, due to lack of funding, the expedition was cancelled. He began training as a crew member only in June 1999, after the decision to conduct an expedition in 2000 was made.

In the period from April 4 to June 16, 2000, he made his first space flight as the commander of the Soyuz TM-30 transport spacecraft and the Mir spacecraft. During the flight, he went out into open space once. The flight duration was 72 days 19 hours 42 minutes 16 seconds.

By Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 1858 dated November 9, 2000, Lieutenant Colonel Sergei Viktorovich Zaletin was awarded the title of Hero of Russia for the courage and heroism shown during the space flight on the Mir orbital research complex.

From October 30 to November 10, 2002, he made his second space flight as commander of the Soyuz TMA-1 and the fourth Russian visiting crew to the ISS. Main task: replacement of the Soyuz TM-34 rescue ship with Soyuz TMA1 on the ISS. The flight duration was 10 days 20 hours 53 minutes 9 seconds.

The total duration of the two space flights was 83 days 16 hours 34 minutes. During this time, he made one spacewalk for 5 hours 03 minutes.

Sergei Zaletin left the cosmonaut corps in October 2004 in connection with his election as a deputy of the Tula Regional Duma in the 12th single-mandate constituency from the Just Russia party. In October 2009, he was re-elected to the Tula Regional Duma, but this time from the United Russia party. Until 2011, he worked as deputy chairman of one of the committees in the Duma.

In January 2011, Zaletin was enlisted as an instructor-test cosmonaut at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. On May 1, 2014, by order of the head of the CTC, he was transferred to the position of a leading specialist in the organizational and planning department of the CTC cosmonaut detachment, having retired from the active cosmonauts.

In the hometown of the cosmonaut Shchekino, Tula region, secondary school No. 13 is named after the hero Sergei Viktorovich Zaletin.

Sergey Zaletin's awards

Hero of the Russian Federation (November 9, 2000) - for courage and heroism shown during a long space flight on the Mir orbital research complex
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 4th class
Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (April 12, 2011) - for great merits in the field of exploration, exploration and use of outer space, many years of conscientious work, active social activity
Pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation (November 9, 2000)
Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation (2000)
Commander of the Order of the Crown (Belgium, 2011)
Honorary citizen of the city of Shchekino and the Shchekino region (September 27, 2001)

Sergei Viktorovich Zalyotin(born, Shchekino) - Russian cosmonaut. On May 11, 1990 he was enlisted in the cosmonaut corps. He made two flights into space - as the Soyuz TM-30 crew commander and the Soyuz TMA-1 commander, spending a total of 83 days 16 hours 35 minutes 25 seconds in space.

Biography

In 1990, he was enlisted in the cosmonaut corps, underwent special training from October 1990 to March 1992. March 11, 1992 was appointed as a test cosmonaut. In 1992-1997, he passed the training program for the flight to the Mir orbital station. He was appointed commander of the crew, whose flight was scheduled for August 1999, but the expedition was canceled due to lack of funds.

April 4, 2000 Zalyotin went on his first space flight. He spent 72 days 19 hours 42 minutes 16 seconds on the Soyuz TM-30 spacecraft and the Mir orbital complex, and also made one spacewalk. On June 16, 2000, the crew returned to Earth.

On October 30, 2002, he made his second flight as the commander of the Soyuz TMA-1 crew and the fourth visiting expedition to the ISS. Spent 10 days 20 hours 53 minutes 9 seconds in orbit. On November 10, 2002 the crew returned from the expedition.

On October 20, 2004, Sergei Viktorovich Zalyotin left the cosmonaut corps in connection with his election to the deputies of the Tula Regional Duma.

He was trained as a commander of the backup crew of the Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft and the main crew of the Soyuz TMA-19M spacecraft, the launch of which was scheduled for 2015.

On May 1, 2014, by order of the head of the CTC, he was transferred from the position of an instructor-test cosmonaut to the position of a leading specialist in the organizational and planning department of the CTC cosmonaut detachment, having retired from the active cosmonauts.

Family

Married to Elena Mikhailovna Zalyotina (née Goryacheva). There is a son - Sergey, born in 1984. There is an older sister, Lyudmila, born in 1954. He is fond of chess, sports (he plays tennis very well) and traveling.

Awards

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An excerpt characterizing Zalyotin, Sergey Viktorovich

- Do not talk in the front! ... Do not talk, do not talk! ...
“I am not obliged to endure insults,” Dolokhov finished loudly, sonorously.
The eyes of the general and the soldier met. The General fell silent, angrily pulling down his tight scarf.
“If you please, change your clothes, please,” he said, walking away.

- It's coming! shouted the machinist at that time.
The regimental commander blushed, ran up to the horse, with trembling hands took hold of the stirrup, flung the body over, recovered himself, drew his sword, and with a happy, resolute face, with his mouth open to one side, prepared to shout. The regiment started like a recovering bird and froze.
- Smir r r na! shouted the regimental commander in a soul-shattering voice, joyful for himself, strict in relation to the regiment and friendly in relation to the approaching chief.
Along a wide, tree-lined, high, highwayless road, with a slight rattle of springs, a tall blue Viennese carriage rode in a train at a fast trot. A retinue and a convoy of Croats galloped behind the carriage. Near Kutuzov sat an Austrian general in a strange, among black Russians, white uniform. The carriage stopped at the regiment. Kutuzov and the Austrian general were talking quietly about something, and Kutuzov smiled slightly, while, stepping heavily, he lowered his foot from the footboard, as if there weren’t those 2,000 people who were looking at him and at the regimental commander without breathing.
There was a shout of the command, again the regiment, ringing, trembled, making guard. In the dead silence, the weak voice of the commander-in-chief was heard. The regiment bellowed: “We wish you good health, your lordship!” And again everything froze. At first, Kutuzov stood in one place while the regiment moved; then Kutuzov, next to the white general, on foot, accompanied by his retinue, began to walk through the ranks.
From the way the regimental commander saluted the commander-in-chief, glaring at him, stretching out and getting up, how the stooped forward walked after the generals through the ranks, barely keeping a trembling movement, how he jumped at every word and movement of the commander-in-chief, it was clear that he performed his duties as a subordinate with even greater pleasure than the duties of a commander. The regiment, thanks to the severity and diligence of the regimental commander, was in excellent condition compared to others who came at the same time to Braunau. There were only 217 retarded and sick people. Everything was fine, except for the shoes.
Kutuzov walked through the ranks, occasionally stopping and saying a few kind words to the officers, whom he knew from the Turkish war, and sometimes to the soldiers. Glancing at the shoes, he shook his head sadly several times and pointed at them to the Austrian general with such an expression that he seemed not to reproach anyone for this, but he could not help but see how bad it was. The regimental commander ran ahead each time, afraid to miss the word of the commander-in-chief regarding the regiment. Behind Kutuzov, at such a distance that any weakly spoken word could be heard, walked a man of 20 retinues. The gentlemen of the retinues talked among themselves and sometimes laughed. Closest behind the commander-in-chief was a handsome adjutant. It was Prince Bolkonsky. Beside him walked his comrade Nesvitsky, a tall staff officer, extremely stout, with a kind and smiling handsome face and moist eyes; Nesvitsky could hardly restrain himself from laughing, aroused by the blackish hussar officer walking beside him. The hussar officer, without smiling, without changing the expression of his fixed eyes, looked with a serious face at the back of the regimental commander and mimicked his every movement. Every time the regimental commander shuddered and leaned forward, in exactly the same way, exactly in exactly the same way, the hussar officer shuddered and leaned forward. Nesvitsky laughed and pushed the others to look at the funny man.
Kutuzov walked slowly and listlessly past a thousand eyes that rolled out of their sockets, following the boss. Having leveled with the 3rd company, he suddenly stopped. The retinue, not foreseeing this stop, involuntarily advanced on him.
- Ah, Timokhin! - said the commander-in-chief, recognizing the captain with a red nose, who suffered for a blue overcoat.
It seemed that it was impossible to stretch more than Timokhin stretched, while the regimental commander reprimanded him. But at that moment the commander-in-chief addressed him, the captain drew himself up so that it seemed that if the commander-in-chief had looked at him for a little more time, the captain would not have been able to stand it; and therefore Kutuzov, apparently understanding his position and wishing, on the contrary, all the best for the captain, hastily turned away. A barely perceptible smile ran across Kutuzov's plump, wounded face.
“Another Izmaylovsky comrade,” he said. "Brave officer!" Are you happy with it? Kutuzov asked the regimental commander.