Aleksandr Lazutkin
Russian cosmonaut (born 1957)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aleksandr Ivanovich Lazutkin (Russian: Александр Иванович Лазуткин; born October 30, 1957)[1] is a former Russian cosmonaut.
Aleksandr Ivanovich Lazutkin | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 30 October 1957 |
| Status | Retired |
| Occupation | Flight engineer |
| Space career | |
| Roscosmos cosmonaut | |
Time in space | 184d 22h 07m |
| Selection | 1992 |
| Missions | Soyuz TM-25 (Mir EO-23) |
Mission insignia |  |
Life and career
Lazutkin attended the Moscow Aviation Institute and received a degree in mechanical engineering.[1] He was selected as a cosmonaut on March 3, 1992. His first spaceflight was Soyuz TM-25, where he served as the flight engineer.
Lazutkin has stated that Russian cosmonauts were given cognac for extended missions in space.[2]
1997 Progress supply mission
Lazutkin was aboard the Mir Space Station when a collision occurred with the uncrewed Progress M34, its supply craft, which was piloted by Vasily Tsibliyev while on the Mir.[3][4] The collision, considered the worst in the history of the space age,[4] knocked out Spektr's solar panels and caused the Mir to lose alignment with the sun, resulting in a loss of power.[4] It also caused the cabin to decompress.[5]
Quick action by the three crew members managed to avert immediate disaster.[4] Lazutkin and fellow crew member Michael Foale quickly severed the connecting cables with the module and sealed off the hatches to the module, saving the rest of the station.[6] Lazutkin successfully cut some of the wires connecting the Mir and the Spektr using a small dinner knife.[3] A few days after the collision, Tsibliyev and Lazutkin were ordered to attempt to repair the Mir, while Foale was ordered to the Soyuz-TM escape pod.[3] The station was eventually secured safely.[4]
