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At the ISS will be a military pilot, doctor and businessman Programmer
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Wednesday, March 25, 2009 (GST)
The International Space Station (ISS) will be a military pilot, doctor and businessman programmer.
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The State Commission on Wednesday issued a final decision: on board the Soyuz TMA-14 "on Thursday will rise Russian Gennady Padalka, NASA astronaut Michael Barrat and the American businessman of Hungarian origin, Charles Simonyi.
Behind 50-year-old commander of the crew, the Air Force reserve colonel Russia Padalka 387 days of work on the orbital station Mir and the ISS, six exits to the open space of more than 22 hours. Graduate School Eisk flight Padalka to enroll in a squad of astronauts in 1989, he served in parts of Air Force of Russia. On completion in 1991 training, he was job training in the Cosmonaut Training Center (CPC) ended on the UNESCO special course and qualified as an engineer-ecologist. In 2007, Padalka successfully graduated from Russian Academy of Civil Service under the President of the Russian Federation.
"Padalka - dedicated people who are very serious about anything that takes over", - stressed in an interview with ITAR-TASS the chief of department of CPC Maxim Kharlamov. In addition to excellent training, Padalka has acquired extensive experience in international team - as a "world", and on the ISS. Given his exemplary leadership of the ISS cosmonaut trust responsible mission - to lead the first extended crew of six.
49-year-old doctor, Michael Barratt flies into space for the first time. A native of Washington state, he in 1981 received a bachelor's degree in zoology in the University of Washington, in 1985 - a master's degree at the University of North-West, and in 1988 had completed at the same university a three-year internship, specializing in internal medicine. Graduating in 1991, trained in the Masters program of aerospace medicine, Barrat began his career physician at NASA, where, in particular, deal with emergency medical care in conditions of weightlessness. After enrollment in 2000 in the garrison of the astronauts, NASA has worked in the office, and since 2005, is trained in the ISS program.
"The doctor on board - this is cool, will be less distracted in medicine" - pleasantry observed in pre-press conference Padalka and seriously adds: "Michael is also a very good flight, while flying in space for the first time." Barratt is also very much appreciates their commander. "I was lucky - I have a very good crew and a good commander," - he said to journalists.
60-year-old American businessman of Hungarian origin, the doctor of science, Charles Simonyi was born and raised in Budapest, but in 17 years, left Hungary in order to try their luck in the West. After working as programmer in Denmark, in 1968 he moved to the USA, where he received an excellent education in California, then at Stanford University. Since 1981, worked for Microsoft, which led the team to develop the most popular software products - Word and Excel. In 2002, Simonyi left Microsoft and founded his own software development.
Despite the choice of quite earthly profession, a businessman interested in space since childhood and dreamed of the sky. Simonyi has mastered the art of piloting airplanes and helicopters, and download them for more than 2 thousand hours. In 2007, he had an opportunity to realize their child's dream of flying into space. Having paid 25 million dollars, he made his first 11-day trip to the ISS. But that seemed little indefatigable businessman, and he, in spite of a long line seeking, has permission for a second flight, which has already cost 35 million dollars. "Now I better understand what to pay attention to in-flight, and hope to continue their studies in space," - said Simonyi on preflight press conference in the town of Star.
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