Gennady Padalka
Gennady Ivanovich Padalka
ISS Expedition 19/20 Commander
Padalka is a Colonel of the Russian Air Force and Test Cosmonaut of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. Born in 1958, he is married with three daughters.
he is a veteran of two long-duration space missions: as Commander of the Mir Expedition 26 (August 98 – February 99) and ISS Expedition 9 (April – October 2004) crews.
During the latter mission he performed four spacewalks. Padalka is a First Class Pilot and an Instructor of General Parachute Training.
He was launched to the ISS on Soyuz TMA-14 on 26 March 2009 together with Michael Barratt and spaceflight participant Charles Simonyi. He is also scheduled to return on Soyuz TMA-14 in October.
Last update: 22 April 2009