Alexey Ovchinin
Alexey Ovchinin was born on September 28, 1971 in the Russian city of Rybinsk in the central Yaroslavl Region.
Ovchinin graduated from the Yeysk Higher Military Aviation School named after pilot-cosmonaut V.M. Komarov in the field of Command Tactical Aviation in 1992, qualified as a pilot-engineer.
From August 1992 to February 1998, he served as a flight instructor in the Training Aviation Regiment of the Yeysk Higher Military Aviation School. From February 1998 to September 2003, Ovchinin worked as a flight instructor and then became the commander of the department of aviation industry of the Krasnodar High Military Aviation School for pilots.
He served as the commander of the department of aviation industry of 70th Separate Test Training Aviation Regiment of Special Purpose from October 2003.
On October 11, 2006, Ovchinin was enlisted in the Gagarin Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center to pass a course on the general space training from February 2007 to June 2009 and he was qualified as a test cosmonaut the same month.
From November 2012 to March 2015, Ovchinin underwent training as a backup crew member of the ISS-43/44 as the Soyuz TMA-M commander and the ISS flight engineer.
He was trained as a member of the primary crew of the ISS-47/48 as the Soyuz TMA-20M commander and the ISS flight engineer from March 2015 to March 2016.
Ovchinin performed a space flight as the commander of the Soyuz TMA-20M and the flight engineer of the ISS-47/48 from March 19 to September 7, 2016.
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The space flight duration was 172 days. During their stay on the ISS-47/48, the crew conducted many experiments in various fields under Russian scientific program (medicine, space biology, biotechnology, physical and chemical processes and others), about 50 of them were performed by Alexey Ovchinin together with Russian cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka.
During the flight, the Russian cosmonauts worked with Russian and foreign cargo ships, serviced ISS onboard systems, obtained onboard photographic and video records, and also prepared their Soyuz TMA-20M spacecraft for returning from orbit.
From June 2017 to March 2018, Alexey Ovchinin was trained as a member of the ISS-55/56 backup crew as the Soyuz MS commander and the ISS flight engineer and commander.
The State Commission for manned systems flight tests approved his candidacy as the commander of the Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft and commander of the ISS-57/58 on October 10, 2018.
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Ovchinin was awarded the title pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation and hero of the Russian Federation in 2017.
The cosmonaut has also received medals from Russian Defense Ministry for distinction in military service of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Class, for service with the Air Forces, for the military valor of 2nd class.
Nick Hague
US astronaut Nick Hague (full name Tyler Nicklaus "Nick" Hague) was born on September 24, 1975, in the city of Belleville, in Kansas.
In 1998, he received a bachelor’s degree of science in astronautical engineering from the US Air Force Academy and a master of science in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 2000.
In May 1998, Hague was given the rank of second lieutenant of the US Air Force. He was assigned to the Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in August 2000, where he worked on advanced spacecraft technologies.
Nick Hague attended flight test engineer courses at the US Air Force Test Pilot School at the Edwards Air Force Base in California in 2003.
Upon completion of his studies in 2004, he worked at the 416th Flight Test Squadron and was testing F-16, F-15 and T-38 aircraft.
At the end of 2004, Nick Hague was deployed for five months to Iraq, where he was involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom, conducting experimental airborne reconnaissance.
He joined the department of astronautics faculty at the US Air Force Academy in 2006, and became a lecturer on introductory astronautics, linear control systems analysis and design.
Hague was assigned to the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization in Crystal City, Virginia in 2012 as the deputy division chief for research and development, where he worked until 2013.
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In July 2013, Nick Hague became a NASA astronaut candidate. A month later he began astronaut candidate training. After he completed it in July 2015, Hague worked in the ISS operations branch, engaged in resource planning and operations.
From January 16, 2017, he has been training as a member of the backup crew of the ISS-55/56 as the Soyuz MS and the ISS flight engineer.
Nick Hague is an Air Force colonel. Among his awards are two Defense Meritorious Service Medals, Meritorious Service Medal, six Air Medals, two Aerial Achievement Medals, two Air Force Commendation Medals and the Air Force Combat Action Medal.