Mikhail Kornienko – Spaceflight Now

Record-setting space station crew lands after 340-day mission

March 2, 2016 William Harwood

Astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko ended a record-setting 340-day stay in orbit with a fiery plunge to Earth Tuesday, settling to a jarring rocket-assisted touchdown in Kazakhstan to close out a medical research voyage that may help pave the way for flights to Mars.

Scott Kelly and crewmates bid goodbye to space station

March 1, 2016 Stephen Clark

In the final hours of a 340-day mission, Scott Kelly and Mikhail Kornienko said goodbye to their crewmates and closed the hatch to the International Space Station on Tuesday, heading for a parachute-assisted touchdown in Kazakhstan a few hours later.

Live coverage: Station crew lands after 11 months in orbit

March 1, 2016 Stephen Clark

Touching down after 340 days in orbit, astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko have returned to Earth from the International Space Station aboard a Soyuz crew capsule commanded by Sergey Volkov. Landing in Kazakhstan occurred at 0426 GMT Wednesday (11:26 p.m. EST Tuesday).

Kelly, Kornienko about to wrap up 340-day mission

February 29, 2016 William Harwood

Astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are making final preparations for return to Earth Tuesday evening, closing out a record 340-day stay aboard the International Space Station where they served as medical test subjects to learn more about the long-term effects of weightlessness, space radiation and isolation.

Soyuz relocation clears way for launch of new station crew

August 28, 2015 Stephen Clark

Three space station crewmen strapped inside a Russian Soyuz spacecraft and relocated the landing capsule Friday, clearing a docking port for the arrival of a new crew next week.

Astronauts munch on space-grown lettuce

August 10, 2015 William Harwood

Amid a Russian spacewalk to carry out routine maintenance and inspections outside the International Space Station, two NASA astronauts and a Japanese crewmate staged a culinary first in orbit — harvesting and eating a few leaves of leafy, space-grown red romaine lettuce.

Padalka breaks spaceflight endurance record

June 30, 2015 Stephen Clark

Veteran Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka, more than three months into his fifth trip into orbit, has passed countryman Sergey Krikalev’s mark of 803 days of cumulative time in space.

Photos: Fiery start to marathon space mission

March 29, 2015 Stephen Clark

A three-man crew donned pressure suits, strapped into a Russian Soyuz space capsule and rode a rocket into orbit Friday, starting a record-setting expedition on the International Space Station that — for two of the crew members — will last for 342 days.

Space station crewmen head off on 342-day mission

March 28, 2015 William Harwood

A workhorse Soyuz booster thundered to life and climbed into a dark Kazakh sky Friday, carrying NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko on a four-orbit voyage to the International Space Station to kick off a marathon 342-day mission, the longest flight ever attempted by an American.

Live coverage: Crew blasts off on record-setting space mission

March 27, 2015 Stephen Clark

Three space station residents launched Friday from Kazakhstan, kicking off a nearly yearlong expedition to help plan for future voyages to Mars. The crew blasted off on a Soyuz rocket heading for the International Space Station at 1943 GMT (3:43 p.m. EDT). Docking occurred at 0136 GMT (9:36 p.m. EDT).