ISS astronauts
SHKAPLEROV ANTON NIKOLAEVICH
Hero of the Russian Federation
test cosmonaut, 2nd class (ROSCOSMOS, Russia)
ORDER NUMBER: 111th cosmonaut of Russia/521st of the world
FLIGHTS: 2
FLIGHT TIME: 364 days
SPACE WAYS: 2
TOTAL DURATION: 14 hours. 27 min
MARITAL STATUS: married. The family has two children. Parents, Nikolai Ivanovich and Tamara Viktorovna Shkaplerov, live in Sevastopol.
EDUCATION:
- In 1989 he graduated from high school in Sevastopol and entered the Chernigov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots.
- In 1992, he transferred to the Kachin Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots, from which he graduated with honors with a degree in “Command Tactical Aviation” with the qualification of “pilot engineer” in 1994.
- After graduating from college, he was enrolled in the first year at the Air Force Engineering Academy named after Professor N.E. Zhukovsky and graduated in 1997 with a degree in “Aircraft Testing” with the qualification “pilot-engineer-researcher”.
- From 2006 to 2010, he studied at the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation and graduated with honors in the specialty “Jurisprudence” with the qualification “lawyer”.
- In 2014, he defended his dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences at the Air Force Academy named after Professor N.E. Zhukovsky and Yu.A. Gagarin.
EXPERIENCE:
- After graduating from the Academy named after N.E. Zhukovsky served in Air Force units as a pilot and senior pilot. Since 1998, he served as a senior pilot-instructor of the “Sky Hussars” aerobatics team at the Air Force Aviation Equipment Display Center at the Kubinka airbase, Moscow region. Mastered the Yak-52, L-39, MiG-29 aircraft. The total flight time is more than 500 hours. Performed more than 300 parachute jumps.
- Military pilot-instructor 2nd class, parachute service instructor, diver officer.
PREPARATION FOR SPACE FLIGHTS:
- In 2003, he was enrolled in the cosmonaut corps of the Yu.A. Gagarin.
- From June 2003 to July 2005, he underwent general space training. In July 2005, A.N. Shkaplerov was awarded the qualification “test cosmonaut”.
- From July 2008 to November 2009, he underwent training as part of the backup crew of ISS-22/23 as the commander of the Soyuz TMA TPK and ISS flight engineer.
- From December 2009 to March 2011, he prepared for a space flight as part of the backup crew of ISS-27/28 as the commander of the Soyuz TMA TPK, ISS flight engineer.
- From April to September 2011, he underwent training as part of the main crew of ISS-29/30 as the commander of the Soyuz TMA TPK and the ISS flight engineer.
- From January 2013 to May 2014, he prepared for a space flight as part of the backup crew of ISS-40/41 as the commander of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft and the ISS flight engineer.
- From June to November 2014, he underwent training as part of the main crew of ISS-42/43 as the commander of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft and the ISS flight engineer.
- From October 2016 to March 2017, he underwent training as part of the backup crew of ISS-54/55.
From March to September 2017, he underwent training as part of the backup crew of ISS-53/54 as the commander of the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft and the ISS flight engineer.
Since September 2017, he has been training as part of the main crew of ISS-54/55 as commander of the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft, flight engineer of ISS-54 and commander of ISS-55.
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE:
- 1st space flight A.N. Shkaplerov flew from November 14, 2011 to April 27, 2012 as commander of the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft and flight engineer of ISS-29/30. During the flight, he performed a spacewalk lasting 6 hours and 15 minutes. The flight duration was 165 days.
- 2nd space flight performed from November 24, 2014 to June 11, 2015 as commander of the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft and flight engineer of ISS-42/43. In accordance with the flight program of A.N. Shkaplerov performed work with the Russian transport cargo ships “Progress M-M” and the European ATV, and met the TPK “Soyuz TMA-16M”. During his activities on board the ISS, the cosmonaut conducted about 50 scientific and applied research and experiments, and performed on-board photo and video filming. The flight duration was 199 days.
- He is on his 3rd space flight.
HONORABLE TITLES AND AWARDS:
- Hero of the Russian Federation, Gold Star medal;
- honorary badge “Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation”;
- Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree;
- medals of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation: “For military valor” II degree, “For distinction in military service” I, II and III degrees, “For service in the Air Force”.
- Honorary citizen of the hero city of Sevastopol and the city of Gagarin, Smolensk region.
HOBBIES: tennis, football, badminton, golf, fishing.
Pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, detachment of the Federal State Budgetary Institution Cosmonaut Center
Date and place of birth:
EDUCATION:
In 1989 he graduated from high school in Sevastopol and entered the Chernigov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots.
In 1992, he transferred to the Kachin Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots, from which he graduated with honors with a degree in “Command Tactical Aviation” with the qualification of “pilot engineer” in 1994.
After graduating from college, he was enrolled in the first year at the Air Force Engineering Academy named after Professor N.E. Zhukovsky and graduated in 1997 with a degree in “Aircraft Testing” with the qualification “pilot-engineer-researcher”.
From 2006 to 2010, he studied at the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation and graduated with honors in the specialty “Jurisprudence” with the qualification “lawyer”.
In 2014, he defended his dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Technical Sciences at the Air Force Academy named after Professor N.E. Zhukovsky and Yu.A. Gagarin.
EXPERIENCE:
After graduating from the Academy named after N.E. Zhukovsky served in Air Force units as a pilot and senior pilot. Since 1998, he served as a senior pilot-instructor of the “Sky Hussars” aerobatics team at the Air Force Aviation Equipment Display Center at the Kubinka airbase, Moscow region. Mastered the Yak-52, L-39, MiG-29 aircraft. The total flight time is more than 500 hours. Performed more than 300 parachute jumps.
Military pilot-instructor 2nd class, parachute service instructor, diver officer.
PREPARATION FOR SPACE FLIGHTS:
In 2003, he was enrolled in the cosmonaut corps of the Yu.A. Gagarin.
From June 2003 to July 2005, he underwent general space training. In July 2005, A.N. Shkaplerov was awarded the qualification “test cosmonaut”.
From July 2008 to November 2009, he underwent training as part of the backup crew of ISS-22/23 as the commander of the Soyuz TMA TPK and ISS flight engineer.
From December 2009 to March 2011, he prepared for a space flight as part of the backup crew of ISS-27/28 as the commander of the Soyuz TMA TPK, ISS flight engineer.
From April to September 2011, he underwent training as part of the main crew of ISS-29/30 as the commander of the Soyuz TMA TPK and the ISS flight engineer.
From January 2013 to May 2014, he prepared for a space flight as part of the backup crew of ISS-40/41 as the commander of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft and the ISS flight engineer.
From June to November 2014, he underwent training as part of the main crew of ISS-42/43 as the commander of the Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft and the ISS flight engineer.
From October 2016 to March 2017, he underwent training as part of the backup crew of ISS-54/55.
From March to September 2017, he underwent training as part of the backup crew of ISS-53/54 as the commander of the Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft and the ISS flight engineer.
Since September 2017, he has been training as part of the main crew of ISS-54/55 as commander of the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft, flight engineer of ISS-54 and commander of ISS-55.
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE:
1st space flight of A.N. Shkaplerov flew from November 14, 2011 to April 27, 2012 as commander of the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft and flight engineer of ISS-29/30. During the flight, he performed a spacewalk lasting 6 hours and 15 minutes. The flight duration was 165 days.
He made his 2nd space flight from November 24, 2014 to June 11, 2015 as commander of the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft and flight engineer of ISS-42/43. In accordance with the flight program of A.N. Shkaplerov performed work with the Russian transport cargo ships “Progress M-M” and the European ATV, and met the TPK “Soyuz TMA-16M”. During his activities on board the ISS, the cosmonaut conducted about 50 scientific and applied research and experiments, and performed on-board photo and video filming. The flight duration was 199 days.
HONORABLE TITLES AND AWARDS:
Hero of the Russian Federation, Gold Star medal;
honorary badge “Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation”;
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree;
medals of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation: “For military valor” II degree, “For distinction in military service” I, II and III degrees, “For service in the Air Force”.
Honorary citizen of the hero city of Sevastopol and the city of Gagarin, Smolensk region.
HOBBIES: tennis, football, badminton, golf, fishing.
Anton Shkaplerov was born on February 20, 1972 in the city of Sevastopol, Republic of Crimea. In 1989 he graduated from secondary school No. 30. Then, he studied at the Chernigov Higher Military Aviation School for three years. In 1994 he graduated with honors from the Kachinsky Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots, and in 1997 received a diploma from the Nikolai Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, Faculty of Aircraft. Later, he studied at the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation with a degree in Jurisprudence.
Until 1998, he served in a combat unit of the air force of the Kaluga region, in the village of Shaikovka. Then, for five years, he worked as a senior pilot-instructor of the “Heavenly Hussars” aerobatic team at the Air Force Aviation Equipment Display Center. Then he became the commander of a squadron of an air force aviation regiment in the village of Kubinka, Moscow region.
At a meeting of the Interdepartmental Qualification Commission on July 5, 2005, Anton Nikolaevich was awarded the qualification “test cosmonaut”. Five years later, he was certified as a cosmonaut of the Yuri Gagarin Scientific Research Testing Center for Cosmonaut Training.
He made his first flight into space on November 14, 2011 as commander of the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft. The total flight duration was 165 days 7 hours 31 minutes 34 seconds. During the flight, he performed one spacewalk, lasting 6 hours and 15 minutes.
By decree of the President of the Russian Federation dated November 2, 2013, for the courage and heroism shown during a long-term space flight on the International Space Station, Anton Nikolaevich Shkaplerov was awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation with a special distinction - the Gold Star medal.
The second flight took off on November 24, 2014 as the commander of the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft, a member of the 42nd and 43rd main ISS Expeditions, together with Samantha Cristoforetti and Terry Werts. On the same day, 5 hours 46 minutes after launch, the ship successfully docked with the small research module “Rassvet” of the Russian segment of the International Space Station. Later, on June 11, 2015, the ship undocked from the station. The Soyuz TMA-15M TPK lander safely landed in the designated area of Kazakhstan. The duration of the cosmonauts' flight was 199 days 16 hours 42 minutes 48 seconds.
The third flight took off on December 17, 2017 as commander of the Soyuz MS-07 spacecraft, along with Scott Tingle and Norishige Kanai. During the flight on February 2, 2018, he performed one spacewalk, lasting 08 hours and 13 minutes. The duration of the third flight of the cosmonauts was 199 days 16 hours 42 minutes 48 seconds.
The total duration of Shkaplerov's flights is 533 days 05 hours 31 minutes. During the expeditions, he performed two spacewalks lasting 14 hours and 28 minutes.
By decree of the President of Russia, on May 29, 2019, Anton Shkaplerov was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree, for the courage and high professionalism shown during a long-term space flight to the ISS.
In addition to space, Anton Nikolaevich enjoys tennis, football, badminton, and golf. He devotes a lot of time to fishing and traveling.
Awards and Recognition of Anton Shkaplerov
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (January 26, 2017) - for courage and high professionalism shown during a long-term space flight on the International Space Station.
Pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation
First class cosmonaut (08/14/2018, “For exemplary performance of manned space flights under the ISS program, as well as in accordance with the Regulations on Cosmonauts of the Russian Federation”)
Medal "For Military Valor" II degree
Medal "For Distinction in Military Service" I, II, III degrees
Medal "For Service in the Air Force".
“Honorary Citizen of the Hero City of Sevastopol” (09/11/2012)
Departmental award of Roscosmos, the Queen sign.
Since March 9, 2013, honorary citizen of the city of Gagarin “for great services in the field of research, development and use of outer space, many years of conscientious work, active social activities, continuation of the stellar feat of Yuri Alekseevich Gagarin”
The new crew of the International Space Station (ISS), which will go into orbit on December 17 on the Soyuz spacecraft, is now completing examination training. The crew will complete pre-flight examination training on November 29. The commander of the new crew, Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, spoke in an interview with TASS about weightlessness and the taste of orbital food, the new spacesuit, the upcoming spacewalk in February under the Russian program, and the space “settlers” discovered at the station.
- Tell us about the mascot of the new crew.
Officially, it is called a zero-gravity indicator. This is usually a small children's toy, and is usually chosen by the children of one of the crew members. My daughter is now in the fifth grade, and this is the third time she has chosen a toy. It will be a small gray plush poodle - we just have the same one running around at home. The toy has now been handed over to an epidemiologist. They will check it, and if they give a certificate, then I will take the poodle to Baikonur and, when I get into the ship and close the hatch, I will attach it to the hatch.
At the moment of launch, it will be pulled on a rope, that is, it will be clear that we are flying with acceleration. And when we get into zero gravity, it will begin to float, and we will understand that we are already in space. We are rigidly pulled to our cradles in the ship, and in the first moments we do not feel weightlessness at all, so we need such an indicator toy.
- What do you need today to become an astronaut, what are the requirements?
The main requirements are health, good physical shape, education (preferably technical). It would also be good to work in your field for five years and somehow prove yourself: become a candidate of science, work on some scientific topic, because the main goal of human space flight is to carry out space experiments on the ISS.
What are the most difficult challenges for astronauts while preparing for a flight? How many years does it take to wait for the first flight into space?
On average, astronauts today wait six to nine years for their first flight.
On average, astronauts today wait six to nine years for their first flight. For example, I flew when I was eight years old. I think this is normal, especially since I immediately flew as a crew commander and on a six-month mission.
But our preparation is not easy. A lot of theory and various tests. We fly on airplanes, jump with parachutes, go underwater - this is diving training with spacesuits, we train to survive in different climatic zones. We also have a huge number of other training sessions.
How does a person experience weightlessness during space flight? How bad is he getting? How quickly do astronauts adapt to this?
Since I am a fighter pilot, I adapt to weightlessness quite quickly. How a person tolerates weightlessness depends on the specific organism - what is inherent in it by nature, as well as on how it is trained. There are people who tolerate it well, and others who don’t. If a person does not get motion sickness when he flies on an airplane or drives a car for a long time, or walks on a ship, then in principle he has a good vestibular system and is unlikely to experience strong unpleasant sensations in weightlessness.
If he does get motion sickness, then he will feel bad in space, but only for the first time. I saw many cosmonauts and astronauts who felt ill from weightlessness. However, after two weeks, even the most poorly prepared or genetically predisposed to motion sickness manage to adapt.
In addition to the vestibular apparatus, in zero gravity there is a problem with the redistribution of blood: when there is no gravity, our circulatory system works as usual for the first time, but then the distribution of blood occurs differently: all of it collects in the upper part of the body, as a result, in particular, blood pressure increases . Because of this, even outwardly, the astronauts at the station have slightly rounded faces and slightly squinted eyes. To imagine this, you need to stand upside down and walk like this all day, the sensations will be approximately the same. But the body gets used to this day by day.
On the first flight, my adjustment was a little more difficult, but on the second it was quite easy - training, experience, and the usual anti-motion sickness medications helped.
What sports exercises do astronauts necessarily perform in orbit? Maybe someone uses an individual training system?
There are basic exercises - an exercise bike, a treadmill. We also have a trainer assigned to each crew, who can slightly change the number of exercises or recommend some new exercises that are not included in the basic complex. He knows how prepared we are, knows the specifics of flights and is already individually developing exercises for us.
2.5 hours per day in orbit are allocated for sports activities.
A day in orbit, 2.5 hours are allotted for sports activities and no one has the right to cancel them, since this directly determines whether the astronaut will return healthy, so that after rehabilitation he can continue to live normally. A spacewalk may be cancelled, even sleep may be cancelled, but physical education is a must.
- Do astronauts use any preventive medications in orbit? For what?
The portholes in the station are protected from ultraviolet radiation, and when the mission lasts for a long time, there begins to be a shortage of vitamin D, which is produced under the influence of solar radiation. In addition, the food is canned - there are no fresh fruits and a number of vitamins are missing. Therefore, we make sure to take various vitamin supplements at the station.
We also periodically take tests right in orbit, and based on their results, the doctor on Earth who is leading the crew can prescribe some medications. Usually these are also multivitamins.
- What does the diet of astronauts consist of? Is it tasty or so-so?
The diet is very varied, it is prepared by the Russian side, and the European, and American, and Japanese. But all this, of course, is not fresh: either canned or reconstituted. After a month or two, it all gets boring, and you don’t really want to eat anything, there’s no appetite as such: you open another box of food that would go well on Earth, you look at it and don’t want anything; eat simply because you have to eat. Seasonings save the day.
Relatives send goodies, but there are not many of them - five kilograms of everything are allotted to the astronauts, and it’s not just food. These parcels come with “Unions” and “Progress”; they may contain, for example, fresh apples, oranges, onions, and garlic. But they don't last long.
- What do you especially want to eat in orbit?
Yes, you want everything that is possible on Earth: fresh shish kebab and borscht, herring under a fur coat or fried potatoes. There is not enough any normal food at the station.
What sensations do you experience when you find yourself again under the influence of gravity on Earth after space flight?
In the first minutes on Earth you feel its enormous gravity, it’s hard to raise your hand
In this situation, the blood, on the contrary, flows away from the head and goes to the lower part of the body; the brain lacks oxygen. You may start to lose consciousness. In the first minutes on Earth, you feel its enormous gravity, it’s hard to raise your hand, even your eyelids begin to close under their own weight. Therefore, we are carried in our arms, and we spend the first days mostly sitting and reclining. A lot of time is spent in the pool - the first stage of acute adaptation to gravity is easier there.
- How quickly does adaptation occur?
Here, as in the case of weightlessness, everything also depends on the person. The first stage begins in a few days, and so we are in the dispensary for three weeks. Basically, when you can already stand on your own, they ask you to stand upright and stand for ten minutes; If it works out, they can send you home for the night under close supervision. If it gets bad, call the doctor.
But here, too, everything is individual - some are released on the third day, others after a week or even ten days.
- Are there any restrictions on the number of flights into orbit?
No, there are no restrictions, it all depends on the person and his health, but I have not yet heard about more than six flights.
An experiment to search for life on the outer skin of the ISS has been repeatedly reported. What is this experiment, what do astronauts do during it? Where does life come from on the ISS skin?
There is such an experiment, it consists of several parts. Firstly, during the exit, special tablets are taken out and installed on the outer skin of the station. They contain various materials that are currently used in space and that in the future they want to use for the manufacture of spacecraft. These tablets have been outside the station for years. After a certain time, we pick them up, deliver them to Earth, and specialists and scientists look at what is there.
They found bacteria that lived there for three years on the surface in outer space conditions
Now they have found bacteria that lived there for three years on the surface in outer space conditions, where vacuum and temperature range from minus 150 to plus 150, and remained alive. Such experiments are called “Test” and “Biorisk”.
In addition, during exits we take swabs from the outside of the station using cotton swabs. We are told from the Earth where we need to take a swab, for example, in places where fuel waste emitted during engine operation is accumulated, or in places where the surface of the station is darker, or, on the contrary, where the light of the sun hits more often. We also deliver these tampons to Earth.
And now it turns out that somewhere on these tampons bacteria were found that were not present when the ISS module was launched. That is, they came from somewhere from outer space and settled on the outside of the skin. So far they are being studied and do not seem to pose any danger.
- You will have to perform a spacewalk during the flight. What is the planned program?
The main task of the exit is to change the electronic unit at the antenna of the Luch relay system. We have such a satellite dish in the Russian segment, which was delivered to the ISS along with the Zvezda service module during the assembly of the station. Then it was assumed that Luch relay satellites would soon appear and through them we would have direct communication with the Earth. But, unfortunately, it was the 2000s and funding was insufficient; satellites were not created.
This antenna has been idle in space for 17 years, and although it physically works, the element base there is already outdated. The satellites of the Luch system created today operate on a new element base. Therefore, in order for the entire relay system for the ISS to work, you need to change the electronic unit on the antenna - the subscriber relay equipment.
The difficulty is that when they launched this service module with an antenna, no one thought that they would have to change this unit in space. Therefore, we have a very difficult and intricate job ahead of us: we will have to unscrew dozens of bolts in the thick gloves of a spacesuit, dismantle the block and install a new one. For this purpose, three types of instruments were invented. We'll unscrew it with one, if it doesn't work - with the second, if it doesn't work - with the third. Moreover, earlier, during previous exits, no one tried to work in the place where the antenna is located. I hope that we will do everything and our on-board-Earth communication will work through the Luch relay system (currently the Russian segment uses the NASA relay system when the ISS is out of line of sight from Russian territory - TASS note).
Perhaps we will launch some microsatellites
There is also additional work to be done during this release. In particular, it will be necessary, if there is enough time, to disconnect and dismantle the measuring units from the “Situation” experiment with subsequent disposal using the discard method from the ISS, and to collect some samples from the station’s casing.
Perhaps we will launch some microsatellites. They are launched in a certain direction by hand, and they must not rotate. My spacewalk is scheduled for February 2.
- How do you like the new spacesuit?
The new spacesuit has automatic temperature control added - it’s like climate control in cars. Previously, it was necessary to manually make it warmer or colder, depending on which side the station was on at the time of exit: on the sunny or shady side. Now all this is done by automation, which redistributes water flows inside a special thermoregulating water suit, worn under your spacesuit.
In the new spacesuit, the material of the containment shell has changed - it seems to have become tougher, well, I need to go out and work, then I can draw a conclusion.
Interviewed Valeria Reshetnikova
Sh Kaplerov Anton Nikolaevich - pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation, 111th cosmonaut of Russia and 524th cosmonaut of the world, test cosmonaut of the cosmonaut corps of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Research Testing Center for Cosmonaut Training named after Yu. A. Gagarin", colonel.
Born on February 20, 1972 in the city of Sevastopol (Crimea). In 1989 he graduated from secondary school No. 30 in Sevastopol. In 1989-1992 he studied at the Chernigov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots. In 1994 he graduated with honors from the Kachin Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots, in 1997 from the Aircraft Faculty of the Air Force Engineering Academy named after N.E. Zhukovsky, in 2010 from the Russian Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Russian Federation with a degree in Jurisprudence. .
In 1997-1998, he served in a combat unit of the Air Force in the Kaluga region, in the village of Shaikovka. In 1998-2003, senior pilot instructor of the “Heavenly Hussars” aerobatic team at the Air Force Aviation Equipment Display Center, then squadron commander of the Air Force aviation regiment in the village of Kubinka, Moscow Region. Mastered the Yak-52, L-39, MiG-29 aircraft. Total flight time is more than 500 hours. Performed over 300 parachute jumps. Since August 2012, Colonel A.N. Shkaplerov has been in reserve.
Back in 1995, while studying in his second year at the N.E. Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy, he underwent a medical examination for two weeks as part of the 12th recruitment into the cosmonaut corps of the Yu.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center (CPC). ). On September 12, 2002, he received a positive conclusion (admission to special training) at a meeting of the Main Medical Commission.
On May 29, 2003, at a meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission for the Selection of Cosmonauts, he was enrolled in the cosmonaut corps to undergo general space training. On June 16, 2003, he began general space training, which he completed on June 28, 2005, having passed the state exams at the Cosmetic Training Center with an “excellent” grade. At a meeting of the Interdepartmental Qualification Commission on July 5, 2005, he was awarded the qualification of “test cosmonaut”.
In July 2008, reports appeared about his appointment to the backup crew of Expedition 22 on the International Space Station (ISS-22, until July 2008 designated ISS-20B). According to plans, the crew of the main expedition was supposed to launch on the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft in November 2009. On September 21, 2008, this appointment was confirmed in the ISS flight plan published by the press service of the Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos).
In July 2009, information appeared about his appointment to the backup crew of the 27th expedition to the ISS (ISS-27, launch on the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft on March 31, 2011) and about the possibility of his appointment to the main crew of the 29th expedition to the ISS ISS (ISS-29, launch on the Soyuz TMA spacecraft on September 30, 2011). And on October 7, 2009, this appointment was confirmed by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
In November 2009, he underwent a clinical and physiological examination and was declared fit for space flight on November 19. On December 19, 2009, the Interdepartmental Commission approved him as the commander of the backup crew of the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft and a member of the 22/23rd main crew of the ISS. During the launch of the Soyuz TMA-17 spacecraft on December 20, 2009, he was the backup commander of the spacecraft.
In the period from January 20 to February 2, 2010, as part of a conditional crew, together with A.A. Ivanishin and Daniel Christopher Burbank (USA), he participated in two-day training on the ability to survive in a deserted area in the event of an emergency landing of the descent module. The training took place in a forest near Moscow. At a meeting of the Interdepartmental Commission for the selection of cosmonauts and their appointment to manned spacecraft and stations on April 26, 2010, he was certified as a cosmonaut of the detachment of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "Research Testing Center for Cosmonaut Training named after Yu. A. Gagarin."
On March 4, 2011, at the CPC, together with A.A. Ivanishin and D.K. Burbank, he passed the examination training on the TDK-7ST simulator (the Soyuz TMA spacecraft simulator). On March 5, 2011, the crew passed pre-flight examination training on the Russian segment of the ISS. The CPC commission assessed the crew’s work during the comprehensive two-day training as “excellent.” On March 11, 2011, the Interdepartmental Commission at the TsPK approved him as the commander of the backup crew of the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft. On April 4, 2011, at a meeting of the State Commission at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, he was approved as the commander of the backup crew of the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft. During the launch of the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft on April 4, 2011, he was the backup commander of the spacecraft.
On August 22, 2011, at a meeting of the State Medical Commission at the Central Training Center, he was declared fit for space flight as the commander of the main crew of the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft. On September 1, 2011, at the CPC, together with A.A. Ivanishin and D.K. Burbank, he passed the examination training on the Russian segment of the ISS. On September 2, 2011, the crew passed pre-flight examination training on the TDK-7ST simulator. On November 12, 1011, at a meeting of the State Commission for Flight Testing of Manned Space Systems, he was approved as the commander of the main crew of the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft.
He made his first flight into space as commander of the Soyuz TMA-22 spacecraft and flight engineer of the 29th and 30th main expeditions to the ISS from November 14, 2011 to April 27, 2012. Started with A.A. Ivanishin and D.K. Burbank. On November 16, 2011, Soyuz TMA-22 successfully docked to the ISS, and on April 27, 2012, it undocked from the ISS and on the same day the spacecraft’s descent module successfully landed on the territory of Kazakhstan, 88 km northeast of the city of Arkalyk. The total flight duration was 165 days 7 hours 31 minutes 34 seconds. During the flight, he made one spacewalk, lasting 6 hours and 15 minutes.
On December 20, 2012, by decision of the Interdepartmental Commission, he was appointed to the main crew of the ISS-42/43 expedition (commander of the Soyuz TMA-15M spacecraft (planned launch date - November 30, 2014) and ISS-43, flight engineer of the ISS-42) and to the backup crew ISS-40/41 (commander of TC and ISS-41, flight engineer of ISS-40). From January 31 to February 1, 2013, I successfully completed training in a forest near Moscow to practice actions after landing in a wooded and swampy area in winter for 48 hours.
U Order of the President of the Russian Federation dated November 2, 2013 for the courage and heroism shown during a long-term space flight on the International Space Station, Shkaplerov Anton Nikolaevich awarded the title of Hero of the Russian Federation with a special distinction - the Gold Star medal.
Colonel (December 30, 2009), pilot-cosmonaut of the Russian Federation (2013), military pilot-instructor 2nd class, parachute service instructor, diver officer. Awarded medals.
Honorary citizen of the city of Sevastopol, Republic of Crimea (09/11/2012) and the city of Gagarin, Smolensk region (03/6/2013).
