Elena Serova Russian cosmonaut Date of Birth: 22.04.1976 Country: Russia

Biography of Elena Serova

Elena Serova is a Russian astronaut who made history as the fourth Russian woman to go to space. She was born in April 1976 into a family of a military pilot, which influenced her choice of profession. In 2001, Elena graduated from the Aerospace Faculty of the Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) and started working as an engineer at RKK Energia. In 2006, she was selected as a candidate for test cosmonauts.

During her training, Elena excelled in various aspects such as surviving in the desert, handling large amounts of information, and enduring extreme physical challenges. She consistently performed exceptionally well and even surpassed her male colleagues in many tasks. In 2009, she passed the qualification tests and became a test cosmonaut. In 2011, Elena was accepted into the Roscosmos cosmonaut corps and assigned as a flight engineer for the main crew of the Soyuz TMA-14M mission.

During her spaceflight, Elena is responsible for fulfilling the duties of a flight engineer and conducting geophysical and biotechnological research. Over the course of the 170-day expedition, approximately 50 experiments are planned, focusing on human behavior in microgravity, testing the operation modes of space equipment, and a unique program called "Test" that may provide new insights into the origins of life on Earth.

One distinctive aspect of Elena's participation in the mission is her lightweight. This required adjustments in cargo placement to prevent spacecraft imbalance. As the mission preparation reached its final stages, Elena's husband, Mark Serov, personally verified all the details of the spacecraft's readiness for launch. The crew entrusted Elena with the choice of the mission's mascot, and she selected a plush Olympic rabbit. These mascots also serve as indicators of weightlessness.

Another notable feature of Elena is her long, luxurious hair. Despite the belief that long hair is not suitable for women in active professions, Elena firmly believes that such a hairstyle is much safer in space than short hair, which can uncontrollably enter the station's atmosphere. In addition to the numerous experiments, she plans to conduct a unique one - washing long hair in microgravity conditions.