Musa Manarov Astronaut Date of Birth: 22.03.1951 Country: Azerbaijan

Biography of Musa Manarov

Musa Manarov, a Soviet astronaut, was born on March 22, 1951, in the city of Baku, which is now the Republic of Azerbaijan. He grew up in a military family. After completing his education at the Sergo Ordzhonikidze Moscow Aviation Institute, Manarov began working at the Scientific Production Association "Energia" in 1974.

In 1978, Manarov was selected to join the Soviet cosmonaut team as part of the Civilian Specialist Group No. 10. He underwent comprehensive training for space flights aboard the "Soyuz TM" spacecraft and the Mir orbital station.

On December 21, 1987, Manarov embarked on his first space flight as a flight engineer aboard the "Soyuz TM-4" spacecraft, alongside Vladimir Georgievich Titov and Anatoly Stepanovich Levchenko. This mission lasted for a year, making it the longest space flight in history at that time.

In August 1990, Manarov served as part of the backup crew for the "Soyuz TM-10" mission. Later that year, on December 2, 1990, he began his second space flight as a flight engineer aboard the "Soyuz TM-11" spacecraft, along with Viktor Mikhailovich Afanasyev and Japanese astronaut Toyohiro Akiyama.

After his space career, Manarov became an astronaut instructor at the Scientific Production Association "Energia" in 1990. He also engaged in political activities and served as a deputy of the RSFSR (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic) from 1990 to 1993. Currently, he is involved in commercial activities.

Throughout his career, Musa Manarov received numerous awards and honors. He was named a Hero of the Soviet Union in 1988 and was decorated with the Order of Lenin, the Order of the October Revolution, the Order of Georgi Dimitrov (Bulgaria), the Order of the "Sun of Freedom" (Afghanistan), and the Legion of Honor (France). He was also awarded the "International Icarus-1989" prize and the honorary diploma "Harmon Prize" (USA).