Vasiliy Tsibliev Astronaut Date of Birth: 20.02.1954 Country: Ukraine

Biography of Vasily Tsibliyev

Vasily Tsibliyev, a former astronaut, was born on February 20, 1954, in the village of Orekhovka, Ukraine. After completing secondary school in 1971, he enrolled in the Kharkov Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots named after S.I. Gritsevets, which he graduated from in December 1975. Tsibliyev began his career as a pilot in the 296th Fighter Regiment of the Soviet forces in Germany, where he mastered the piloting of the MiG-21MT aircraft. In August 1976, he obtained the qualification of "Military Pilot 3rd Class." In November of the same year, Tsibliyev was transferred to the 85th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment, where he received the qualification of "Military Pilot 2nd Class" in August and "Military Pilot 1st Class" in May 1979. He soon became the leader of a flight group.

In November 1980, Vasily Tsibliyev returned to the USSR and continued his service as the leader of a flight group in the 161st Aviation Regiment in the Odessa Military District. In 1982, his flight group was recognized as the best in the regiment, and Tsibliyev was awarded the qualification of "Instructor Pilot." In November 1983, he was appointed as the deputy commander of an aviation squadron. As one of the top pilots in the regiment, Vasily Tsibliyev was sent for further education at the Y.A. Gagarin Krasnoznamensk Air Force Academy in Monino, Moscow Region, on the Command Faculty. Upon completion in July 1987, Tsibliyev graduated with honors in the specialty of "Command-Staff Operational-Tactical Aviation."

On March 26, 1987, by the decision of the Interdepartmental Selection Committee for cosmonauts, Vasily Tsibliyev was recommended for enrollment in the cosmonaut corps of the Air Force Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center. On July 23, 1987, he was officially enrolled in the cosmonaut corps as a candidate cosmonaut. From December 1987 to July 1989, he underwent general space training and, upon completion, received the qualification of "Test Cosmonaut." The training program included parachute training. In early 1990, Tsibliyev obtained the qualification of "Parachute Landing Instructor." After the training, Vasily Tsibliyev continued his preparation for a space flight aboard the Mir space station as part of a group. Only in October 1992, Vasily Tsibliyev began direct training as the commander of the second crew for the EO-13 program with Yuri Vladimirovich Usachev. On January 24, 1993, he served as the backup commander for the Soyuz TM-17 mission commanded by Gennady Mikhailovich Manakov.

From February 8 to June 24, 1993, Tsibliyev prepared as the commander of the main crew for the EO-14 program with Alexander Alexandrovich Serebrov and J.P. Haigneré (France). Despite not having any experience in space flight, on June 30, 1993, he was appointed as the deputy head of the Cosmonaut Training Center, which legally removed him from the cosmonaut corps before his flight. However, this fact did not prevent Vasily from going into space. Vasily Tsibliyev's first space flight took place from July 1, 1993, to January 14, 1994, as the commander of the Soyuz TM-17 spacecraft and the Mir space station for the EO-14 program, together with Alexander Serebrov, J.P. Haigneré, Gennady Manakov, and Alexander F. Poleshchuk (EO-13), Victor M. Afanasyev, Yuri Usachev, and Valery V. Polyakov (30-15). The flight was extended by two months due to the unpreparedness of the Soyuz-U2 launch vehicle. During the flight, Tsibliyev performed five spacewalks with a total duration of 14 hours and 15 minutes.

Upon returning to the Cosmonaut Training Center after the flight rehabilitation, Vasily Tsibliyev requested to be reinstated into the cosmonaut corps, and on March 31, 1994, his request was granted. He was appointed as a test cosmonaut of the cosmonaut corps of the Air Force Research and Test Cosmonaut Training Center and started preparing for another space flight as part of a group. On February 8, 1995, by order of the Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force, Vasily Tsibliyev was appointed as the deputy commander of the cosmonaut corps. This appointment did not hinder his preparation as the commander of the second crew for the EO-21 program with Alexander Ivanovich Lazutkin, which began on April 18, 1995. From June onwards, an experienced NASA astronaut, John Blaha, also trained in his crew.

On February 21, 1996, Vasily Vasilyevich Tsibliyev served as the backup commander for the Soyuz TM-23 mission commanded by Yuri Ivanovich Onufrienko. On March 25, 1996, Vasily Tsibliyev began preparation for the flight as the first crew commander for the 30-23 program. The flight on Soyuz TM-25 for the 30-23 program was Tsibliyev's second space mission. Vasily Tsibliyev holds the honorary title of Hero of the Russian Federation and Russian cosmonaut. He has been awarded the "Golden Star" medal of the Hero of the Russian Federation and eight medals from the Ministry of Defense of the USSR and the Ministry of Defense of Russia. He is also decorated with the medal "For the Strengthening of Brotherhood in Arms" (Bulgaria).

His wife, Larisa Ivanovna, works as a Russian language and literature teacher at a secondary school in Monino, Moscow Region. They have a son and a daughter. Their son, also named Vasily Vasilyevich, was born in 1978.