Cosmonaut Biography: Oleg Kotov

Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov poses for a preflight portrait for the Expedition 15 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). CREDIT: NASA.

NAME: Oleg Valerievich Kotov, M.D. (Colonel, Russian Air Force)
Test-Cosmonaut for Yuri A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center

PERSONAL DATA: Born October 27, 1965, in Simferopol. His parents, Valeri Efimovich and Elena Ivanovna Kotov, reside in Moscow. Married to Svetlana Nikolayevna Kotova (previously, Bunyakina). They have two children. He enjoys diving, computers, and photography.

EDUCATION: In 1982 Dr. Kotov finished high school in Moscow and entered the Kirov Military Medical Academy, from which he graduated in 1988.

EXPERIENCE : After graduation from the Academy in 1988, Dr. Kotov served at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, where he held the positions of Deputy lead test-doctor and Lead test doctor.

During his service he dealt with problems of altitude physiology and space flight effects on a human body. He gained experience in practical training and medical support of EVAs on the Russian Mir Space Station, and was a crew surgeon and instructor for biomedical training and science program training. He is a certified SCUBA diver.

He was selected as a cosmonaut candidate by GCTC in 1996. From June 1996 to March 1998, he completed a course of basic training for spaceflight. In March 1998, he received a test-cosmonaut qualification.

Since July 1998, Dr. Kotov has been a cosmonaut-researcher and test-cosmonaut of the GCTC Cosmonaut Office. From May-August 1998, Dr. Kotov trained for a flight on the Soyuz and the Mir station as a backup crewmember to the Mir-26 mission.

Since October 1998, he has been undergoing advanced training for ISS flights. He served as a flight engineer and Soyuz commander on the ISS Expedition-6 and ISS Expedition-13 backup crews.

From February-October 1999 he served as a Representative of GCTC (DOH) at JSC. During 2001-2002 he worked as a CAPCOM for Expedition-3 and 4 in MCC-M and Moscow Support Group in MCC-H. In 2004 he became Chief of the CAPCOM Branch in the Cosmonaut Office.

Dr. Kotov is assigned as flight engineer and Soyuz commander on the Expedition-15 mission to the International Space Station, arriving at the complex aboard a Soyuz spacecraft scheduled to launch in April 2007, for a six month tour of duty aboard the Station.

Last updated: November 2006.

• Space Station Mission Coverage
• Complete Coverage: ISS Expedition 15
• Learn More About the International Space Station
• All About Astronauts