who served as a flight engineer aboard the International Space Station during the two long-duration missions. Born in Schelkovo (near Mosow), the son of cosmonaut Yury Romanenko and a Russian Air Force major was selected as a cosmonaut in 1997. He made his first flight on 27 May 2009 and logged 187 days in space as the Soyuz TMA-15 commander and ISS flight engineer. In November 2012, Romanenko commanded the Soyuz capsule that began the ISS 34-35 mission; during his stay, he logged over 145 days in space, and on 19 April 2013 he completed his first space walk— a 6-hour, 38-minute EVA to conduct repairs to the ISS. Among his awards, Romanenko has received both the Hero of the Russian Federation medal and the honorary title of Pilot-Cosmonaut of the Russian Federation.