Colonel Maxim Suraev is the first Russian cosmonaut to blog in orbit. As a child, he wanted to become a military pilot, but he never dreamed of conquering outer space. But fate decreed otherwise. An experienced pilot was enrolled in the detachment of Russian cosmonauts.
From the biography of Maxim Viktorovich Suraev
The future cosmonaut was born on May 24, 1972. His homeland is the city of Chelyabinsk. But Maxim spent his childhood in Shadrinsk, in the Kurgan region. Suraev grew up in a military family, so the family had to move from place to place. Maxim's father was a military pilot in the past. Even at a young age, the boy dreamed of continuing the dynasty. However, no one then could have assumed that Maxim would be an astronaut. In those distant years, space seemed to him something very distant, almost inaccessible.
Maxim went to secondary school in the city of Noginsk. At the end of his studies, Suraev was enrolled in the ranks of the cadets of the famous Kachin Higher Military School of Pilots named after Myasnikov. After completing his studies, the young officer became the owner of a pilot-flight engineer diploma.
Subsequently, Suraev graduated with honors from the Zhukovsky Academy. But on this education Maxim decided not to interrupt. After a few years, he became a qualified lawyer.
On the way to space
Since December 1997, Maxim Viktorovich has been a member of the cosmonaut corps of Russia. After completing the standard course of general space training in the fall of 1999, Maxim was awarded the serious qualification of a test cosmonaut. He underwent further training as part of a group prepared for flights to the ISS.
From 2006 to 2008, Suraev underwent intensive training as a member of the spacecraft backup crew and station commander. Then he was trained for the position of flight engineer. In 2009, Suraev began training as part of the prime crew of the International Space Station.
On the ISS, the international crew, which included Maksim Viktorovich, launched on September 30, 2009. It is interesting that Suraev became the first astronaut-blogger: during the flight, he kept an online diary from orbit. According to experts, Suraev's blog can be considered the most fun and interesting among all the other "space" diaries.
Suraev returned to his homeland on March 18, 2010, having successfully landed in Kazakhstan.
Social activities of Maxim Suraev
In subsequent years, Suraev became actively involved in social and political activities. In 2013, Maxim Viktorovich headed the campaign headquarters of A. Yu. Vorobyov at the election of the head of the Moscow region. In 2016, Suraev became a member of the General Council of United Russia. In the same year, the cosmonaut became a member of the State Duma of the VII convocation. In this regard, Suraev was relieved of his duties as a test cosmonaut and dismissed from the cosmonaut corps.
Maxim Viktorovich is married. Together with his wife Anna, he is raising two daughters.
Maxim Suraev is the 104th Russian cosmonaut and Hero of the Russian Federation. He received this title in October 2010 for the heroism and courage shown during the flight into space.
