| Yelena Vladimirovna Kondakova | |
|---|---|
| RKA Cosmonaut | |
| Nationality | Russian[1] |
| Status | Retired |
| Born | March 30, 1957[1] Mytishchi, Russian SFSR |
| Other occupation | Politician |
| Time in space | 178d 10h 41m [1] |
| Selection | 1989 |
| Missions | Soyuz TM-20,[1] Mir, STS-84[1] |
| Mission insignia | |
| Awards | |
Yelena Vladimirovna Kondakova (Russian: Елена Владимировна Кондакóва; born March 30, 1957[1] in Mytishchi, Russian SFSR) was the third Soviet/Russian female cosmonaut to travel to space and the first woman to make a long-duration spaceflight.[2] Her first trip into space was on Soyuz TM-20 on October 4, 1994. She returned to Earth on March 22, 1995 after a five-month stay at the Mir space station. Kondakova's second flight was as a mission specialist on the United States Space Shuttle Atlantis during mission STS-84 in May 1997. Since then no other Russian woman has flown to space.[3]
Kondakova was born in Mytishchi in the Moscow Region of Russia and is married to fellow cosmonaut Valeri Ryumin. She was selected as a cosmonaut candidate in 1989.
Since 1999, Kondakova has served as a deputy in the Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament.[4]