Leonid Kadeniuk

Leonid Kadeniuk was a Ukrainian astronaut and pilot who flew on NASA's Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as part of the international mission STS-87. He was the first and only astronaut of independent Ukraine. He was also a major general in the Ukrainian Air Force, a test pilot, a deputy of the Ukrainian parliament, an adviser to the prime minister of Ukraine, and the president of the Aerospace Society of Ukraine. He was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine and the Order of Merit. He was interested in space exploration, aviation, and cosmonautics since his childhood. He graduated from the Chernihiv Higher Military Aviation School of Pilots and the Test Pilot Training Center. He was selected for the Soviet Cosmonaut Corps in 1976 and trained as the commander of the Buran and Soyuz-TM spacecraft. He participated in the glide path of descent for landing the spacecraft Buran using MiG-31 and MiG-25 aircraft. He returned to Ukraine in 1995 and volunteered for the first Ukrainian space mission. He underwent training at the NASA center and flew on the Columbia shuttle for 15 days, conducting scientific experiments and supporting the image of Ukraine as a space state. He took on board the Ukrainian flag and coat of arms, portraits of Taras Shevchenko and Serhiy Korolyov, and the national anthem of Ukraine. After his space flight, he continued to work in the field of aviation and cosmonautics, promoting the development of the space industry in Ukraine and cooperating with international partners. He died of a heart attack in Kyiv at the age of 67.