View source for Toktar Aubakirov

{{short description|Soviet cosmonaut (born 1946)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{No footnotes|date=May 2010}}
{{Infobox astronaut
| name         = 
| image        = Stamp of Kazakhstan 276.jpg
| caption      = Toktar Aubakirov on a 1999 stamp of Kazakhstan
| type         = Cosmonaut
| status       = Retired
| nationality  = Kazakh
| birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1946|7|27|df=y}}
| birth_place  = [[Karaganda]], [[Kazakh SSR]], [[Soviet Union]]
| occupation   = [[Test pilot]]
| rank         = [[Major General]]
| selection    = [[List of astronauts by selection#1991|1991 Cosmonaut Group]]
| time         = 7d 22h 12m
| mission      = [[Soyuz TM-13]], [[Soyuz TM-12]]
| insignia     = [[File:Soyuz TM-13 patch.png|40px]]
| awards       = [[Hero of Kazakhstan]]<br>[[Hero of the Soviet Union]]
|native_name={{nobold|Тоқтар Әубәкіров}}}}

'''Toktar Ongarbayuly Aubakirov''' ({{langx|kk|Тоқтар Оңғарбайұлы Әубәкіров}} (''Toqtar Oñğarbaiūly Äubäkırov''), {{langx|ru|Токтар Онгарбаевич Аубакиров}}, born on 27 July 1946) is a retired [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]] Air Force officer and a former [[astronaut|cosmonaut]]. He is the first person from [[Kazakhstan]] to go to space.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kazakhworld.com/toktar-aubakirov-first-kazakh-visit-space/ |title=Archived copy |access-date=10 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191010143053/http://kazakhworld.com/toktar-aubakirov-first-kazakh-visit-space/ |archive-date=10 October 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Early life==
Toktar Aubakirov was born in Karkaraly District, Karaganda Region, [[Kazakh SSR]], which is now Kazakhstan. After graduating from the 8th grade of a secondary school he started working as a metal turner at the Temirtau foundry, whilst attending an evening school. In 1965 he joined the Armavir Military Aviation Institute of the Anti-Air Defence Pilots. He served as a [[fighter pilot]] in the [[Soviet Air Force]] on the Far East borders of the USSR until his acceptance into the [[Fedotov Test Pilot School]] in 1975.

==Test pilot career==
Between 1976 and 1991 Aubakirov served as a test pilot at the Mikoyan Experimental Design Bureau (MiG aircraft). During this time he tested over 50 types of aircraft. He was the first in the Soviet Union to make a nonstop flight crossing the North Pole, with two [[in-flight refueling]]s, and the first in the Soviet Union to take off from the aircraft-carrier ''Tbilisi'' (later named [[Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov|''Kuznetsov'']]) on a MiG 29K.

==Spaceflight experience==
In 1991, in accordance with an agreement between the governments of the USSR and the Kazakh SSR, started training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. On 2 October 1991 he launched with Russian cosmonaut [[Alexander Alexandrovich Volkov (cosmonaut)|Alexander Volkov]] as flight commander, and the Austrian research cosmonaut [[Franz Viehböck]] in [[Soyuz TM-13]] from the [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] [[spaceport]], and spent over eight days in space. Their mission was the last launched by the Soviet Union, which dissolved shortly thereafter, with Aubakirov becoming a citizen of the independent [[Republic of Kazakhstan]].

==Career==
Since 1993, he has been the general director of the [[KazCosmos|National Aerospace Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan]]. He was a member of the Kazakhstan parliament. Now he is a [[pensioner]] and [[consultant]].

===Family===
Toktar Aubakirov is married to Tatyana Aubakirova. They have two children: Timur (born in 1977) and Mikhail (born in 1982).

==Awards and honors==
[[Image:ToktarAwbakirov.jpg|right|thumb|180px|Featured on a stamp]]
* [[Hero of Soviet Union]] (October 31, 1988)<ref name=":0">{{cite web | title=Федеральное Космическое Агентство (Роскосмос)&#124; | url=https://www.roscosmos.ru/1985/ }}</ref> – Test flights of MiG aircraft
* [[People's Hero of Kazakhstan]] (''Halyk Kaharmany'') (1995)<ref name=":0" />
* [[Order of Otan]] (Kazakhstan) (1995)
* [[Order of Lenin]] (1988)
* [[Honoured Test Pilot of the USSR]] (November 6, 1990)<ref name=":0" />
* [[Pilot-Cosmonaut of the USSR]] (1991, last recipient)<ref name=":0" />
* Pilot-Cosmonaut of Kazakhstan (1994, first recipient)
* [[Order of the Badge of Honour]] (1987)
* [[Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria|Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Republic of Austria]] (''Goldenes Ehrenzeichen''), twice (1988 and 1993)
* [[Order of the October Revolution]] (1991)
* [[Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"]] (12 April 2011) – for outstanding contribution to the development of international cooperation in crewed space flight

==See also==
* [[List of astronauts by name]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/cosmonauts/english/aubakirov_toktar.htm Aubakirov at Spacefacts]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20030816022448/http://www.testpilots.narod.ru/english/lii.html Flying-Research Institute]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Aubakirov, Toktar}}
[[Category:1946 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Karaganda]]
[[Category:Soviet cosmonauts]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani cosmonauts]]
[[Category:Mir crew members]]
[[Category:Soviet Air Force officers]]
[[Category:Soviet test pilots]]
[[Category:Fedotov TPS alumni]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani aviators]]
[[Category:Heroes of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Heroes of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Lenin]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the October Revolution]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Badge of Honour]]
[[Category:Soviet Kazakh people]]