Mikhail Borisovich Kornienko (Михаил Борисович Корниенко; born 15 April 1960) is a Russian cosmonaut. Kornienko served as a flight engineer on the International Space Station during Expedition 23/24 and was selected along with Scott Kelly for a year-long mission aboard the ISS. Kornienko began the year long mission in March 2015, blasting off on Soyuz TMA-16M. Personal life Kornienko was born in Syzran, Kuybyshev Oblast, Russian SFSR. He is married to Irina Kornienko, a doctor. They have a grown daughter. His father Boris G. Kornienko, a military pilot, perished in an Mi-6 helicopter crash in October 1965. His mother, Faina M. Kornienko, born in 1931 is retired. Education Kornienko graduated from secondary school No. 15, Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 1977. From 1981 to 1987 he studied at the Moscow Aviation Institute named after S. Ordzhonikidze. Military career and experience Upon graduation from school in 1977, he worked at a radio equipment plant in Chelyabinsk, Russia. In May 1978, Kornienko was called to service in the Soviet Army. He served in the Airborne Forces (VDV) in Kirovabad, Azerbaijan in the USSR. In May 1980, he completed his military service with the rank of junior sergeant. Kornienko worked for the Moscow Municipal Militsiya from 1980 to 1986. At the same time he attended the evening department of the Moscow Aviation Institute. Upon graduation in 1987 from the institute, he was qualified as a liquid propellant rocket engines mechanical engineer. He resigned from the Militsiya in 1986 and entered a mechanical engineering design bureau. During 1986 to 1991 Kornienko worked in the Baikonur Launch Facility as a launch equipment specialist. He worked for commercial companies between late 1991 to early 1995. From October 1991 to December 1992 he was the OOO Transvostok Technical and Production Department Director. From January 1993 to April 1995 he was the LLC ESTE General Director. In October 1995, Kornienko started working at the Energia Rocket Space Corporation (RSC Energia) as an engineer. He was assigned to develop technical documentation for cosmonaut primary and backup crew tests and training. He took part in extravehicular activity (EVA) tests in simulated zero-gravity at the hydrolab and at the Selen dynamic stand. In the process of this work he acquired experience in organizing extravehicular repair/refurbishment and assembly activities on the Mir orbital station. He also directly participated in testing the Energia RSC production on the testing ground. Cosmonaut career On 24 February 1998,