Leonid Kadenyuk

Leonid Kadeniuk – Hero of Ukraine, the first astronaut of independent Ukraine.

From November 19 to December 5, the Ukrainian Kadeniuk made a space flight as part of an American crew aboard the shuttle Columbia.

Kadeniuk served as a scientist-biologist. The crew conducted experiments with three types of plants: turnip, soybean and moss. The astronauts were to find out how weightlessness affects the growth and development of these plants.

Apart from the experiments with plants, the crew also carried out research on humans in weightlessness.

Leonid Kadeniuk died on January 31, 2018, at the age of 67.