# Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"

The Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (Russian: Медаль "За заслуги в освоении космоса") is a state decoration of the Russian Federation aimed at recognising achievements in the space program. It was established by presidential decree №1099 of September 7, 2010 which revamped the entire Russian awards system.

## Award statute

The Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" is awarded to citizens of the Russian Federation for achievements in research, development and utilization of outer space, for a substantial contribution to the development of rocket and space technology and industry, training, research and design activities, for the implementation of international programs, as well as for other achievements in the field of space activities aimed at the comprehensive socio-economic development of the Russian Federation, at strengthening its defense and ensuring national interests, for encouraging and increasing international cooperation.
The Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" may be awarded to foreign citizens for outstanding achievements in the development of space technology in the Russian Federation.
The Russian Federation Order of Precedence dictates the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" is to be worn on the left breast with other medals immediately after the Medal "For Merit in the Development of Nuclear Energy".

## Award description

The Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" is a 32mm diameter circular silver medal with a raised rim on both the obverse and reverse. The obverse of the medal bears an R-7 rocket launching from its pad, two supporting towers leaning at an angle away from the rocket, to the left of the rocket, a large four pointed star, to the right of the rocket, two smaller four pointed stars. The reverse of the medal bears the inscription "FOR MERIT IN SPACE EXPLORATION" (Russian: "ЗА ЗАСЛУГИ В ОСВОЕНИИ КОСМОСА"). Below the inscription, a relief letter "N" with an horizontal line reserved for the award serial number.
The medal is secured to a standard Russian pentagonal mount by a ring through the medal suspension loop. The mount is covered by an overlapping 24mm wide silk moiré light blue ribbon with a 5mm dark blue central stripe, two white 2mm edge stripes and two 2mm white stripes separating the dark from the light blue.

## Award recipients

The following individuals are recipients of the Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration":
* Russian cosmonaut Sergei Avdeyev
* Russian cosmonaut Nikolai Mikhailovich Budarin
* American astronaut Frank L. Culbertson, Jr.
* Spanish astronaut Pedro Duque
* First Polish cosmonaut Mirosław Hermaszewski
* Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Yuriyevich "Sasha" Kaleri
* American astronaut Scott Kelly
* Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko
* Kazakh test pilot and cosmonaut Talgat Musabayev
* American astronaut Thomas Patten Stafford
* Russian cosmonaut Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov
* German astronaut Thomas Reiter
* American astronaut William Shepherd
* Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk
* Russian cosmonaut Vasily Vasiliyevich Tsibliyev
* Russian cosmonaut Yury Vladimirovich Usachov
* Italian astronaut Roberto Vittori
* American astronaut Sunita Williams

### Additional recipients

* Vladimir Aksyonov
* Aleksandr Pavlovich Aleksandrov
* Anatoly Artsebarsky
* Oleg Atkov
* Toktar Aubakirov
* Sergey Avdeev
* Aleksandr Nikolayevich Balandin
* Boris Chertok
* Vladimir Dzhanibekov
* Muhammed Faris
* Anatoly Filipchenko
* Maidarjavyn Ganzorig
* Yuri Gidzenko
* Georgy Grechko
* Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa
* Claudie Haigneré
* Georgi Ivanov (cosmonaut)
* Pyotr Klimuk
* Vladimir Kovalyonok
* Sergei Krikalev
* Valery Kubasov
* Aleksandr Laveykin
* Valentin Lebedev
* Vladimir Lyakhov
* Gennady Manakov
* Musa Manarov
* Phạm Tuân
* Dumitru Prunariu
* Yuri Romanenko
* Valery Rozhdestvensky
* Valery Ryumin
* Viktor Savinykh
* Svetlana Savitskaya
* Aleksandr Serebrov
* Rakesh Sharma
* Anatoly Solovyev
* Vladimir Solovyov (cosmonaut)
* Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez
* Daniel M. Tani
* Vladimir Titov (cosmonaut)
* Aleksandr Viktorenko
* Igor Volk
* Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Volkov
* Peggy Whitson
* Vitaly Zholobov
* Vyacheslav Zudov