Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"

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. ==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" (). 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": File:Sergey Avdeev.jpg|Russian cosmonaut Sergei Avdeyev File:Budarin, Nikolai M.jpg|Russian cosmonaut Nikolai Mikhailovich Budarin File:Frank Culbertson Jr.jpg|American astronaut Frank L. Culbertson, Jr. File:Pedro Duque-detail.jpg|Spanish astronaut Pedro Duque File:Miroslaw H.jpg|First Polish cosmonaut Mirosław Hermaszewski File:Kaleri.png|Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Yuriyevich "Sasha" Kaleri File:Scott J. Kelly.jpg|American astronaut Scott Kelly File:Kononenko.jpg|Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko File:Talgat Musabayev.jpg|Kazakh test pilot and cosmonaut Talgat Musabayev File:Thomas Stafford.jpg|American astronaut Thomas Patten Stafford File:Cosmonaut Polyakov Watches Discovery's Rendezvous With Mir crop.jpg|Russian cosmonaut Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov File:Reiter STS-121.jpg|German astronaut Thomas Reiter File:William Shepherd 2016.jpg|American astronaut William Shepherd File:Robert thirsk v2.jpg|Canadian astronaut Robert Thirsk File:Tsibliyev.jpg|Russian cosmonaut Vasily Vasiliyevich Tsibliyev File:Usachev.jpg|Russian cosmonaut Yury Vladimirovich Usachov File:Roberto Vittori NASA portrait.jpg|Italian astronaut Roberto Vittori File:Sunita Williams.jpg|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 ==See also==