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Mr Medvedev awarded the Hero of Russia Gold Star to cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko for their work as part of the Expedition 17 mission to the International Space Station in 2008.

Mr Medvedev signed an executive order awarding the two cosmonauts with the title of the Hero of Russia in February.

Also taking part in the meeting were Alexei Leonov, the first man to walk in space, Sergei Krikalyov, who made six space flights and set the longest time in space record of 803 days, Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, Anatoly Perminov, Head of the Russian Federal Space Agency Roskosmos, Vitaly Lopota, President of Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, and Yury Urlichich, CEO of the Russian Institute of Space Device Engineering and chief designer of satellite navigation system GLONASS.

The award ceremony was followed by a conversation over a cup of tea, during which, at Mr Medvedev’s suggestion, the problems and prospects of the Russian space sector were discussed.

The Head of Roskosmos said that the number of manned space flights will double in 2009, and invited the President to attend one of the launches of a manned spacecraft heading for the International Space Station.

Russia celebrates Cosmonautics Day on April 12. It was on this day in 1961 that Yury Gagarin made the world’s first ever manned space flight on board the Vostok spacecraft.