Soyuz TM-2

Soyuz TM-2 was the spacecraft used to launch a long duration crew to the Soviet space station Mir, which was uncrewed at the time. TM-2 was launched in February 1987, and it was first crewed spaceflight of the Soyuz-TM spacecraft,[3] and the second crewed spaceflight to Mir (the first being Soyuz T-15). The crew of the long duration expedition, Mir EO-2, who were launched by TM-2 consisted of Soviet cosmonauts Yuri Romanenko and Aleksandr Laveykin.

Soyuz TM-2
COSPAR ID1987-013A
SATCAT no.17482
Mission duration174 days, 3 hours, 25 minutes, 56 seconds
Orbits completed~2,810
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeSoyuz-TM
ManufacturerNPO Energia
Launch mass7,100 kilograms (15,700 lb)
Crew
Crew size2 up
3 down
MembersAleksandr Laveykin
LaunchingYuri Romanenko
LandingAleksandr Viktorenko
Muhammed Faris
CallsignTaimyr
Start of mission
Launch date5 February 1987, 21:38:16 (1987-02-05UTC21:38:16Z) UTC[1]
RocketSoyuz-U2
Launch siteBaikonur 1/5
End of mission
Landing date30 July 1987, 01:04:12 (1987-07-30UTC01:04:13Z) UTC[2]
Landing site80 kilometres (50 mi) from Arkalyk
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude341 kilometres (212 mi)
Apogee altitude365 kilometres (227 mi)
Inclination51.6 degrees
Period91.6 minutes
Docking with Mir
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions)
 

The spacecraft remained docked to Mir, functioning as a lifeboat for the EO-2 crew, until July 1987 when it returned to Earth carrying Laveykin and the two man crew of Mir EP-1. Romanenko later returned to Earth in Soyuz TM-3 at the end of EO-2.

Crew

Position Launching crew Landing crew
Commander  Yuri Romanenko
Mir EO-2
Third and last spaceflight
 Aleksandr Viktorenko
Mir EP-1
First spaceflight
Flight Engineer  Aleksandr Laveykin
Mir EO-2
Only spaceflight
Research Cosmonaut None  Muhammed Faris
Mir EP-1
Only spaceflight

Mission parameters

  • Mass: 7100 kg
  • Perigee: 341 km
  • Apogee: 365 km
  • Inclination: 51.6°
  • Period: 91.6 minutes

Mission highlights

Early in the expedition EO-2, the module Kvant-1 was launched to automatically dock with Mir. The docking system, known as the "Igla system", was not behaving as expected. On April 5 the EO-2 crew retreated to the Soyuz TM-2 spacecraft so that they could escape in the event the module got out of control. About 200 m out, the docking system lost its lock on Mir's aft port antenna. The cosmonauts watched from within Soyuz TM-2 as the Kvant/ FSM combination passed within 10 m of the station.[1] Following an emergency spacewalk, Kvant fully docked to the station on April 11.

References

  1. "Mir EO-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 9 April 2007. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  2. "Mir EP-1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  3. "Soyuz TM". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
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