Soyuz TMA-04M

Soyuz TMA-04M was a spaceflight to Low Earth orbit that transported three members of the Expedition 31 crew to the International Space Station (ISS), which was launched on 15 May 2012 and landed on 17 September 2012.[3] TMA-04M was the Soyuz spacecraft's 113th flight since its initial launch in 1967, and the fourth launch of the improved Soyuz TMA-M series (first launched 7 October 2010). As per the mission plan, the spacecraft remained docked to the space station to serve as an emergency escape vehicle during Expedition 31.

Soyuz TMA-04M
Soyuz TMA-04M departs the ISS
OperatorRoskosmos
COSPAR ID2012-022A
SATCAT no.38291
Mission duration4 months, 2 days
Orbits completed~1,945[1]
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeSoyuz-TMA 11F747
ManufacturerRKK Energia
Crew
Crew size3
MembersGennady Padalka
Sergei Revin
Joseph M. Acaba
CallsignAltair
Start of mission
Launch date15 May 2012, 03:01:23 (2012-05-15UTC03:01:23Z) UTC[2][3]
RocketSoyuz-FG
Launch siteBaikonur 1/5
End of mission
Landing date17 September 2012, 02:53 (2012-09-17UTC02:54Z) UTC[4]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude410 kilometres (250 mi)
Apogee altitude433 kilometres (269 mi)
Inclination51.64 degrees
Period92.86 minutes
Epoch17 September 2012, 01:22:43 UTC[1]
Docking with ISS
Docking portPoisk zenith
Docking date17 May 2012, 04:36 UTC
Undocking date16 September 2012, 23:09 UTC
Time docked4 months

(l-r) Acaba, Padalka and Revin
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions)
 

The mission was successfully launched to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, 15 May 2012, at 3:01:23 UTC (9:01:23 local time).[5] The Soyuz docked successfully with the ISS on 17 May at 4:36 UTC.[6] The spacecraft carried to the ISS a three-person crew (Gennady Padalka, Russia; Sergei Revin, Russia; Joseph Acaba, United States).[5] The mission landed successfully in Kazakhstan on 17 September 2012, at 2:53 UTC.[4]

Crew
Position[7][8] Crew Member
Commander Gennady Padalka, Roscosmos
Expedition 31
Fourth spaceflight
Flight Engineer 1 Sergei Revin, Roscosmos
Expedition 31
Only spaceflight
Flight Engineer 2 Joseph M. Acaba, NASA
Expedition 31
Second spaceflight

Backup crew
Position[9] Crew Member[10]
Commander Oleg Novitskiy, Roscosmos
Flight Engineer 1 Evgeny Tarelkin, Roscosmos
Flight Engineer 2 Kevin A. Ford, NASA

Spacecraft

Soyuz TMA-04M was the fourth mission using the upgraded Soyuz TMA-M spacecraft, which has a modernised flight control system and a reduced mass. The spacecraft was designed and manufactured by S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia, the largest company of the Russian space industry.[11]

Mission highlights

Soyuz TMA-04M was successfully launched to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday, 15 May 2012, at 3:01:23 UTC (9:01:23 local Baikonur time).[5] The spacecraft docked with the International Space Station on Thursday, 17 May at 4:36 UTC, linking to the Poisk docking module.[6]

After the departure of Soyuz TMA-03M on 1 June the crew members of TMA-04M conducted the first portion of Expedition 32 until the commencement of the second portion with the arrival of the remaining crew members aboard Soyuz TMA-05M in mid-July.[6] The spacecraft undocked from the ISS at 23:09 UTC on 16 September and landed at 2:53 UTC on September 17 in Kazakhstan.[4][12]

  • The Soyuz TMA-04M spacecraft during pre-launch processing on 8 May 2012.
  • The TMA-04M crew wave to spectators before launch on May 15, 2012.
  • The Soyuz TMA-04M mission lifts-off to the ISS on 15 May 2012.

References
  1. Peat, Chris (17 September 2012). "SOYUZ-TMA 4M - Orbit". Heavens Above. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
  2. William Harwood (February 12, 2012). "Russia Orders Soyuz Delays In Wake Of Test Mishap". SpaceflightNow.com. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
  3. "Three New Crew Members En Route to Station". Latest News. NASA. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  4. "Expedition 32 Lands Safely in Kazakhstan". National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  5. Harwood, William (May 18, 2012). "Latest manned space launch safely takes flight to orbit". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved May 18, 2012.
  6. Harwood, William (May 17, 2012). "Three-man crew docks at International Space Station". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
  7. NASA HQ (2009). "NASA and its International Partners Assign Space Station Crews". NASA. Retrieved November 19, 2009.
  8. NASA HQ (2010). "NASA And Partners Assign Crews For Upcoming Space Station Missions". NASA. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  9. "Орбитальные полёты". 2012.
  10. NASA (2012). "Expedition 31 Backup Crew Members Field Questions from Roscosmos Officials". NASA.
  11. Soyuz TMA-M manned transport vehicle of a new series Energia Corporation
  12. "Soyuz TMA-04M Spacecraft Undocks from Space Station". RIA Novosti. 16 September 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
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