Soyuz TM-8

This article is about the spacecraft. For the expedition which it launched, see Mir EO-5.
Soyuz TM-8
COSPAR ID1989-071A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.20218Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration166 days, 6 hours, 58 minutes, 15 seconds
Orbits completed~2,680
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSoyuz 7K-STM No. 58
Spacecraft typeSoyuz-TM
ManufacturerNPO Energia
Launch mass7,150 kilograms (15,760 lb)
Crew
Crew size2
MembersAleksandr Viktorenko
Aleksandr Serebrov
CallsignВи́тязь (Vityaz - Knight)
Start of mission
Launch date5 September 1989, 21:38:03 (1989-09-05UTC21:38:03Z) UTC
RocketSoyuz-U2
End of mission
Landing date19 February 1990, 04:36:18 (1990-02-19UTC04:36:19Z) UTC
Landing site55 kilometres (34 mi) NE of Arkalyk[1]
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude390 kilometres (240 mi)
Apogee altitude392 kilometres (244 mi)
Inclination51.6 degrees
Period92.4 minutes
Docking with Mir
Docking date7 September 1989, 22:25:26: UTC
Undocking date19 February 1990, 01:06:20 UTC
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions)

Soyuz TM-8 was a 1989 spaceflight which carried the fifth long duration crew to the Soviet space station Mir.[2] It was part of the Soyuz-TM series of spacecraft, which were the fourth generation of the Soviet Soyuz. Soyuz TM-8 was the eighth crewed spaceflight to Mir, and spent 166 days in orbit.

Crew

The crew consisted of two Soviet cosmonauts. They had both been in space, but only Viktorenko had previously been to Mir, which was a 7-day visit during Mir EP-1.[3]

Position Crew
Commander Soviet Union Aleksandr Viktorenko
Mir EO-5
Second spaceflight
Flight Engineer Soviet Union Aleksandr Serebrov
Mir EO-5
Third spaceflight

Launch and docking

The Soyuz-U2 rocket was painted with advertisements. During the Soyuz spacecraft's final approach to Mir (4 metre distance), the Kurs rendezvous and docking system malfunctioned, so Viktorenko took over manual control and withdrew to 20 metres, and then docked manually. The spacecraft spent 166 days attached to Mir, for the duration of the expedition Mir EO-5.

Return to Earth

Soyuz TM-8 landed at 04:36 UTC on 19 February 1990, after an uneventful flight to Earth.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b Mark Wade. "Mir EO-5". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 9 April 2007. Retrieved 6 November 2010.
  2. ^ The mission report is available here: http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-TM8.htm
  3. ^ Mark Wade. "Mir EP-1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 29 November 2010. Retrieved 6 November 2010.