Soyuz TM-2

This article is about the spacecraft. For the expedition which it launched, see Mir EO-2.
Soyuz TM-2
COSPAR ID 1987-013A
Mission duration 174 days, 3 hours, 25 minutes, 56 seconds
Orbits completed ~2,810
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type Soyuz-TM
Manufacturer NPO Energia
Launch mass 7,100 kilograms (15,700 lb)
Crew
Crew size 2 up
3 down
Members Aleksandr Laveykin
Launching Yuri Romanenko
Landing Aleksandr Viktorenko
Muhammed Faris
Callsign Taimyr
Start of mission
Launch date 5 February 1987, 21:38:16 (1987-02-05UTC21:38:16Z) UTC[1]
Rocket Soyuz-U2
Launch site Baikonur 1/5
End of mission
Landing date 30 July 1987, 01:04:12 (1987-07-30UTC01:04:13Z) UTC[2]
Landing site 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Arkalyk
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Perigee 341 kilometres (212 mi)
Apogee 365 kilometres (227 mi)
Inclination 51.6 degrees
Period 91.6 minutes
Docking with Mir

Soyuz programme
(Manned missions)
 Soyuz T-15 Soyuz TM-3

Soyuz TM-2 was the spacecraft used to launch a long duration crew to the Soviet space station Mir, which was unmanned at the time. TM-2 was launched in February 1987, and it was first manned spaceflight of the Soyuz-TM spacecraft,[3] and the second manned 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.

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 Soviet Union Yuri Romanenko
Mir EO-2
Third spaceflight
Soviet Union Aleksandr Viktorenko
Mir EP-1
First spaceflight
Flight Engineer Soviet Union Aleksandr Laveykin
Mir EO-2
First spaceflight
Research Cosmonaut None Syria Muhammed Faris
Mir EP-1
First spaceflight

Mission parameters

Mission highlights

Main article: Mir EO-2

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. 1 2 "Mir EO-2". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  2. "Mir EP-1". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  3. "Soyuz TM". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
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