Soyuz TM-18

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Mission emblem
Mission emblem
Mission dates
Mission: Soyuz TM-18
COSPAR-ID : 1994-001A
Spacecraft: Soyuz 7K-ST ( GRAY index  11F732)
serial number 67
Dimensions: 7150 kg
Launcher: Soyuz U2 (GRAY index 11A511U2)
Call sign: Дербе́нт (" Derbent ")
Crew: 3 started
2 landed
Begin: January 8, 1994, 10:05:34  UTC
Starting place: Baikonur 1/5
Space station: Me
Coupling: January 10, 1994, 11:50:20 UTC
Decoupling: July 9, 1994, 07:12:59 UTC
Landing: July 9, 1994, 10:32:35 UTC
Landing place: 112 km north of Arkalik
Flight duration: 182d 0h 27min
Earth orbits: 2910
Rotation time : 90.1 min
Apogee : 335 km
Perigee : 244 km
◄ Before / After ►
Soyuz TM-17
(manned) 		Soyuz TM-19
(manned)

Soyuz TM-18 is the mission name for the flight of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the Russian Mir space station . It was the 18th visit by a Soyuz spacecraft to the Mir space station and the 94th flight in the Russian Soyuz program.

crew

Starting crew

Substitute team

Return team

  • Viktor Michailowitsch Afanassjew (2nd space flight), commander
  • Yuri Wladimirowitsch Ussachev (2nd space flight), flight engineer

Mission overview

Most of the investigations by the new crew of the Mir space station have been about medical issues. Most of them were monitored by the doctor Dr. Polyakov. He should also set a new long-term record with a 14-month stay in space.

The experiments mainly concerned nutrition, the function of the muscles, the cardiovascular system , the lungs and the immune system. Changes in the blood and the nervous system were also analyzed. Metabolic disorders ( red blood cells ), changes in blood volume and the functioning of the equilibrium system in the middle ear were also examined . The VOG (Video OkuloGraphie) experiment, which came on board the space station with the German mission in 1992, was also used for this purpose. The measurement data were forwarded from the Russian control center directly to Oberpfaffenhofen , from where specialists could then influence the experiment. Another subject of investigation was the breakdown of calcium in the bones during prolonged stays in weightlessness. It is therefore not known whether the calcium breakdown continues at a certain level. Scientists generally consider a loss of 20% to be life-threatening. In order to counteract the negative changes in muscle and bone tissue, the further developed KARKAS negative pressure pants were used. With it more blood is sucked into the abdomen. This condition is similar to the increased blood volume in the abdomen caused by gravity on earth. Measured in the space station were the increase in leg circumference, upper and lower blood pressure, the performance of the heart (EKG), the change in the position of the heart in the chest and noises in the blood flow. The two "guinea pigs" Afanassjew and Ussachev underwent this procedure every third day.

The sleep behavior of cosmonauts and the coordination of perception and movement were also examined. For this purpose, the spacemen were fixed on the floor, with the head and arms remaining freely movable. Various optical stimuli were transmitted via a screen and the reactions were recorded with four infrared cameras . The test results should also be relevant for motor disorders on earth. In the PSY psychological experiment, Valeri Polyakov's mental and psychomotor performance was examined over a period of several months. Reaction speed, short-term memory, attention and manual dexterity were tested.

Non-medical research has mainly been carried out in the field of materials science . The behavior of supercooled melts was investigated (experiment TES). Eleven samples, each enclosed in a glass envelope, were first melted and then strongly cooled. Due to the lack of crystallization nuclei, the liquid state can also be maintained below the normal solidification temperature. Depending on the temperature, the samples with different microstructure solidify. The data from the experiment were evaluated by the DATAMIR system, developed in Austria and on board the station since 1991, and transmitted to earth. It controls the course of the experiment, records the measured values, visualizes the results and sends them to the telemetry system of the space station. The possibility of mold formation on non-metallic materials was also examined.

Earth exploration, astrophysics and biotechnology also took up a lot of space . The MKS-M2 and FASA multichannel spectrometers were used. The MKF-6MA multispectral camera was also used to take hundreds of images of the earth. The intensity of the cosmic energy and particle radiation in and around the station was also determined with various apparatus. X-rays and gamma rays in particular were measured from astronomical objects. The RESONANCE experiment was used to assess the stability of the station complex.

With the unmanned space transport vehicle Progress M-21, a new, camera-based control system was tested, which also operates when the navigation system price is not in function. The flight engineer on the ground receives a complete picture of the approach process from a total of three cameras and can dock the spaceship using a hand control. Supplies and research materials also arrived on the Progress M-22 and M-23 transport spacecraft during the six-month mission. Soyuz TM-18 returned to Earth with space travelers Viktor Afanassjew and Yuri Ussachev on July 9th. Valery Polyakov, however, was integrated into the new permanent crew.

See also

Web links