Soyuz TM-2

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Mission dates
Mission: Soyuz TM-2
COSPAR-ID : 1987-013A
Spacecraft: Soyuz 7K-ST ( GRAY index  11F732)
serial number 52
Dimensions: 7100 kg
Launcher: Soyuz U2 (GRAY index 11A511U2)
Call sign: Таймыр (" Taimyr ")
Crew: 2 at take-off
3 for landing
Begin: February 5, 1987, 21:38:16  UTC
Starting place: Baikonur 1/5
Space station: Me
Coupling: February 7, 1987, 23:27:40 UTC
Decoupling: July 29, 1987, 20:44:00 UTC
Landing: July 30, 1987, 01:04:12 UTC
Landing place: 80 km from Arkalik
Flight duration: 174d 3h 25m 56s
Earth orbits: ≈ 2810
Rotation time : 91.6 min
Apogee : 365 km
Perigee : 341 km
◄ Before / After ►
Soyuz TM-1
(unmanned) 		Soyuz TM-3
(manned)
Previous manned mission:
Soyuz T-15

Soyuz TM-2 is the mission name for the flight of a Soviet Soyuz spaceship to the Soviet Mir space station . It was the second visit by a Soyuz spacecraft to the Mir space station and the 78th flight in the Soviet Soyuz program.

crew

Starting crew

Intended

Originally Titov and Serebrov were scheduled for this flight, while Romanenko and Lawejkin formed the substitute crew. Due to an illness in Serebrow, the crew had to be replaced.

Return crew

Mission overview

The second regular crew of the Mir space station used the new course approach system at the rendezvous , in which the space station maintains its orientation in space and no longer aligns itself towards the coupling partner. The coupling took place again after a two-day flight, which gives the space travelers more time to adapt to weightlessness and means about 50% fuel savings.

Extensive scientific research has been carried out on board the station. This included geophysical investigations over Central Asia, the Kaspi lowlands and the Caucasus , spectral analyzes , the production of new semiconductor materials with the Korund 1M system (48 different experiments) and extensive earth photography. The Kwant space station module (11 t mass and 5.8 m length) , which was launched at the end of March, docked with the station for the second time on April 11, after the first attempt had been automatically aborted due to insufficiently set error tolerances. In order to remove a foreign body from the coupling unit, the cosmonauts left the station for three hours and 40 minutes on the same day. Then the electrolysis system for oxygen supply was put into operation and more astronomical research was carried out. Further experiments included medical examinations, research on the evaporation of liquids, the production of metal alloys (e.g. from copper and silver), the growth of higher plants in the phyton and rust terrariums, and the assembly of a multi-channel spectrometer and a photometer for astrophysical experiments. With them, the supernova 1987A and neutron stars were examined carefully . Two further exits were for the extension of the station with a grid structure (1:53 h) and the assembly of additional segments (24 m²) on the third solar cell surface (3:15 h). In addition, maintenance work was carried out and the supplies of the transport spaceships Progress 27 to 30 were received. Scientific experiments were also carried out with the guest crew. Alexander Lawejkin returned to Earth prematurely due to health problems and was replaced by Alexander Alexandrow.

After the crew change, more than 1000 astrophysical, geophysical, technological, medical and biological experiments were carried out. This included the investigation of X-ray sources (including a newly discovered galaxy ), the measurement of high-energy electron and positron currents and the investigation of processes during the melting and crystallization of various materials with a mirror beam furnace. Cosmic influences on new types of construction materials and thermal insulation for spacecraft were also studied. In addition, a polyacrylamide gel was synthesized which is used in the production of biologically active substances. The transport spaceships Progress 31 to 33 were unloaded for supply. The station was handed over to the successor crew in December. The old regular crew returned to Earth with Soyuz TM-3 . After almost eleven months in space, Yuri Romanenko held the sole long-term flight record for almost a year.

See also

Web links