Mir EO-5
Encyclopedia
Mir EO-5 was the 5th long duration expedition to the space station Mir
, which lasted from September 1989 to February 1990. The two person crew was launched and landed in the spacecraft Soyuz TM-8
, which remained docked to Mir throughout the mission. The crew are often referred to as the Soyuz TM-8 crew.
, which was a 7 day visit during Mir EP-1.
The backup crew for the mission were Anatoly Solovyev
(Commander) and Aleksandr Balandin (Flight Engineer), who ended up being the crew of the following expedition, EO-6
.
. As a result, the crew of Mir EO-4
, which was then in orbit, landed in April as planned, and left Mir unmanned until the arrival of EO-5 in September of the same year.
, which launched on 5 September 1989. The crew had to perform a manual docking to the space station
as the Kurs
rendezveus and docking system malfunctioned.
arrived at the station carried the next long duration crew members, EO-6
. Docking was unevenful, but prior to docking the EO-6 crew had noticed that some thermal insulation blankets on the Soyuz TM-9 decent module were loose. Procedures were developed to ensure the spacecraft maintained an appropriate temperature, and once ground control considered the situation manageable, the EO-5 crew returned to Earth.
The expedition officially ended on 19 February 1990 as the 2 crew members returned on Soyuz TM-8
. Landing occurred a few hours after undocking, 55 km northeast of Arkalyk
. During their stay upon Mir, the crew completed 2631 orbits of Earth
, and the mission in total lasted 166d 06h 58m, from launch to landing.
Mir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
, which lasted from September 1989 to February 1990. The two person crew was launched and landed in the spacecraft Soyuz TM-8
Soyuz TM-8
-Launch and Docking:The Soyuz-U2 rocket was painted with advertisements. During the Soyuz spacecraft's final approach to Mir , the Kurs rendezvous and docking system malfunctioned, so Viktorenko took over manual control and withdrew to 20 metres, and then docked manually...
, which remained docked to Mir throughout the mission. The crew are often referred to as the Soyuz TM-8 crew.
Crew
The crew consisted of two Soviet cosmonauts. They had both been in space, but only Viktorenko had previously been to MirMir
Mir was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, at first by the Soviet Union and then by Russia. Assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996, Mir was the first modular space station and had a greater mass than that of any previous spacecraft, holding the record for the...
, which was a 7 day visit during Mir EP-1.
| Mir EO-5 | Name | Spaceflight | Launch | Landing | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Alexander ViktorenkoAlexander Viktorenko Aleksandr Stepanovich Viktorenko is a Soviet cosmonaut. He was born in Olginka, North-Kazakhstan Oblast, Kazakh SSR on March 29, 1947. He is married with two children.... |
Second | 5 September 1989 Soyuz TM-8 Soyuz TM-8 -Launch and Docking:The Soyuz-U2 rocket was painted with advertisements. During the Soyuz spacecraft's final approach to Mir , the Kurs rendezvous and docking system malfunctioned, so Viktorenko took over manual control and withdrew to 20 metres, and then docked manually... |
19 February 1990 Soyuz TM-8 |
166 days |
| Flight Engineer | Aleksandr Serebrov Aleksandr Serebrov Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Serebrov is a former Soviet cosmonaut. He was born in Moscow, on February 15, 1944, graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology , and was selected as a cosmonaut on December 1, 1978. He retired on May 10, 1995... |
Third | |||
The backup crew for the mission were Anatoly Solovyev
Anatoly Solovyev
Anatoly Yakovlevich Solovyev is a former Soviet pilot, cosmonaut, and Colonel. Solovyev holds the world record on the number of spacewalks performed , and accumulated time spent spacewalking .- Family :...
(Commander) and Aleksandr Balandin (Flight Engineer), who ended up being the crew of the following expedition, EO-6
Mir EO-6
Mir EO-6 was the sixth long duration expedition to the space station Mir. The two crew members were Anatoli Soloviyov and Aleksandr Balandin .-Crew:...
.
Background
The EO-5 mission was originally scheduled to launch in April 1989. However, in March 1989, the Soyuz spacecraft that was intended to be utilized for the mission was seriously damaged during testing in a vacuum chamberVacuum chamber
A vacuum chamber is a rigid enclosure from which air and other gases are removed by a vacuum pump. The resulting low pressure, commonly referred to as a vacuum, allows researchers to conduct physical experiments or to test mechanical devices which must operate in outer space...
. As a result, the crew of Mir EO-4
Mir EO-4
Mir EO-4 was the fourth long-duration expedition to the Soviet space station Mir. The expedition began in November 1988, when crew members Commander Aleksandr Volkov and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev arrived at the station via the spacecraft Soyuz TM-7...
, which was then in orbit, landed in April as planned, and left Mir unmanned until the arrival of EO-5 in September of the same year.
Launch and arrival
Both crew members arrived via the spacecraft Soyuz TM-8Soyuz TM-8
-Launch and Docking:The Soyuz-U2 rocket was painted with advertisements. During the Soyuz spacecraft's final approach to Mir , the Kurs rendezvous and docking system malfunctioned, so Viktorenko took over manual control and withdrew to 20 metres, and then docked manually...
, which launched on 5 September 1989. The crew had to perform a manual docking to the space station
Space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a crew which is designed to remain in space for an extended period of time, and to which other spacecraft can dock. A space station is distinguished from other spacecraft used for human spaceflight by its lack of major propulsion or landing...
as the Kurs
Kurs (docking system)
Kurs is a radio telemetry system used by the Soviet and later Russian space program.Kurs was developed by the Research Institute of Precision Instruments before 1985 and manufactured by the Kiev Radio Factory .- History :...
rendezveus and docking system malfunctioned.
Spacewalks
During their stay on Mir, the crew members performed 5 EVA's. These took place on 8 January 1990 (2h 56m) to mount two star sensors for navigation on the Kvant-module, 11 January (2h 54m) to attach tools and remove a space exposure experiment rack, 26 January (3h 2m) using the new Orlan-DMA spacesuits. The cosmonauts attached a mooring post to the outside of the airlock compartment and removed a Kurs antenna so it could not interfere with future EVAs. The fourth EVA took place on 1 February (4h 59m) to test 'Ikar', a maneuvering unit. The final EVA was on 5 February (3h 45m).Science activities
While on Mir, the crew took part in experiments in the fields of medicine, geophysics, space technology, earth observation, astronomy and materials sciences.Soyuz TM-9 and landing
On 13 February, Soyuz TM-9Soyuz TM-9
-Mission highlights:During docking, cosmonauts aboard Mir noticed that three of the eight thermal blankets on the descent module of the approaching Soyuz-TM 9 spacecraft had come loose from their attachments near the heat shield, yet remained attached at their top ends...
arrived at the station carried the next long duration crew members, EO-6
Mir EO-6
Mir EO-6 was the sixth long duration expedition to the space station Mir. The two crew members were Anatoli Soloviyov and Aleksandr Balandin .-Crew:...
. Docking was unevenful, but prior to docking the EO-6 crew had noticed that some thermal insulation blankets on the Soyuz TM-9 decent module were loose. Procedures were developed to ensure the spacecraft maintained an appropriate temperature, and once ground control considered the situation manageable, the EO-5 crew returned to Earth.
The expedition officially ended on 19 February 1990 as the 2 crew members returned on Soyuz TM-8
Soyuz TM-8
-Launch and Docking:The Soyuz-U2 rocket was painted with advertisements. During the Soyuz spacecraft's final approach to Mir , the Kurs rendezvous and docking system malfunctioned, so Viktorenko took over manual control and withdrew to 20 metres, and then docked manually...
. Landing occurred a few hours after undocking, 55 km northeast of Arkalyk
Arkalyk
Arkalyk is a city in Kostanay Province, northern Kazakhstan. Earlier, it was the centre of Torgay province, which was abolished in 1997. Today, it is the administrative centre of Torgay region, Kostanay province....
. During their stay upon Mir, the crew completed 2631 orbits of Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
, and the mission in total lasted 166d 06h 58m, from launch to landing.