Human Spaceflights

International Flight No. 124

Soyuz TM-8

Vityaz

USSR

Patch Soyuz TM-8

hi res version (284 KB)

Launch, orbit and landing data

Launch date:  05.09.1989
Launch time:  21:38 UTC
Launch site:  Baikonur
Launch pad:  1
Altitude:  350 km
Inclination:  51,6°
Docking MIR:  07.09.1989, 22:25:26 UTC
Undocking MIR:  19.02.1990, 01:06:20 UTC
Landing date:  19.02.1990
Landing time:  04:36 UTC
Landing site:  55 km NE of Arkalyk
Crew Soyuz TM-8

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alternate crew photo

alternate crew photo

alternate crew photo

Crew

No.   Surname Given names Position Flight No. Duration Orbits
1 USSR  Viktorenko  Aleksandr Stepanovich  Commander 2 166d 06h 58m  2631 
2 USSR  Serebrov  Aleksandr Aleksandrovich  Flight Engineer 3 166d 06h 58m  2631 

Crew seating arrangement

Launch
1  Viktorenko
2  Serebrov
Soyuz TM spaceship
Landing
1  Viktorenko
2  Serebrov

Animations: Soyuz

Launch deorbit entry
(requires Macromedia Flash Player)
with friendly permission of www.marscenter.it

Double Crew

No.   Surname Given names Position
1 USSR  Soloviyov  Anatoli Yakovlevich  Commander
2 USSR  Balandin  Aleksandr Nikolayevich  Flight Engineer
Crew Soyuz TM-8 (double)

hi res version (1,08 MB)

Flight

Launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome; landing 55 km northeast of Arkalyk.

Following a two day solo flight the Soyuz docked manual controlled with the MIR space station on 07.09.1989, because the Kurs rendezvous and docking system malfunctioned.

Deconserving of complex was the main goal of the mission. Scientific experiments in the areas of medicine, geophysics, space technology, earth observation, astronomy, materials sciences and serveral more were done. The crew became the fifth resident crew of the MIR space station.

The module Kvant-2 docked on MIR on 06.12.1989. Supplies were brought with cargo spacecrafts Progress M-1 and M-2.

The cosmonauts performed five EVAs on 08.01. (2h 56m) to mount two star sensors for navigation on the Kvant module, 11.01.1990 (2h 54m) to attach tools and remove a space exposure experiment rack, 26.01.1990 (3h 02m) 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 was performed on 01.02.1990 (4h 59m). In this EVA the The Soviet "flying armchair" manoeuvring unit called "Ikar"was tested. It weighed 218 kg and had been delivered to the station aboard Kvant-2. Serebrov donned the unit on February 1, 1990 and moved up to 33 m from the station. In case the YMK/SPK malfunctioned, during the test he was bound by a tether attached to a winch on the mooring post installed on the previous EVA. The fifth and final EVA was performed on 05.02.1990 (3h 45m). In this EVA Viktorenko flew the YMK to a distance of 45m.

Photos / Drawings

MIR since 31.03.1987 MIR since 06.12.1989
Soyuz TM-8 on the launch pad Soyuz TM-8 launch
Soyuz TM-8 - EVA Serebrov MIR

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Last update on January 14, 2012.

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