Soyuz TM-13
Soyuz TM -13 is the mission name for the flight of a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft to the Soviet space station Mir from 2 to 4 October 1991. It was the 13th visit of the Soyuz spacecraft with the Mir space station and the 89th flight in the Soviet Sojusprogramm. Crew member Franz Viehböck here was the first and only Austrian in the universe.
Crew
Start crew
- Alexander Alexandrovich Volkov ( third space flight), Commander
- Toktar Ongarbajewitsch Aubakirow ( first space flight ), science astronaut
- Franz Viehböck ( first space flight ), science Cosmonaut ( Osterreich Austria )
Backup crew
- Alexander Stepanovich Viktorenko, Commander
- Talgat Amangeldijewitsch Musabayev, Flight Engineer
- Clemens Lothaller, Science Cosmonaut ( Osterreich Austria )
Return team
- Alexander Alexandrovich Volkov ( third space flight), Commander
- Sergei Konstantinovich Krikaljow ( second space flight), flight engineer
- Klaus- Dietrich Flade ( first space flight ), science Cosmonaut ( Germany Germany )
Mission History
Franz Viehböck completed on board first, the extensive Austrian research program for which previously several pieces of equipment to the space station Mir had been taken already. It included medical tests for blood pressure and blood circulatory regulation as well as on the distribution of blood flow in microgravity (Experiment pulse trans), to determine the effect of weightlessness on micro-vibrations to the arm by means of a specially developed sensor jacket ( non-invasive) and knowledge about the functioning of the arm and leg muscles. The findings should improve the knowledge about basic function of the human body and were not aligned with cosmic applications. Also contributed to the experiments AUDIMIR to investigate the orientation assets over sounds and studies on blood composition and lung function.
Special attention was paid to the physical experiment Logion, in which the functional ability of liquid metal field ion emitters has been studied under space conditions. Such field ion Mitter to prevent flashovers, which had been often led to failures in the power supply of spacecraft. At the specially developed technical devices ( mass spectrometer, on-board computer, ion microscope ), both the ESA and NASA are interested. Further experiments in the framework of the program Austromir related to the remote sensing using a special camera and a multichannel spectrometer (reflection properties of various soil and vegetation surfaces ), the data acquisition, storage and transmission via a special communication unit ( DATAMIR ) as well as video conferencing and amateur radio contacts with schools in Austria and the Soviet Union. Some of the experiments were continued by the crew ( Volkov, Krikaljow ).
Moreover, the two long-term cosmonauts dedicated materials science, biological and astronomical studies ( studies of X-ray sources, such as Cygnus X-1 and SN Cassiopeia A). Thus, high-purity single crystals were prepared and recovered with the help of the plant TAWRIJA highly pure, biologically active substances that are to be used in the production of drugs, as well as in the food industry and genetic research with the smelter SPLAW. Successfully tested the cosmonauts also a semi- industrial plant for breeding new feed antibiotics (Experiment ROBOT ). In a seven-hour spacewalk on February 20, 1992 Krikaljow mounted various devices and auxiliary structures on the 14-meter long Sofora - mast. He also dismantled some lenses, multiple segments of a solar panel and four plates with which new temperature resistant coatings were tested. Due to overheating problems on Volkov's space suit that had to prematurely return to the station.
Supply of utilities and research material was the tenth crew of the Mir space station on the transport spacecraft Progress M -10 and M- 11th Progress M -10 had a landing apparatus with which 350 kg research materials were transported to Earth. The landing of the spaceship Soyuz TM -13 was carried out on 25 March 1992 with the occupation Volkov / Krikaljow / Flatbread (5th German in space ).