Soyuz TM-15

Soyuz TM -15 mission is the designation for the flight of a Russian Soyuz spaceship to the Russian space station Mir. It was the 15th visit of the Soyuz spacecraft with the Mir space station and the 91st flight of the Russian Sojusprogramm.

Crew

Start crew

  • Anatoli Yakovlevich Solovyov ( third space flight ), Commander
  • Sergei Vasilyevich Avdeev ( first space flight ), flight engineer
  • Michel Tognini ( first space flight ), Science Cosmonaut ( Centre national d' études spatiales CNES / France )

Backup crew

  • Gennadi Mikhailovich Manakov, Commander
  • Alexander Fyodorovich Poleschtschuk, Flight Engineer
  • Jean -Pierre Haigneré, Science Cosmonaut ( Centre national d' études spatiales CNES / France )

Return team

  • Anatoli Yakovlevich Solovyov ( third space flight ), Commander
  • Sergei Vasilyevich Avdeev ( first space flight ), flight engineer

Mission overview

During the two-week French I - Antares mission eleven experiments in the fields of biomedicine, technology and physics have been performed. ORTHOSTATISME dealt with the study of blood pressure and cardiovascular regulation as well as with the distribution of blood flow in microgravity. Likewise, the effects were investigated on the hormone balance. In the experiment ILLUSION adaptation of the sense organs to the space conditions was investigated. In NAUSICAA 1 it came to measuring the composition and strength of the radiation field surrounding the spaceman. Further experiments were concerned with the life of blood cells and effects on the immune system. Crystal growth, the effect of cosmic radiation on electronic components and the behavior of fluids in microgravity were more objects of investigation.

After undocking of Soyuz TM -14 ( Viktorenko / Kaleri / Tognini ) began the station everyday for the twelfth crew. Geophysics, materials science production of special alloys and crystals, biotechnology, astronomical and medical examinations were the focus. In addition, the small satellite MAK 2 was exposed for the Moscow Aviation Institute.

Four times increased Solovyov and Avdeev out into space to continue the renovation work at the station. So they mounted on 3 September the delivered with the transport ship Progress M -14 engine block Sofora the corresponding lattice mast. For this purpose the transport spacecraft was modified accordingly. On September 2, the hatch of the cargo ship was opened by radio command, and a robotic arm that was attached to the front part of Progress M -14, hoisted the 750 kg heavy and more than two meters long engine from the cargo hold. It was then swung over to the Kvant module and released the next day by the cosmonauts from the robot arm and brought in mounted position ( 3:56 duration). Four days later Sofora was attached to the lattice boom in the proper position ( 5:08 ). In the third exit on 11 September, the necessary cable connections were installed and brought the engine by extending the lattice mast in working position ( 5:44 ). In another exit on 15 September the cosmonauts installed a special antenna for the convergence rate on the crystal system module, which also allows the docking of larger spacecraft. This crystal had already been fitted on the ground with the improved coupling assemblies APAS -89. The counterpart was also at the Mir approaching U.S. shuttles mounted to allow the coupling of the American space shuttles to the Russian space station. The return capsule of Progress M -14 was loaded shortly before dropping to about 150 kg research material. Another material delivery was made with Progress M-15 in October, before the end of January, the crew was replaced by the successor crew in 1993.

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