Mir EO-4 (also called Principal Expedition 4
[) was the fourth long-duration expedition to the ]Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
space station
A space station is a spacecraft capable of supporting a human crew in orbit for an extended period of time, and is therefore a type of space habitat. It lacks major propulsion or landing systems. An orbital station or an orbital space station i ...
Mir
''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
. The expedition began in November 1988, when crew members Commander Aleksandr Volkov and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev
Sergei Konstantinovich Krikalev (russian: Сергей Константинович Крикалёв, also transliterated as Sergei Krikalyov; born 27 August 1958) is a Russian mechanical engineer, former cosmonaut and former head of the Yuri Ga ...
arrived at the station via the spacecraft Soyuz TM-7
Soyuz TM-7 was a crewed Soyuz spaceflight to Mir.The mission report is available here: http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-TM7.htm It launched on 26 November 1988, at 15:49:34, and was the start of the fourth long duration expedition t ...
. The third crew member of EO-4, Valeri Polyakov
Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov (russian: Валерий Владимирович Поляков, born Valeri Ivanovich Korshunov, russian: Валерий Иванович Коршунов, 27 April 1942 – 7 September 2022) was a Soviet and Rus ...
, was already aboard Mir, having arrived in August 1988 part way through the previous expedition, Mir EO-3
Mir EO-3 (also called Mir Principal Expedition 3) was an expedition to the space station Mir. The crew consisted of 3 people, Musa Manarov (Commander), Vladimir Titov (Flight Engineer) and Valeri Polyakov (Research Doctor). Manarov and Titov arriv ...
.
The expedition lasted for five months, and at its conclusion Mir was left unmanned until the launch of Mir EO-5
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 missio ...
in September 1989. This ended a continuous habitation of the space station which began in February 1987, with the arrival of the crew of Mir EO-2
Mir EO-2 (also called Mir Principal Expedition 2) was the second long duration expedition to the Soviet space station Mir, and it lasted from February to December 1987. The mission was divided into two parts (sometimes called (a) and (b)), the d ...
.
Background
The previous long-duration expedition to Mir, EO-3, was intended to break the record for spaceflight duration of 326 days set by Yuri Romanenko
Yuri Viktorovich Romanenko (russian: Ю́рий Ви́кторович Романе́нко; born 1 August 1944) is a former Soviet cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union (March 16, 1978 and September 26, 1980). Over his career, Yuri Romanenk ...
during Mir EO-2
Mir EO-2 (also called Mir Principal Expedition 2) was the second long duration expedition to the Soviet space station Mir, and it lasted from February to December 1987. The mission was divided into two parts (sometimes called (a) and (b)), the d ...
. The physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
Valeri Polyakov
Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov (russian: Валерий Владимирович Поляков, born Valeri Ivanovich Korshunov, russian: Валерий Иванович Коршунов, 27 April 1942 – 7 September 2022) was a Soviet and Rus ...
was sent to the station part way through EO-3 so that he could observe the cosmonauts at the end of their record duration flight. Polyakov then stayed aboard Mir to observe the EO-4 crew.
Crew
Volkov, the only crew member who had been to space before, had one previous spaceflight. It was a two-month mission in 1985 to the space station Salyut 7
Salyut 7 (russian: Салют-7; en, Salute 7) (a.k.a. DOS-6, short for Durable Orbital Station) was a space station in low Earth orbit from April 1982 to February 1991. It was first crewed in May 1982 with two crew via Soyuz T-5, and last vi ...
, launched by the spacecraft Soyuz T-14
Soyuz T-14 (russian: Союз Т-14, ''Union T-14'') was the ninth expedition to Salyut 7. The mission relieved Soyuz T-13, whose crew had performed unprecedented repairs aboard the previously-dead station.
Crew
Backup crew
Mission paramete ...
. This expedition, Salyut 7 EO-4
The ''Salyut'' programme (russian: Салют, , meaning "salute" or "fireworks") was the first space station programme, undertaken by the Soviet Union. It involved a series of four crewed scientific research space stations and two crewed ...
, was intended to be 6 months long, but the Commander Vladimir Vasyutin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Vasyutin (Russian: Влaдимиp Bлaдимиpoвич Васютин; 8 March 1952 19 July 2002) was a Soviet cosmonaut.
He was selected as a cosmonaut on 1 December 1978 (TsPK-6). He retired on 25 February 1986.
Vasyuti ...
became ill, and the mission was shortened, forcing the cosmonauts to leave the station unmanned. Volkov became father of the first ever second-generation cosmonaut, when his son Sergey Volkov became Commander of the International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ...
's Expedition 17
Expedition 17 was the 17th expedition to the International Space Station (ISS).
The first two crew members, Sergey Volkov, and Oleg Kononenko were launched on 8 April 2008, aboard the Soyuz TMA-12. Once aboard the station, they joined Garrett ...
in 2008.
This was Krikalev's first spaceflight, and he went on to have a further five missions to space. As of 2010 he holds the record for the longest cumulative time spent in space, at 803 days. His most recent spaceflight was in 2005, as Commander of the International Space Station's Expedition 11
Expedition 11 (2005) was the 11th expedition to the International Space Station, using the Soyuz TMA-6, which stayed during the expedition for emergency evacuation.
European Space Agency Italian Astronaut Roberto Vittori launched with Expedition ...
.
Polyakov, a physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
, arrived at the station part way through the previous expedition, Mir EO-3
Mir EO-3 (also called Mir Principal Expedition 3) was an expedition to the space station Mir. The crew consisted of 3 people, Musa Manarov (Commander), Vladimir Titov (Flight Engineer) and Valeri Polyakov (Research Doctor). Manarov and Titov arriv ...
. He had never been in space before, but would later have one more spaceflight, which would span three Mir expeditions: EO-15, EO-16, and EO-17. His second spaceflight, launched on Soyuz TM-18
Soyuz TM-18 was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome and landed 112 km north of Arkalyk. TM-18 was a two-day solo flight that docked with the ''Mir'' space station on January 10, 1994. The three cosmonauts became the 15th resident crew on boar ...
in January 1994, would last 437 days, and as of 2010, still holds the record for the longest ever spaceflight.
Backup Crew
*Aleksandr Viktorenko
Aleksandr Stepanovich Viktorenko (; born 29 March 1947) is a Soviet/Russian cosmonaut.
He was selected as a cosmonaut on March 23, 1978, and retired on May 30, 1997. During his active career he had been Commander of Soyuz TM-3, Soyuz TM-8, So ...
(Commander)
*Aleksandr Serebrov
Aleksandr Aleksandrovich Serebrov (russian: Алекса́ндр Алекса́ндрович Серебро́в, 15 February 1944 – 12 November 2013) was a Soviet cosmonaut. He graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (1967), ...
(Flight Engineer)
*German Arzamazov
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
(Research Doctor)
Mission highlights
During this mission experiments in 16 different fields were performed as topografic and spectrografic research of the Earth surface, biological and medical research (including blood and heart-tests).[
]
Launch
The French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
president at the time, François Mitterrand
François Marie Adrien Maurice Mitterrand (26 October 19168 January 1996) was President of France, serving under that position from 1981 to 1995, the longest time in office in the history of France. As First Secretary of the Socialist Party, he ...
, insisted on attending the launch of the Soyuz TM-7, of which Frenchman Chrétien was a crew member. This caused the launch to be delayed by four days, and hence reducing Chrétien's time in space.[ Mitterrand flew to the launch site in ]Baikonur
Baikonur ( kk, Байқоңыр, ; russian: Байконур, translit=Baykonur), formerly known as Leninsk, is a city of republic significance in Kazakhstan on the northern bank of the Syr Darya river. It is currently leased and administered ...
in a Concorde
The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France an ...
.[
On November 28, two days after launch, the Soyuz TM-7 spacecraft docked to Mir, and for the first time six cosmonauts were simultaneously aboard the complex.
]
Mir Aragatz
From November 28 to December 21, 1988, there were six people aboard the station: the three crew members of EO-4, Titov and Manarov who were finishing EO-3, and the visiting French cosmonaut Jean-Loup Chrétien
Jean-Loup Jacques Marie Chrétien (born 20 August 1938) is a French retired ''Général de Brigade'' (brigadier general) in the ''Armée de l'Air'' (French air force), and a former CNES spationaut. He flew on two Franco-Soviet space missions a ...
who had launched aboard Soyuz TM-7
Soyuz TM-7 was a crewed Soyuz spaceflight to Mir.The mission report is available here: http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-TM7.htm It launched on 26 November 1988, at 15:49:34, and was the start of the fourth long duration expedition t ...
on 26 November. Chrétien's flight was referred to as the French ''Aragatz'' mission. This was Chrétien's second spaceflight, his first was a short mission to Salyut 7
Salyut 7 (russian: Салют-7; en, Salute 7) (a.k.a. DOS-6, short for Durable Orbital Station) was a space station in low Earth orbit from April 1982 to February 1991. It was first crewed in May 1982 with two crew via Soyuz T-5, and last vi ...
, which was launched with the spacecraft Soyuz T-6
Soyuz T-6 was a human spaceflight to Earth orbit to the Salyut 7 space station in 1982. Along with two Soviet cosmonauts, the crew included a Frenchman, Jean-Loup Chrétien.
The Soyuz-T spacecraft arrived at Salyut 7 following launch on 24 June ...
, and lasted for about a week. After 24.8 days aboard the station, Chrétien returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-6
Soyuz TM-6 was a crewed Soyuz (spacecraft), Soyuz spaceflight to ''Mir''.The mission report is available here: http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-TM6.htm It was launched on 29 August 1988, at 04:23:11 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC, ...
on 21 December.[
A highlight of the Aragatz mission was the ]spacewalk
Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable atmosphere of Earth, Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environmen ...
which was performed by Volkov and Chrétien on 9 December 1988, and lasted for 5 hours and 57 minutes.[ It was the first spacewalk conducted by someone not from the Soviet or U.S. space programs.][ Its purpose was to install the 240 kg French experimental deployable structure, known as ERA, and a panel of material samples.][
;Return of Soyuz TM-6
On December 15, 1988, Titov and Manarov's 359th day in space, the EO-3 crew officially broke the spaceflight duration record by the required 10%;][ the record had previously been set by ]Yuri Romanenko
Yuri Viktorovich Romanenko (russian: Ю́рий Ви́кторович Романе́нко; born 1 August 1944) is a former Soviet cosmonaut, twice Hero of the Soviet Union (March 16, 1978 and September 26, 1980). Over his career, Yuri Romanenk ...
, who had a 326-day spaceflight aboard Mir during EO-2. Both the French mission and EO-3 ended when Chrétien, Titov, and Manarov landed in the spacecraft Soyuz TM-6
Soyuz TM-6 was a crewed Soyuz (spacecraft), Soyuz spaceflight to ''Mir''.The mission report is available here: http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/soyuz-TM6.htm It was launched on 29 August 1988, at 04:23:11 Coordinated Universal Time, UTC, ...
on December 21, which occurred six hours after undocking from Mir.
Progress 39
On December 27, shortly after Soyuz TM-6 departed, the expedition's first Progress
Progress is the movement towards a refined, improved, or otherwise desired state. In the context of progressivism, it refers to the proposition that advancements in technology, science, and social organization have resulted, and by extension wi ...
resupply spacecraft docked with the station, two days after its launch. This model of resupply spacecraft, Progress 7K-TG
Progress 7K-TG (russian: Прогресс 7К-ТГ, italic=yes, GRAU index 11F615A15), was a Soviet uncrewed spacecraft used to resupply space stations in low Earth orbit. Forty three flew, delivering cargo to Salyut 6, Salyut 7, and Mir. It was ...
, had been used for resupply missions to Soviet space stations since 1978. Progress 39 delivered 1,300 kg of supplies to the EO-4 crew, and remained docked to the station for 42 days.[
During this time, Progress 39 was used to boost the orbit of the space station. This was necessary due to the greater than normal ]atmospheric drag
In fluid dynamics, drag (sometimes called air resistance, a type of friction, or fluid resistance, another type of friction or fluid friction) is a force acting opposite to the relative motion of any object moving with respect to a surrounding flu ...
.[ The extra drag was caused by atmospheric expansion, which in turn was caused by the ]solar maximum
Solar maximum is the regular period of greatest solar activity during the Sun's 11-year solar cycle. During solar maximum, large numbers of sunspots appear, and the solar irradiance output grows by about 0.07%. On average, the solar cycle takes ...
occurring at the time, during solar cycle 22
Solar cycle 22 was the 22nd solar cycle since 1755, when extensive recording of solar sunspot activity began.Kane, R.P. (2002).Some Implications Using the Group Sunspot Number Reconstruction. ''Solar Physics'' 205(2), 383-401. The solar cycle last ...
.[ The boost changed the ]Perigee
An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion.
General description
There are two apsides in any ellip ...
and Apogee
An apsis (; ) is the farthest or nearest point in the orbit of a planetary body about its primary body. For example, the apsides of the Earth are called the aphelion and perihelion.
General description
There are two apsides in any ellip ...
of the station from 325 km and 353 km AMSL
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
to 340 km and 376 km, respectively.[ After the boost, Krikalev reported that he was unable to visually detect the change in altitude.][
The EO-4 crew filled Progress 39 with waste and excess equipment used during the Aragatz mission, and then the spacecraft undocked on February 7, and was intentionally destroyed during ]atmospheric reentry
Atmospheric entry is the movement of an object from outer space into and through the gases of an atmosphere of a planet, dwarf planet, or natural satellite. There are two main types of atmospheric entry: ''uncontrolled entry'', such as the entr ...
later that day.[
]
Progress 40
On February 10, the next resupply spacecraft, Progress 40 was launched, and it docked with Mir two days later. It remained docked to Mir for 18 days. During this time, it was announced that due to delays in the production of the Kristall
The Kristall (russian: Кристалл, , Crystal) (77KST, TsM-T, 11F77T) module was the fourth module and the third major addition to ''Mir''. As with previous modules, its configuration was based on the 77K (TKS) module, and was originally na ...
module, the launch of the next Mir module, Kvant-2
Kvant-2 (russian: Квант-2; English: Quantum-II/2) (77KSD, TsM-D, 11F77D) was the third module and second major addition to the Mir space station. Its primary purpose was to deliver new science experiments, better life support systems, and an ...
, would also be delayed.[ It was also announced that as a result, Mir would be left unmanned following EO-4.][
]
Progress 41
The final Progress resupply spacecraft of the expedition docked with the station on March 19, and remained docked for 33 days.[ Progress 41 was the second last Progress spacecraft to use the original design (the last being Progress 42, which resupplied ]Mir EO-6
Mir EO-6 was the sixth long duration expedition to the space station Mir. The two crew members were Anatoli Soloviyov (Commander) and Aleksandr Balandin (Flight Engineer).
Crew
The backup crew for this expedition were Gennadi Manakov (Comman ...
in 1990). The updated design would be called Progress-M
Progress-M (russian: Прогресс-М, GRAU indices 11F615A55 and 11F615A60), also known as Progress 7K-TGM, is a Russian, previously Soviet spacecraft which is used to resupply space stations. It is a variant of the Progress spacecraft, or ...
, and its first flight would be Progress M-1
Progress M-1 (russian: Прогресс М-1, italic=yes), was a Soviet uncrewed cargo spacecraft which was launched in 1989 to resupply the Mir space station. The eighteenth of sixty four Progress spacecraft to visit Mir, it was the first Prog ...
in August 1989, just prior to the arrival of the Mir EO-5
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 missio ...
crew in September.
Leaving Mir unmanned
All three crew members left Mir on board Soyuz TM-7 on 27 April 1989, bringing EO-4 to an end. For Volkov and Krikalev the mission lasted for 151d 11h 08m and for Polyakov 240d 22h 34m.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mir EO-04
Mir
1988 in the Soviet Union
1989 in the Soviet Union