Mir EO-3
Encyclopedia
Mir EO-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 arrived at the station in December 1987 on Soyuz TM-4
, while Polyakov arrived much later, in August 1988 on Soyuz TM-6
. After the arrival of Polyakov, medical experiments became more intensive.
s. Polyakov joined the crew later separately.
part of the spectrum using the Glazar telescope on Kvant. The survey required photography with exposure times of up to 8 minutes.
Other work included Earth
observation and experiments on the fields of materials sciences, meteorology
, space technology, physiology
, psychology
, medical sciences and astronomical research, using the Marija-research apparatus. In total the crew performed over 2000 experiments.
arrived at the station carrying the three person visiting crew of Mir EP-2. The crew consisted of two Soviets, Commander Solovyev
and Flight Engineer Savinykh
, as well as the Bulgaria
n research cosmonaut Aleksandr Aleksandrov (not to be confused with Soviet cosmonaut Aleksandr Aleksandrov
, who was part of the long-duration Mir EO-2
crew).
Aleksandrov was the second Bulgarian to fly in space, the first being Georgi Ivanov
, who flew on Soyuz 33
. But Ivanov failed to reach the space station Salyut 6
, as the mission was aborted prior to docking, due to an engine failure aboard his spacecraft Soyuz 33
. As a result, prior to EP-2, Bulgaria was the only Eastern European
Soviet ally to not have one of its citizens visit a Soviet space station. Aleksandrov became the first Bulgarian to visit a space station.
During his visit, Aleksandrov used nearly 2,000 kg of equipment delivered by Progress spacecraft to conduct 46 experiments in the Shipka program.
The visiting EP-2 crew returned to Earth about a week later in the spacecraft Soyuz TM-4
, leaving TM-5 as the station's lifeboat.
arrived at the station, carrying the new EO-3 crew member Valeri Polyakov. Also on TM-6 was the two person crew of the visiting expedition Mir EP-3
, consisting of the commander Vladimir Lyakhov
, as well as the first Afghan
cosmonaut Abdul Ahad Mohmand
.
After about a week on the station, Lyakhov and Mohmand returned to Earth in Soyuz TM-5
, leaving the fresh TM-6 spacecraft at the station as their new lifeboat. During the descent of TM-6 there were some technical problems, resulting in some tense moments as well as a day-long delay in landing. Nevertheless, they landed safely on 7 September.
(also known as "Extra-vehicular activity", or EVA) of EO-3 took place on 26 February 1988 (4h 25m) replacing a segment on a solar cell. The second EVA was on 30 June 1988 (5h 10m) in which the replacement of a detector block on the Kvant-1
module failed. New tools were delivered to the station and with this the same work was then successful on 20 October 1988 (4h 12m).
.
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...
. The crew consisted of 3 people, Musa Manarov (Commander), Vladimir Titov
Vladimir Titov
Vladimir Georgiyevich Titov , Colonel, Russian Air Force, Ret., and former Russian cosmonaut was born January 1, 1947, in Sretensk, in the Zabaykalsky Krai region of Russia. He is married to the former Alexandra Kozlova of Ivanovo Region, Russia...
(Flight Engineer) and Valeri Polyakov (Research Doctor). Manarov and Titov arrived at the station in December 1987 on Soyuz TM-4
Soyuz TM-4
-Mission parameters:*Mass: 7070 kg*Perigee: 337 km*Apogee: 357 km*Inclination: 51.6°*Period: 91.5 minutes-Mission highlights:...
, while Polyakov arrived much later, in August 1988 on Soyuz TM-6
Soyuz TM-6
Dr. Valeri Polyakov remained behind on Mir with cosmonauts Musa Manarov and Vladimir Titov when Mohmand and Lyakhov returned to Earth in Soyuz TM-5....
. After the arrival of Polyakov, medical experiments became more intensive.
Crew
Upon docking to Mir; Titov and Manarov became the third resident crew. Both performed three EVAEVA
Eva or EVA may refer to:* Eva , a given name for women** Eva , a list of people with the name EvaIt may also refer to:-In business and economics:* Earned Value Analysis, a measurement of project progress...
s. Polyakov joined the crew later separately.
| Position | Name | Spaceflight | Launch | Landing | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Vladimir TitovVladimir Titov Vladimir Georgiyevich Titov , Colonel, Russian Air Force, Ret., and former Russian cosmonaut was born January 1, 1947, in Sretensk, in the Zabaykalsky Krai region of Russia. He is married to the former Alexandra Kozlova of Ivanovo Region, Russia... |
Third | 21 December 1987 Soyuz TM-4 Soyuz TM-4 -Mission parameters:*Mass: 7070 kg*Perigee: 337 km*Apogee: 357 km*Inclination: 51.6°*Period: 91.5 minutes-Mission highlights:... |
21 December 1988 Soyuz TM-6 Soyuz TM-6 Dr. Valeri Polyakov remained behind on Mir with cosmonauts Musa Manarov and Vladimir Titov when Mohmand and Lyakhov returned to Earth in Soyuz TM-5.... |
366 days | Record spaceflight duration |
| Flight Engineer | Musa Manarov |
First | ||||
| Research Doctor | Valeri Polyakov |
First | 29 August 1988 TM-6 |
27 April 1989 TM-7 Soyuz TM-7 -Mission parameters:*Mass: 7,000 kg 15,400 lb*Perigee: 194 km *Apogee: 235 km *Inclination: 51.6°*Period: 88.8 minutes-Mission highlights:... |
241 days | Transferred to 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... |
Backup Crew
- Aleksandr Volkov (Commander)
- Aleksandr Kaleri (Flight Engineer)
- German Arzamazov (Research Doctor)
Mission Highlights
In the first week of the mission they performed biological experiments (with onions and fishes for example) and installed the Aynur biological crystal growth apparatus, which they had delivered to the station, into Kvant-1. Titov and Manarov conducted part of an ongoing survey of galaxies and star groups in the ultravioletUltraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
part of the spectrum using the Glazar telescope on Kvant. The survey required photography with exposure times of up to 8 minutes.
Other work included 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...
observation and experiments on the fields of materials sciences, meteorology
Meteorology
Meteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
, space technology, physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
, psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
, medical sciences and astronomical research, using the Marija-research apparatus. In total the crew performed over 2000 experiments.
Mir EP-2
In June 1988, the spacecraft Soyuz TM-5Soyuz TM-5
-Launch:Soyuz TM-5 launched on 1988 June 7 and arrived at Mir on June 9 carrying the second Bulgarian in space, Alexandrov . He became the first Bulgarian to reach a Soviet space station...
arrived at the station carrying the three person visiting crew of Mir EP-2. The crew consisted of two Soviets, Commander 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 :...
and Flight Engineer Savinykh
Viktor Savinykh
Viktor Petrovich Savinykh was born in Berezkiny, Kirov Oblast, Russian SFSR on March 7, 1940. Married with one child. Selected as a cosmonaut on December 1, 1978. Retired on February 9, 1989.Flew as Flight Engineer on Soyuz T-4, Soyuz T-13 and Soyuz TM-5....
, as well as the Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n research cosmonaut Aleksandr Aleksandrov (not to be confused with Soviet cosmonaut Aleksandr Aleksandrov
Aleksandr Pavlovich Aleksandrov
Aleksandr Pavlovich Aleksandrov , born February 20, 1943) is a former Soviet cosmonaut and twice Hero of the Soviet Union ....
, who was part of the long-duration Mir EO-2
Mir EO-2
Mir EO-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 , the division occurring when one of the two crew members, Aleksandr Laveykin, was replaced part way through the mission by...
crew).
Aleksandrov was the second Bulgarian to fly in space, the first being Georgi Ivanov
Georgi Ivanov
Major general Georgi Ivanov Kakalov is a retired Bulgarian military officer and the first Bulgarian cosmonaut. He was a member of the National Assembly of Bulgaria in 1990.-Early life and military career:...
, who flew on Soyuz 33
Soyuz 33
-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 51.63°*Period: 88.99 minutes-Mission highlights:...
. But Ivanov failed to reach the space station Salyut 6
Salyut 6
Salyut 6 , DOS-5, was a Soviet orbital space station, the eighth flown as part of the Salyut programme. Launched on 29 September 1977 by a Proton rocket, the station was the first of the 'second-generation' type of space station. Salyut 6 possessed several revolutionary advances over the earlier...
, as the mission was aborted prior to docking, due to an engine failure aboard his spacecraft Soyuz 33
Soyuz 33
-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 51.63°*Period: 88.99 minutes-Mission highlights:...
. As a result, prior to EP-2, Bulgaria was the only Eastern European
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
Soviet ally to not have one of its citizens visit a Soviet space station. Aleksandrov became the first Bulgarian to visit a space station.
| Mir EP-2 | Name | Spaceflight | Launch | Landing | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commander | 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 :... |
First | 7 July 1988 Soyuz TM-5 Soyuz TM-5 -Launch:Soyuz TM-5 launched on 1988 June 7 and arrived at Mir on June 9 carrying the second Bulgarian in space, Alexandrov . He became the first Bulgarian to reach a Soviet space station... |
17 July 1988 Soyuz TM-4 Soyuz TM-4 -Mission parameters:*Mass: 7070 kg*Perigee: 337 km*Apogee: 357 km*Inclination: 51.6°*Period: 91.5 minutes-Mission highlights:... |
9.8 days |
| Flight Engineer | Viktor Savinykh Viktor Savinykh Viktor Petrovich Savinykh was born in Berezkiny, Kirov Oblast, Russian SFSR on March 7, 1940. Married with one child. Selected as a cosmonaut on December 1, 1978. Retired on February 9, 1989.Flew as Flight Engineer on Soyuz T-4, Soyuz T-13 and Soyuz TM-5.... |
Third | |||
| Research cosmonaut |  Aleksandr AleksandrovAleksandr Panayotov Aleksandrov Aleksandr Panayotov Aleksandrov is a retired Bulgarian cosmonaut. He is the second Bulgarian to have flown to space behind Georgi Ivanov.-Biography:... |
First |
During his visit, Aleksandrov used nearly 2,000 kg of equipment delivered by Progress spacecraft to conduct 46 experiments in the Shipka program.
The visiting EP-2 crew returned to Earth about a week later in the spacecraft Soyuz TM-4
Soyuz TM-4
-Mission parameters:*Mass: 7070 kg*Perigee: 337 km*Apogee: 357 km*Inclination: 51.6°*Period: 91.5 minutes-Mission highlights:...
, leaving TM-5 as the station's lifeboat.
Polyakov arrives
On 31 August 1988, the spacecraft Soyuz TM-6Soyuz TM-6
Dr. Valeri Polyakov remained behind on Mir with cosmonauts Musa Manarov and Vladimir Titov when Mohmand and Lyakhov returned to Earth in Soyuz TM-5....
arrived at the station, carrying the new EO-3 crew member Valeri Polyakov. Also on TM-6 was the two person crew of the visiting expedition Mir EP-3
Mir EP-3
Mir EP-3 was a week-long manned spaceflight to the Soviet space station Mir, during the long-duration expedition Mir EO-3. It was the sixth manned spaceflight to Mir, and was launched with the spacecraft Soyuz TM-6. This spacecraft also carried Valeri Polyakov, who would stay aboard Mir after the...
, consisting of the commander Vladimir Lyakhov
Vladimir Lyakhov
Vladimir Afanasyevich Lyakhov , Ukrainian SSR), Soviet Union on July 20, 1941) is a former Soviet cosmonaut, twice named a Hero of the Soviet Union....
, as well as the first Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
cosmonaut Abdul Ahad Mohmand
Abdul Ahad Mohmand
Abdul Ahad Momand is a former Afghan Air Force aviator who became the first Afghan in space when he spent nine days aboard the Mir space station in 1988 as a Intercosmos Research Cosmonaut...
.
After about a week on the station, Lyakhov and Mohmand returned to Earth in Soyuz TM-5
Soyuz TM-5
-Launch:Soyuz TM-5 launched on 1988 June 7 and arrived at Mir on June 9 carrying the second Bulgarian in space, Alexandrov . He became the first Bulgarian to reach a Soviet space station...
, leaving the fresh TM-6 spacecraft at the station as their new lifeboat. During the descent of TM-6 there were some technical problems, resulting in some tense moments as well as a day-long delay in landing. Nevertheless, they landed safely on 7 September.
Spacewalks
The first spacewalkExtra-vehicular activity
Extra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
(also known as "Extra-vehicular activity", or EVA) of EO-3 took place on 26 February 1988 (4h 25m) replacing a segment on a solar cell. The second EVA was on 30 June 1988 (5h 10m) in which the replacement of a detector block on the Kvant-1
Kvant-1
Kvant-1 was the second module of the Soviet space station Mir. It was the first addition to the Mir base block and contained scientific instruments for astrophysical observations and materials science experiments....
module failed. New tools were delivered to the station and with this the same work was then successful on 20 October 1988 (4h 12m).
End of mission
Mir EO-3 officially concluded on 21 December 1988, when Manarov and Titov returned to Earth in the Soyuz TM-6 spacecraft. The mission in total lasted for 365.94 days, the third longest of all the expeditions. Polyakov stayed aboard the station, and was transferred to Mir EO-4Mir 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...
.