Soyuz TM-16

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Soyuz TM-16
Operator Rosaviakosmos
COSPAR ID 1993-005A OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
SATCAT no. 22319 OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Mission duration179 days, 43 minutes, 45 seconds
Orbits completed~2,790
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSoyuz 7K-STM No. 101
Spacecraft type Soyuz-TM
Manufacturer NPO Energia
Launch mass7,150 kilograms (15,760 lb)
Crew
Crew size2 up
3 down
Members Gennadi Manakov
Alexander Poleshchuk
Landing Jean-Pierre Haigneré
CallsignВулка́н (Vulkan - Volcano)
Start of mission
Launch date24 January 1993, 05:58:05 (1993-01-24UTC05:58:05Z) UTC
Rocket Soyuz-U2
End of mission
Landing date22 July 1993, 06:41:50 (1993-07-22UTC06:41:51Z) UTC
Landing site140 kilometres (87 mi) S of Dzhezkazgan
Orbital parameters
Reference system Geocentric
Regime Low Earth
Perigee altitude 393 kilometres (244 mi)
Apogee altitude 394 kilometres (245 mi)
Inclination 51.6 degrees
Docking with Mir
Docking date26 January 1993, 07:31:17 UTC
Undocking date22 July 1993, 3:00:30 UTC
Soyuz TM-16 patch.png
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions)

Soyuz TM-16 was the sixteenth expedition to the Russian Space Station Mir. [1]

Contents

The Soyuz-TM crew transports (T - транспортный - Transportnyi - meaning transport, M - модифицированный - Modifitsirovannyi- meaning modified) were fourth generation (1986–2002) Soyuz spacecraft used for ferry flights to the Mir and ISS space stations. It added to the Soyuz-T new docking and rendezvous, radio communications, emergency and integrated parachute/landing engine systems. The new Kurs rendezvous and docking system permitted the Soyuz-TM to maneuver independently of the station, without the station making "mirror image" maneuvers to match unwanted translations introduced by earlier models' aft-mounted attitude control.

Crew

Position Launching crewLanding crew
Commander Flag of Russia.svg   Gennadi Manakov
Second spaceflight
Flight Engineer Flag of Russia.svg   Alexander Poleshchuk
First spaceflight
Research CosmonautNone Flag of France.svg   Jean-Pierre Haigneré
First spaceflight

Mission highlights

Soyuz TM-16 shown with the APAS-89 docking mechanism Soyuz TM-16.jpg
Soyuz TM-16 shown with the APAS-89 docking mechanism
APAS-89 APAS-89 docking system drawing.png
APAS-89

16th expedition to Mir.

First Soyuz without a probe and drogue docking system since 1976. It carried an APAS-89 androgynous docking unit different from the APAS-75 unit used for ASTP in 1975, yet similar in general principles. Soyuz-TM 16 used it to dock with an androgynous docking port on the Kristall module. This was a test of the docking system in preparation for dockings by the Space Shuttles with Mir.

References