Soyuz TM-20

Soyuz TM-20

Mission type	Mir crew transport
Operator	Rosaviakosmos
COSPAR ID	1994-063A
SATCAT №	23288
Mission duration	169 days, 5 hours, 21 minutes, 35 seconds
Orbits completed	~2,760
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Soyuz 7K-STM No.69[1]
Spacecraft type	Soyuz-TM
Manufacturer	RKK Energia
Launch mass	7,170 kilograms (15,810 lb)
Crew
Crew size	3
Members	Alexander Viktorenko Yelena Kondakova
Launching	Ulf Merbold
Landing	Valeri Polyakov
Callsign	Ви́тязь (Vityaz' - Knight)
Start of mission
Launch date	October 3, 1994, 22:42:30 UTC[1]
Rocket	Soyuz-U2
Launch site	Baikonur 1/5
End of mission
Landing date	March 22, 1995, 04:04:05 UTC
Landing site	50°31′N 67°21′E / 50.52°N 67.35°E
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee	392 kilometres (244 mi)
Apogee	394 kilometres (245 mi)
Inclination	51.6 degrees
Period	92.42 minutes
Epoch	3 November 1994[2]
Docking with Mir
Docking port	Core forward
Docking date	6 October 1994, 00:28:15 UTC
Undocking date	22 March 1995, 00:43:08 UTC
Soyuz programme (Manned missions) ← Soyuz TM-19 Soyuz TM-21 →

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.

Soyuz TM-20 was the twentieth expedition to the Russian Space Station Mir.

Mir as seen from Space Shuttle Discovery during STS-63, with Soyuz TM-20 seen at the top

Crew

Position	Launching crew	Landing crew
Commander	Alexander Viktorenko Fourth spaceflight
Flight Engineer	Yelena Kondakova First spaceflight
Research Cosmonaut	Ulf Merbold Third and last spaceflight	Valeri Polyakov Second and last spaceflight

Mission highlights

20th expedition to Mir.

Carried 10 kg of equipment for use by Merbold in ESA’s month-long Euromir 94 experiment program. During automatic approach to Mir’s front port, the spacecraft yawed unexpectedly. Viktorenko completed a manual docking without additional incident.

References

1. McDowell, Jonathan. "Launch Log". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 9 November 2013.
2. McDowell, Jonathan. "Satellite Catalog". Jonathan's Space Page. Retrieved 9 November 2013.

External links

• Spaceflight Mission Report