Soyuz-TM should not be confused with Soyuz 7K-TM.
| Soyuz-TM | |
| Manufacturer: | Korolev |
| Country: | Soviet Union and Russia |
| Applications: | Carry three cosmonauts to Mir and ISS and back |
| Operator: | Soviet space program/Russian Federal Space Agency |
| Orbits: | Low Earth orbit |
| Lifetime: | Up to six months docked to station |
| Derivedfrom: | Soyuz-T |
| Derivatives: | Soyuz-TMA |
| Status: | Out of service |
| Launched: | 34 |
| First: | Soyuz TM-1, 1986 |
| Last: | Soyuz TM-34, 2002 |
The Soyuz-TM were fourth generation (1986–2002) Soyuz spacecraft used for ferry flights to the Mir and ISS space stations. The Soyuz spacecraft consisted of three parts, the Orbital Module, the Descent Module and the Service Module.[1]
The first launch of the spacecraft was the uncrewed Soyuz TM-1 on May 21, 1986, where it docked with the Mir space station.[2] The final flight was Soyuz TM-34, which docked with the International Space Station and landed November 10, 2002.[3]
After the Apollo-Soyuz Test project in 1976, the Soyuz for crewed flights had the singular mission of supporting crewed space stations.[4] The original Soyuz had a limited endurance when docked with a station, only about 60 to 90 days. There were two avenues for extending the duration of missions past this. The first avenue was to make upgrades to increase the Soyuz spacecraft's endurance. The Soyuz-T could last 120 days and the Soyuz-TM could last 180 days. The other was to use a Visiting Expedition to fly a new Soyuz up to the station and depart with the spacecraft nearing the end of its rated endurance.
The preliminary design was released in April 1981 and the main set of working documentation was released in early 1982.[5]
The Soyuz-TM was an upgraded version of the Soyuz-T. The TM stood for transport modified (or транспортный модифицированный in Russian).
With the growth of orbital complexes, the Soyuz-T used the Igla system that required continuous orientation with the station and had high fuel costs. The Soyuz-TM was upgraded with the Kurs system that did not require the same orientation from the station and allowed measurements from a range of 200 km instead of the 30 km of the Igla.[6]
It also increased the payload to 51.6° orbit by 200–250 kg and was able to return 70–90 kg more back to earth. Energia accomplished this by increasing the capabilities of the launch vehicle and decreasing the mass of the ship. The parachute system mass was decreased by 120 kg (40%) by using synthetic material for the slings and lightweight material for the parachute domes.
It also featured a new KTDU-80 propulsion module that 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. It also used the baffles inside the tanks became structural, allowing further reduction in mass.
Classroom training is completed on Soyuz systems and required crew operations. Cosmonauts must pass an oral test on the material for certification. Training was also completed on Soyuz mockups and simulators. Two weeks before launch, after passing all the tests, the crew is flown to Baikonur to participate in a test at the launch site to go through all the steps associated with the launch.[7]
The final decision to launch is made by the assembly company (General Designer).[8] There is a Space Committee formed of approximately 20 people headed by a 3-star General for Air and Space with the following representation:
When different companies/countries are involved, they are represented as well at on the Space Committee. For Soyuz launches, the Ministry of Defense representative states that everything has been checked because all preparations at Baikonur are performed by the military. Independent assessment is made by the Central Institute of Machine Building for every flight. Cosmonauts had to get clearance from the Russian Medical Commission, the Institute of Biomedical Problems and the GCTC at the flight readiness Review.
| Mission | Launch | Launch Crew | Landed | Landed Crew | Duration | Summary | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soyuz TM-1 | 21 May 1986 | 30 May 1986 | 9 days | Uncrewed test flight | |||
| Soyuz TM-2 | 5 February 1987 | Mir EO-2 | 30 July 1987 | Mir EP-1
| 174 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-3 | 22 July 1987 | Mir EP-1
| 29 December 1987 | Mir EO-2
| 160 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-4 | 21 December 1987 | Mir EO-3
| 17 June 1988 | Mir EP-2 | 178 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-5 | 7 June 1988 | Mir EP-2 | 7 September 1988 | Mir EP-3 | 91 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-6 | 29 August 1988 | Mir EP-3 | 21 December 1988 | Mir EO-3
| 114 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-7 | 26 November 1988 | Mir EO-4
| 27 April 1989 | Mir EO-4 | 151 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-8 | 5 September 1989 | Mir EO-5 | 19 February 1990 | Mir EO-5 | 166 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-9 | 11 February 1990 | Mir EO-6 | 9 August 1990 | Mir EO-6 | 179 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-10 | 1 August 1990 | Mir EO-7 | 10 December 1990 | Mir EO-7
| 130 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-11 | 2 December 1990 | Mir EO-8
| 26 May 1991 | Mir EO-8 | 175 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-12 | 18 May 1991 | Mir EO-9
| 10 October 1991 | Mir EO-9 | 144 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-13 | 2 October 1991 | Mir EO-10 | 25 March 1992 | Mir EO-10
| 175 days | In orbit during the Dissolution of the Soviet Union | |
| Soyuz TM-14 | 17 March 1992 | Mir EO-11
| 10 August 1992 | Mir EO-11 | 145 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-15 | 27 July 1992 | Mir EO-12 | 1 February 1993 | Mir EO-12 | 188 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-16 | 24 January 1993 | Mir EO-13 | 22 July 1993 | Mir EO-13
| 179 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-17 | 1 July 1993 | Mir EO-14
| 14 January 1994 | Mir EO-14 | 196 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-18 | 8 January 1994 | Mir EO-15 | 9 July 1994 | Mir EO-15 | 182 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-19 | 1 July 1994 | Mir EO-16 | 4 November 1994 | Mir EO-16 | 125 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-20 | 3 October 1994 | Mir EO-17
| 22 March 1995 | Mir EO-17 | 169 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-21 | 14 March 1995 | Mir EO-18 | 11 September 1995 | Mir EO-19 | 181 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-22 | 3 September 1995 | Mir EO-20 | 29 February 1996 | Mir EO-20 | 179 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-23 | 21 February 1996 | Mir EO-21 | 2 September 1996 | Mir EO-21 | 193 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-24 | 17 August 1996 | Mir EO-22 | 2 March 1997 | Mir EO-22 | 196 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-25 | 10 February 1997 | Mir EO-23 | 14 August 1997 | Mir EO-23 | 184 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-26 | 5 August 1997 | Mir EO-24 | 19 February 1998 | Mir EO-24 | 197 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-27 | 29 January 1998 | Mir EO-25 | 25 August 1998 | Mir EO-25 | 207 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-28 | 13 August 1998 | Mir EO-26 | 28 February 1999 | Mir EO-26
| 198 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-29 | 20 February 1999 | Mir EO-27 | 28 August 1999 | Mir EO-27 | 188 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-30 | 4 April 2000 | Mir EO-28 | 16 June 2000 | Mir EO-28 | 72 days | Last mission to Mir | |
| Soyuz TM-31 | 31 October 2000 | Expedition 1 | 6 May 2001 | ISS EP-1 | 186 days | First Soyuz to the International Space Station | |
| Soyuz TM-32 | 28 April 2001 | ISS EP-1 | 31 October 2001 | ISS EP-2 | 185 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-33 | 21 October 2001 | ISS EP-2 | 5 May 2002 | Yuri Gidzenko Roberto Vittori Mark Shuttleworth | 195 days | ||
| Soyuz TM-34 | 25 April 2002 | Yuri Gidzenko Roberto Vittori Mark Shuttleworth | 10 November 2002 | Sergei Zalyotin Frank De Winne Yury Lonchakov | 198 days |
