| Soyuz 7K-T-AF | |
| Size: | 190px |
| Manufacturer: | Experimental Design Bureau (OKB-1) |
| Country: | Soviet Union |
| Applications: | Crewed spacecraft as Space Observatory Station |
| Orbits: | Low Earth orbit |
| Operator: | Soviet space program |
| Lifetime: | Up to 35 days, used for 7.87 days |
| Insignia: | Vimpel 'Diamond'.jpg |
| Insignia Caption: | Vimpel Diamond for entrainment patch |
| Derivedfrom: | Soyuz 7K-T |
| Status: | No longer in service |
| Built: | 1 |
| Launched: | 1 |
| First: | Soyuz 13 18 December 1973 |
| Last: | Soyuz 13 |
| Mass: | [1] |
| Power: | Solar arrays output 1.3 kW from on 4-segments |
| Dimensions: |
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Soyuz 7K-T-AF is a version of the Soyuz spacecraft and was the first spacecraft designed for space station flights, a dedicated science mission. Its only crewed flight was conducted in 1973 with Soyuz 13 of the Soyuz programme.[2] [3]
See main article: Soyuz 13. The one craft of the Soyuz 7K-T-AF was modified from the original Soyuz 7K-T with the addition of observatory and solar arrays. This was the second test flight of the redesigned Soyuz 7K-T, the second generation of the Soyuz spacecraft. The Soyuz 7K-T-AF flew once on Soyuz 13. The Soyuz 7K-T-AF was in the 7K-TM Configuration. Soyuz 7K-T-AF propulsion was from a KTDU-35, two liquid rocket engines. Soyuz 13/7K-T-AF was the first manned space observatory. Soyuz 7K-T-AF/Soyuz 13 housed the Orion 2 Space Observatory, operated by crew member Valentin Lebedev. Orion 2 Space Observatory was an Ultraviolet (UV) Telescope. The first Soviet UV Telescope was Orion 1 used on orbital station Salyut 1. The other crew member was Pyotr Klimuk.[3] [4] [5]
With the Orion 2 astrophysical telescope and camera, the crew made observations of stars in the ultraviolet light range. Also added to Soyuz 7K-T-AF was experiment that photographed spectrozonal areas of the earth's surface. Soyuz 7K-T-AF landed in snowstorm Southwest Karaganda.[6] The observatory equipment was added to the top of nose cone of the spacecraft. The observatory equipment was mounted were the docking port is mounted on the Soyuz 7K-OKS version. [7] [8] Soyuz 22/Soyuz 7K-MF6 spacecraft would be the next 7K-T with observatory equipment mounted at the craft's docking port.[9] [10]
