| Soyuz TM-8 | |||||||
| Insignia: | Mir insignia.svg | ||||||
| Cospar Id: | 1989-071A | ||||||
| Mission Duration: | 166 days, 6 hours, 58 minutes, 15 seconds | ||||||
| Orbits Completed: | ~2,680 | ||||||
| Spacecraft: | Soyuz 7K-STM No. 58 | ||||||
| Spacecraft Type: | Soyuz-TM | ||||||
| Manufacturer: | NPO Energia | ||||||
| Launch Mass: | 7150kg (15,760lb) | ||||||
| Launch Date: | UTC | ||||||
| Launch Rocket: | Soyuz-U2 | ||||||
| Landing Date: | UTC | ||||||
| Landing Site: | 55km (34miles) NE of Arkalyk[1] | ||||||
| Crew Size: | 2 | ||||||
| Crew Members: | Aleksandr Viktorenko Aleksandr Serebrov | ||||||
| Crew Callsign: | Ви́тязь (Vityaz - Knight) | ||||||
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric | ||||||
| Orbit Regime: | Low Earth | ||||||
| Orbit Periapsis: | 390km (240miles) | ||||||
| Orbit Apoapsis: | 392km (244miles) | ||||||
| Orbit Inclination: | 51.6 degrees | ||||||
| Orbit Period: | 92.4 minutes | ||||||
| Apsis: | gee | ||||||
| Docking: |
| ||||||
| Previous Mission: | Soyuz TM-7 | ||||||
| Next Mission: | Soyuz TM-9 | ||||||
| Programme: | Soyuz programme (Crewed missions) | ||||||
Soyuz TM-8 was a 1989 spaceflight which carried the fifth long duration crew to the Soviet space station Mir.[2] It was part of the Soyuz-TM series of spacecraft, which were the fourth generation of the Soviet Soyuz. Soyuz TM-8 was the eighth crewed spaceflight to Mir, and spent 166 days in orbit.
The crew consisted of two Soviet cosmonauts. They had both been in space, but only Viktorenko had previously been to Mir, which was a 7-day visit during Mir EP-1.[3]
The Soyuz-U2 rocket was painted with advertisements. During the Soyuz spacecraft's final approach to Mir (4 metre distance), the Kurs rendezvous and docking system malfunctioned, so Viktorenko took over manual control and withdrew to 20 metres, and then docked manually. The spacecraft spent 166 days attached to Mir, for the duration of the expedition Mir EO-5.
Soyuz TM-8 landed at 04:36 UTC on 19 February 1990, after an uneventful flight to Earth.[1]