COSPAR ID 1989-071A Spacecraft type Soyuz-TM Period 1.5 hours Dates 5 Sep 1989 – 19 Feb 1990 Landing date 19 February 1990 | Orbits completed ~2,680 Manufacturer NPO Energia Apogee 392,000 m Launch date 5 September 1989 Rocket Soyuz-U2 | |
 | ||
Mission duration 166 days, 6 hours, 58 minutes, 15 seconds Launch mass 7,150 kilograms (15,760 lb) Members Aleksandr Viktorenko, Aleksandr Serebrov | ||
Soyuz TM-8 was a spacecraft used to launch and land the crew of the fifth long duration crew to the Soviet Space Station Mir. 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 manned spaceflight to Mir, and spent 166 days in orbit.
Contents
Crew
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.
Launch and Docking
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.
Return to Earth
Soyuz TM-8 landed at 04:36 UTC on 19 February 1990, after an uneventful flight to Earth.