Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Soyuz TM 9

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COSPAR ID
  
1990-014A

Spacecraft type
  
Soyuz-TM

Period
  
1.5 hours

Dates
  
11 Feb 1990 – 9 Aug 1990

Landing date
  
9 August 1990

Orbits completed
  
~2,895

Manufacturer
  
NPO Energia

Apogee
  
387,000 m

Launch date
  
11 February 1990

Rocket
  
Soyuz-U2

Soyuz TM-9 wwwspacefactsdemissionphotosoyuztm9jpg

Mission duration
  
179 days, 1 hour, 17 minutes, 57 seconds

Launch mass
  
7,150 kilograms (15,760 lb)

Members
  
Anatoly Solovyev, Aleksandr Nikolayevich Balandin

Soyuz TM-9 was the ninth expedition to the Russian Space Station Mir.

Mission highlights

During docking, cosmonauts aboard Mir noticed that three of the eight thermal blankets (layers of foil vacuum-shield insulation) on the descent module of the approaching Soyuz-TM 9 spacecraft had come loose from their attachments near the heat shield, yet remained attached at their top ends. The main concern was that the capsule might cool down, permitting condensation to form inside and short out its electrical systems. There was also fear that the blankets might block the infrared vertical sensor, which oriented the module for reentry.

Three other areas of concern emerged: that the explosive bolts binding the service module to the descent module might fail to work after direct exposure to space, that the heat shield might be compromised by direct space exposure, and that an EVA to repair the blankets might cause additional damage. Consideration was given to flying Soyuz TM-10 with one cosmonaut aboard as a rescue mission. During an EVA, the cosmonauts folded back two of the three blankets and left the third alone. During reentry, the cosmonauts ejected both the orbital module and the service module simultaneously in an effort to minimize the chances that a blanket could snag. Normally the orbital module went first. The descent module suffered no damage as a result of its prolonged exposure to space conditions. Reentry occurred as normal.

References

Soyuz TM-9 Wikipedia