COSPAR ID 2006-009A Spacecraft type Soyuz-TMA 11F732 Crew size 3 Dates 30 Mar 2006 – 23 Sep 2006 Landing date 29 September 2006 | Mission duration 182 days Manufacturer RKK Energia Period 1.5 hours Launch date 30 March 2006 | |
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Launch mass 7,270 kilograms (16,030 lb) Operator Roscosmos State Corporation Members | ||
Expedition 13 soyuz tma 8 launch
Soyuz TMA-8 was a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched by a Soyuz FG launch vehicle.
Contents
- Expedition 13 soyuz tma 8 launch
- The hatch of the soyuz tma 8 descent module opens
- Crew
- Docking with ISS
- Mission highlights
- References
The hatch of the soyuz tma 8 descent module opens
Crew
Soyuz TMA-8 was a transport mission for portions of the International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 13 crew. The flight delivered ISS Commander Pavel Vinogradov and ISS Flight Engineer Jeffrey Williams to the station to replace Expedition 12 crew members. Flight Engineer Marcos Pontes joined the TMA-8 crew for the ascent and docking with ISS, spent approximately seven days aboard the ISS conducting experiments, then returned to Earth with the outgoing members of Expedition 12 aboard Soyuz TMA-7. Vinogradov and Williams were joined on their return trip to Earth by Spaceflight Participant Anousheh Ansari who launched aboard Soyuz TMA-9 and spent approximately eight days aboard ISS conducting experiments for the European Space Agency.
Docking with ISS
Mission highlights
29th manned flight to ISS (Flight 12S)
Soyuz TMA-8 is a Soyuz spacecraft which was launched on March 30, 2006 by a Soyuz-FG rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Near the end of second stage burn, a communications blackout occurred at Moscow Mission Control. A satellite link was lost, but was restored about 10 minutes later. The crew was safe throughout the loss of communications.
The spacecraft carried two members of the Expedition 13 crew to the International Space Station, together with Marcos Pontes, the first Brazilian in space. The Brazilian government paid Russia approximately $20 million (USD) for Pontes' flight. They replaced the Expedition 12 crew, Commander William McArthur and Valery Ivanovich Tokarev. Together with the Expedition 12 crew, Marcos Pontes returned to Earth on board Soyuz TMA-7.
Soyuz TMA-8 returned to Earth, together with Expedition 13, the spaceflight participant launched with Soyuz TMA-9, Anousheh Ansari.