Mission type Manned interplanetary | Mission duration 1095 days Crew size 3 | |
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Dimensions Length: 39 feet (12 m)Diameter: 19.60 feet (5.97 m)Volume: 4,555.6 cubic feet (129.00 m) | ||
TMK (Russian: Тяжелый Межпланетный Корабль - Tyazhely Mezhplanetny Korabl for Heavy Interplanetary Spacecraft) was the designation of a Soviet space exploration project to send a manned flight to Mars and Venus (TMK-MAVR design) without landing.
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The TMK-1 spacecraft was due to be launched in 1971 and make a three-year-long flight including a Mars flyby, at which time probes would have been dropped. Expanded project variations, such as the TMK-E, Mavr or KK, including a Venus flyby, electric propulsion or a manned Mars landing were also proposed.
The TMK project was planned as an answer from the Soviet Union to the United States' manned Moon landings. A previous Martian Piloted Complex mission was proposed in 1956. The project was never completed because the required N1 rocket never flew successfully.
TMK-1
The first flight to Mars of the TMK-1 was planned to begin on June 8, 1971.
The 75 metric ton TMK-1 spacecraft would take a crew of three on a Mars flyby mission. After a 10½ month flight the crew would race past Mars, dropping remote-controlled landers, and then be flung into an Earth-return trajectory. Earth return would happen on July 10, 1974, after a voyage of three years, one month, and two days.
Spacecraft configuration:
TMK-E
This variation was proposed in 1960, and consisted of a complete Mars landing expedition to be assembled in Earth orbit using several N1 launches. The spacecraft would be powered by nuclear electric engines and five landers would deliver a nuclear-powered Mars Train on the surface for a one-year mission.
The TMK-E would be capable of a three-year flight to Mars and return, of which one year was powered flight. It would measure 175 m in length and house a crew of six. Six landing craft were included, two for the crew and four for the Mars Train vehicles.
Mavr (MArs - VeneRa)
A variation of the TMK mission planning involved a flyby of Venus on the return voyage, and was given the code name "Mavr" (MArs - VeneRa), meaning Mars - Venus.
KK - Space Complex for Delivering a Piloted Expedition to Mars
In 1966, a final version of the TMK studies was known as KK - Space Complex for Delivering a Piloted Expedition to Mars. Nuclear electric propulsion was to be used for the 630-day mission. The craft structure consisted of:
The launch was planned for 1980, with a crew of three cosmonauts. Mars stay duration would be 30 days.
Mission data: