Soyuz TM-11 facts for kids
| Mission duration | 175 days, 1 hour, 50 minutes, 41 seconds |
|---|---|
| Orbits completed | ~2,735 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft type | Soyuz-TM |
| Manufacturer | NPO Energia |
| Launch mass | 7,150 kilograms (15,760 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Members | Viktor Afanasyev Musa Manarov |
| Launching | Toyohiro Akiyama |
| Landing | Helen Sharman |
| Callsign | Дербе́нт (Derbent) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2 December 1990, 08:13:32 UTC |
| Rocket | Soyuz-U2 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 26 May 1991, 10:04:13 UTC |
| Landing site | near Dzhezkazgan |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 367 kilometres (228 mi) |
| Apogee | 400 kilometres (250 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.6 degrees |
| Period | 92.2 minutes |
| Docking with Mir | |
| Docking date | 4 December 1990, 09:57:09 UTC |
| Undocking date | 26 May 1991, 06:15:59 UTC |
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions) |
|
Soyuz TM-11 was a space mission that traveled to the Russian space station Mir. This mission was special because it carried a Japanese television reporter into space. It was the eleventh time a Soyuz-TM spacecraft went to Mir.
Who Was Aboard Soyuz TM-11?
| Position | Launching crew | Landing crew |
|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Viktor AfanasyevFirst spaceflight |
|
| Flight Engineer | Musa Manarov Second spaceflight |
|
| Research Cosmonaut |  Toyohiro AkiyamaFirst spaceflight Reporter |
 Helen Sharman, Project JunoFirst spaceflight |
The crew of Soyuz TM-11 included three people. The commander was Viktor Afanasyev. This was his first trip to space. The flight engineer was Musa Manarov, who had been to space before.
The third person was Toyohiro Akiyama, a reporter from Japan. He was the first Japanese person to fly into space. He was also the first journalist to make a spaceflight.
When the mission ended, Toyohiro Akiyama returned to Earth. Another astronaut, Helen Sharman from the United Kingdom, landed with the Soyuz TM-11 spacecraft.
Highlights of the Mission
Soyuz TM-11 was the eleventh mission to dock with the Mir space station. The spacecraft stayed connected to Mir for 175 days. It launched on the same day as another space mission, STS-35.
This mission was very unique because it carried a Japanese television reporter. His name was Toyohiro Akiyama, and he worked for the Tokyo Broadcasting System. To celebrate this, the rocket that launched Soyuz TM-11 had special paintings. It showed the Japanese flag and advertisements for companies like Sony. There was even a camera inside the spacecraft. It filmed the astronauts as they went into space for Akiyama's TV network.
When they arrived at Mir, Viktor Afanaseyev, Musa Manarov, and Toyohiro Akiyama were greeted by the Soviet astronauts already there. Toyohiro Akiyama's TV network paid for his trip into space. The Soviet Union said this was their first "commercial" spaceflight. They stated they earned $14 million from this trip.
Akiyama planned to make TV and radio broadcasts from space every day. His equipment for broadcasting was quite heavy, about 170 kilograms. It was sent to Mir earlier by another spacecraft. Other astronauts helped set it up before Akiyama arrived. On December 5, Akiyama's special seat was moved to another Soyuz spacecraft. This was to prepare for his return to Earth.
The Tokyo Broadcasting System even showed Akiyama's landing live on TV. This happened from Kazakhstan, where the spacecraft landed.
See also
In Spanish: Soyuz TM-11 para niños
