Soyuz TM-20 facts for kids
| Mission type | Mir crew transport |
|---|---|
| Operator | Rosaviakosmos |
| Mission duration | 169 days, 5 hours, 21 minutes, 35 seconds |
| Orbits completed | ~2,760 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Soyuz 7K-STM No.69 |
| Spacecraft type | Soyuz-TM |
| Manufacturer | RKK Energia |
| Launch mass | 7,170 kilograms (15,810 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 3 |
| Members | Aleksandr Viktorenko Yelena Kondakova |
| Launching | Ulf Merbold |
| Landing | Valeri Polyakov |
| Callsign | Ви́тязь (Vityaz' – Knight) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | October 3, 1994, 22:42:30 UTC |
| Rocket | Soyuz-U2 |
| Launch site | Baikonur 1/5 |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | March 22, 1995, 04:04:05 UTC |
| Landing site | 50°31′N 67°21′E / 50.52°N 67.35°E |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 392 kilometres (244 mi) |
| Apogee | 394 kilometres (245 mi) |
| Inclination | 51.6 degrees |
| Period | 92.42 minutes |
| Epoch | 3 November 1994 |
| Docking with Mir | |
| Docking port | Core forward |
| Docking date | 6 October 1994, 00:28:15 UTC |
| Undocking date | 22 March 1995, 00:43:08 UTC |
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions) |
|
Soyuz TM-20 was an important space mission that traveled to the Russian space station called Mir. It launched three astronauts: Aleksandr Viktorenko and Yelena Kondakova from Russia, and Ulf Merbold from Germany. This mission was a key part of the Soyuz programme, helping to transport crews to Mir.
Meet the Crew
This section introduces the brave astronauts who flew on Soyuz TM-20. They each had special roles during the mission.
| Position | Launching crew | Landing crew |
|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Aleksandr ViktorenkoFourth and last spaceflight |
|
| Flight Engineer | Yelena Kondakova First spaceflight |
|
| Research Cosmonaut |  Ulf MerboldThird and last spaceflight |
Valeri Polyakov Second and last spaceflight |
- Aleksandr Viktorenko was the commander of the Soyuz TM-20 mission. This was his fourth and final trip to space.
- Yelena Kondakova was the flight engineer. This was her very first space flight.
- Ulf Merbold was a research cosmonaut from Germany. This was his third and final journey into space. He returned to Earth with the Soyuz TM-20 spacecraft.
- Valeri Polyakov was already on the Mir space station. He returned to Earth on Soyuz TM-20, completing his second and final space flight.
Mission Highlights
The Soyuz TM-20 mission had some important goals and a few exciting moments.
Bringing Equipment for Experiments
The spacecraft carried 10 kilograms (about 22 pounds) of special equipment. This equipment was for Ulf Merbold to use in a month-long science program. This program was called Euromir 94.
A Tricky Docking
When Soyuz TM-20 was getting close to Mir, something unexpected happened. The spacecraft suddenly turned sideways during its automatic approach. Commander Viktorenko had to quickly take control. He manually guided the spacecraft to a safe docking with Mir's front port. This showed his great skill as a pilot.
