Soyuz TMA-2

Coordinates: 49°55′N 66°57′E / 49.917°N 66.950°E / 49.917; 66.950
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Soyuz TMA-2
Operator
Rosaviakosmos
COSPAR ID2003-016A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.27781Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration184 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, 28 seconds
Orbits completed~3,005
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type
RKK Energia
Launch mass7,136 kilograms (15,732 lb)
Crew
Crew size2 up
3 down
Members
Edward Tsang Lu
LandingPedro Duque
CallsignAgat (Agate)
Start of mission
Launch dateApril 26, 2003, 03:53:52 (2003-04-26UTC03:53:52Z) UTC
Rocket
1/5
End of mission
Landing dateOctober 28, 2003, 02:40:20 (2003-10-28UTC02:40:21Z) UTC
Landing siteNear Arkalyk
49°55′N 66°57′E / 49.917°N 66.950°E / 49.917; 66.950
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric
RegimeLow Earth
Perigee altitude200 kilometres (120 mi)
Apogee altitude242 kilometres (150 mi)
Inclination51.67 degrees
Docking with ISS
Docking portZarya nadir
Docking date28 April 2003
05:56 UTC
Undocking date27 October 2003
23:17 UTC
Time docked182d 17h 21m

Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko (left) and Edward Tsang Lu
Soyuz programme
(Crewed missions)
 
Soyuz TMA-2 launch

Soyuz TMA-2 was a

Soyuz spacecraft
, and the 6th Soyuz to fly to the ISS.

The commander was

Alexander Kaleri and Michael Foale
were assigned as the backup crew.

Crew

Position Launching crew Landing crew
Commander
Third spaceflight
Flight Engineer
Edward Tsang Lu, NASA
Expedition 7

Third and last spaceflight
Flight Engineer None Spain Pedro Duque, ESA
Second and Last spaceflight

Original Crew

Position Crew
Commander
RKA

N/A (Taxi Flight)
Second spaceflight
Flight Engineer
ESA

N/A (Taxi Flight)
Second and last spaceflight
Flight Engineer Russia Oleg Kotov
N/A (Taxi Flight)
First spaceflight

Mission parameters

  • Mass: 7136 kg
  • Perigee: 200 km
  • Apogee: 250 km
  • Inclination: 51.7°
  • Period: 88.7 min

Docking with ISS

Mission highlights

Originally the Soyuz missions to the ISS were all planned to be only taxi mission to deliver a new Soyuz spacecraft as the station's lifeboat every six month with a visiting crew, but not for crew exchange. Until the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster the same was planned for Soyuz TMA-2, a visiting crew consisting of commander Gennady Padalka and ESA-astronaut Pedro Duque were to spend about one week at the station and then return with the previous Soyuz TMA-1 spacecraft. The third seat might have gone to the Chilean Klaus von Storch as a Chilean space agency (Agencia Chilena del Espacio) cosmonaut, but even before the Columbia disaster it looked like his flight would not happen, and the seat would go to the Russian cosmonaut Oleg Kotov or to deliver freight to the station.

Soyuz TMA-2 landing

During his stay on the station, Malenchenko became the first person to get married in space. His bride was in Texas where long distance marriages are legal.

The spacecraft returned to Earth on October 28, with both the "Expedition 7" crew as well as Pedro Duque on board. Duque was launched with Soyuz TMA-3 and spent only one week on board of the ISS.

References

  1. ^ "ISS Expedition 7 Crew". NASA. Archived from the original on 2003-04-02.

External links

49°55′N 66°57′E / 49.917°N 66.950°E / 49.917; 66.950