Soyuz TMA-2
Operator | Rosaviakosmos |
---|---|
COSPAR ID | 2003-016A |
SATCAT no. | 27781 |
Mission duration | 184 days, 22 hours, 46 minutes, 28 seconds |
Orbits completed | ~3,005 |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft type | RKK Energia |
Launch mass | 7,136 kilograms (15,732 lb) |
Crew | |
Crew size | 2 up 3 down |
Members | Edward Tsang Lu |
Landing | Pedro Duque |
Callsign | Agat (Agate) |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | April 26, 2003, 03:53:52 | UTC
Rocket | 1/5 |
End of mission | |
Landing date | October 28, 2003, 02:40:20 | UTC
Landing site | Near Arkalyk 49°55′N 66°57′E / 49.917°N 66.950°E |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric |
Regime | Low Earth |
Perigee altitude | 200 kilometres (120 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 242 kilometres (150 mi) |
Inclination | 51.67 degrees |
Docking with ISS | |
Docking port | Zarya nadir |
Docking date | 28 April 2003 05:56 UTC |
Undocking date | 27 October 2003 23:17 UTC |
Time docked | 182d 17h 21m |
Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko (left) and Edward Tsang Lu Soyuz programme (Crewed missions) |
Soyuz TMA-2 was a
The commander was
Crew
Position | Launching crew | Landing crew |
---|---|---|
Commander | RKA Expedition 7 Third spaceflight | |
Flight Engineer | Third and last spaceflight | |
Flight Engineer | None | 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 | 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
- Docked to ISS: April 28, 2003, 05:56 UTC (to nadir port of Zarya)
- Undocked from ISS: October 27, 2003, 23:17 UTC (from nadir port of Zarya)
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.
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
- ^ "ISS Expedition 7 Crew". NASA. Archived from the original on 2003-04-02.