Soyuz TMA-8

Infobox Space mission
mission_name = Soyuz TMA-8
sign = "Carat"
insignia = Soyuz TMA-8 logo.jpg
insignia_size = 160px
stats_ref =
crew_members = 3
launch_pad = LC-1, Baikonur Cosmodrome
launch = March 30, 2006
02:30 UTC
LC-1
landing = September 29, 2006
01:13 UTC Kazakhstan
duration = 182 days
orbits =
apogee =
perigee =
period =
altitude =
inclination =
distance =
mass =
crew_photo = Soyuz TMA-8 crew.jpg
crew_caption = From left to right: Marcos Pontes, Pavel Vinogradov, Jeffrey Williams
previous = Soyuz TMA-7
next = Soyuz TMA-9

Soyuz TMA-8 was a Soyuz mission to the International Space Station (ISS) launched by a Soyuz FG launch vehicle.

Crew

Soyuz TMA-8 was a transport mission for portions of the International Space Station (ISS) "Expedition 13" crew. The flight delivered ISS Commander Pavel Vinogradov and ISS Flight Engineer Jeffrey Williams to the station to replace "Expedition 12" crew members. Flight Engineer Marcos Pontes joined the TMA-8 crew for the ascent and docking with ISS, spent approximately seven days aboard the ISS conducting experiments, then returned to Earth with the outgoing members of "Expedition 12" aboard Soyuz TMA-7. Vinogradov and Williams were joined on their return trip to Earth by Spaceflight Participant Anousheh Ansari who launched aboard Soyuz TMA-9 and spent approximately eight days aboard ISS conducting experiments for the European Space Agency.

Launched: [cite news | first=| last= | coauthors= | title=New Station Crew Launches From Baikonur | date=2006-03-29 | author=NASA| publisher=National Aeronautics and Space Administration | url =http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition13/exp13_launch.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-08-12 | language = ]
*Pavel Vinogradov (2*) Commander - RUS
*Jeffrey Williams (2) Flight Engineer
*Marcos Pontes (1) Flight Engineer - BRA

Landed:
*Pavel Vinogradov (2) Commander - RUS
*Jeffrey Williams (2) Flight Engineer
*Anousheh Ansari (1) Spaceflight Participant - IRI / USA

Back-up crewcite news | author=NASA| title=NASA Announces Next International Space Station Crew | date=2006-01-05 | publisher=NASA | url =http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2006/jan/HQ_06002_Expedition_13_crew.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-08-12 | language = ]
*Fyodor Yurchikhin Commander - RUS
*Michael Fincke Flight Engineer
*Sergei Volkov Flight Engineer - RUS

*Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.

Mission parameters

*Mass: 7,270 kg
*Perigee: 200 km
*Apogee: 241 km
*Inclination: 51.67°
*Period: 88.64 minutes

Docking with ISS

*Docked to ISS: April 1, 2006, 04:19 UTC (to nadir port of Zarya) [cite news | first=| last=NASA | coauthors= | title=New Crew Docks With Space Station | date=2006-03-31 | publisher=NASA | url =http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition13/exp13_dock.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-08-12 | language = ]
*Undocked from ISS: September 28, 2006, 21:53 UTC (from nadir port of Zarya)

Mission highlights

29th manned flight to ISS (Flight 12S)

Soyuz TMA-8 is a Soyuz spacecraft which was launched on March 30, 2006 by a Soyuz launch vehicle from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Near the end of second stage burn, a communications blackout occurred at Moscow Mission Control. A satellite link was lost, but was restored about 10 minutes later. The crew was safe throughout the loss of communications.

The spacecraft carried two members of the Expedition 13 crew to the International Space Station, together with Marcos Pontes, the first Brazilian in space. The Brazilian government paid Russia approximately $20 million (USD) for Pontes' flight.Cite web|url=http://www.spacedaily.com/news/iss-05zzzzp.html|title=Brazil's President In Moscow Signs Deal For Joint Space Mission|accessyear=2007|accessmonthday=October 30|publisher=Space Daily|year=2005|author=Delphine Thouvenot] They replaced the Expedition 12 crew, Commander William McArthur and Valery Ivanovich Tokarev. Together with the Expedition 12 crew, Marcos Pontes returned to Earth on board Soyuz TMA-7.

Soyuz TMA-8 returned to Earth, together with Expedition 13, the spaceflight participant launched with Soyuz TMA-9, Anousheh Ansari. [cite news | first=| last=NASA | coauthors= | title=Space Station Crew Back on Earth | date=2005-09-28 | publisher=NASA | url =http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition13/exp13_undocking.html | work = | pages = | accessdate = 2007-08-12 | language = ]

References

ee also

*List of spaceflights (2006)

External links

* [http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition13/index.html Expedition 13/Soyuz TMA-8]
* [http://www.thespacereview.com/article/597/1]

Soyuz programme
previous=Soyuz TMA-7
next=Soyuz TMA-9